lpha one 260 sputtering/intermittent stalling issue after cruising for 30+ mins

Bomburly

Recruit
Joined
Jul 3, 2019
Messages
2
I have a Mercruiser Alpha one 260 from the 1987 that has been having this issue for 3 seasons now. It’s been into a mechanic who cleaned the carb and had it running at the shop for hours. No issues. He thought it was all set.

However we take it out and cruise with it and somewhere between 30 and 45 minutes of cruising it starts to sputter and backfire. Eventually getting really rough and stalling. This happens every season. Same timeframe before sputtering starts.

let it sit for 5 minutes and it starts up and will idle and run at low rpms for 5 to 10 more mins before sputtering starts again.

let it sit for an hour or more and it will cruise for 45 minutes again. Purring like a kitten.

we are at a lose and don’t have money to throw at it. We need to figure this out on our own at this point.

does anyone have any suggestions?

thanks,
Kevin
 

wellcraft-classic210

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Sep 22, 2010
Messages
839
1 idea -- Could be debris in fuel tank blocks the fuel pickup tube / when the boat is on water the fuel and any debris is getting sloshed around / when it sits debris settles again
 

Bomburly

Recruit
Joined
Jul 3, 2019
Messages
2
We empties the fuel filter into a mason jar and let it sit for a few hours. There was a tiny bit of debris at the bottom but the fuel itself was clear and looked good.
 
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