Boatnsteve
Cadet
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2011
- Messages
- 20
Hi all,
Late last Fall I purchased a small pontoon boat with a 2008 25hp 4 stroke Merc (Tahatsu made?) motor on it. It was very late in the season and for legitimate reasons I couldn't do more than quick start it in the parking lot of the dealer I bought it from. The dealer said the boat had been sitting around since the customer dropped it off the prior year. Based on what happened next my guess is that the prior owner didn't stabilize the gas at all, then the dealer didn't address the issue before it got tucked behind a bunch of boats in storage.
When I put it in the water last Fall it started up fine, but as soon as I put the throttle down I got no power out of it. Barely moved enough to create a ripple. It ran uneven and was obviously struggling with something. I hoped to blow out whatever was in there and so I kept at it. It stalled a couple of times and a few times it sounded like it might have worked through the issue, but it became clear it wasn't going to right itself so I ran out all the gas in the motor and put it away for the winter.
I tried to start it this Spring with fresh gas the starter engages the motor about two hits, it cuts the starter, and produces a single beep. Hitting the key again produced the same results. OK, so I stuck it back on land and got back to it yesterday. With the maintenance manual in hand, and much trolling of the Internet for advice, I tackled it.
I checked the injectors and the looked fine, I checked the fuel filters and no blockages in either. I tried pressurizing the system and found nothing at the injectors, so that indicated a blockage. I opened up the VST and found the filter for the pump clean, but there was some solid gunk (not much) in there. I found, for sure, the needle valve jet (float) was plugged solid. I got that unplugged, put the VST back together, and sure enough got fuel pressure to the injectors. I started it up (I had no access to a hose, unfortunately) for a second to confirm that did the trick. Success! Or so I thought.
I put the boat in the water a few minutes later and it started right up, but it sputtered and died. Not terribly surprising. I hit it again and it it caught and then died quicker than before. Next time or two it barely coughed. Then I got back to the same place I was last Fall with it not catching at all and disengaging the starter after about two cranks with a beep to follow. There is still pressure to the injectors, so for now I'm not thinking the VST is clogged again.
Question... it sounds like I have either a new blockage or I didn't fully clean up one that predated my ownership of this motor. What advice can any of you give me to try and narrow down the possibilities and (hopefully) get it fixed the next time?
Thanks!
Steve
P.S. The dealer said he'd be more than happy to fix it for me, but that involves two 2 hour trips and however long it takes him to get to it. So I'd rather do it myself.
Late last Fall I purchased a small pontoon boat with a 2008 25hp 4 stroke Merc (Tahatsu made?) motor on it. It was very late in the season and for legitimate reasons I couldn't do more than quick start it in the parking lot of the dealer I bought it from. The dealer said the boat had been sitting around since the customer dropped it off the prior year. Based on what happened next my guess is that the prior owner didn't stabilize the gas at all, then the dealer didn't address the issue before it got tucked behind a bunch of boats in storage.
When I put it in the water last Fall it started up fine, but as soon as I put the throttle down I got no power out of it. Barely moved enough to create a ripple. It ran uneven and was obviously struggling with something. I hoped to blow out whatever was in there and so I kept at it. It stalled a couple of times and a few times it sounded like it might have worked through the issue, but it became clear it wasn't going to right itself so I ran out all the gas in the motor and put it away for the winter.
I tried to start it this Spring with fresh gas the starter engages the motor about two hits, it cuts the starter, and produces a single beep. Hitting the key again produced the same results. OK, so I stuck it back on land and got back to it yesterday. With the maintenance manual in hand, and much trolling of the Internet for advice, I tackled it.
I checked the injectors and the looked fine, I checked the fuel filters and no blockages in either. I tried pressurizing the system and found nothing at the injectors, so that indicated a blockage. I opened up the VST and found the filter for the pump clean, but there was some solid gunk (not much) in there. I found, for sure, the needle valve jet (float) was plugged solid. I got that unplugged, put the VST back together, and sure enough got fuel pressure to the injectors. I started it up (I had no access to a hose, unfortunately) for a second to confirm that did the trick. Success! Or so I thought.
I put the boat in the water a few minutes later and it started right up, but it sputtered and died. Not terribly surprising. I hit it again and it it caught and then died quicker than before. Next time or two it barely coughed. Then I got back to the same place I was last Fall with it not catching at all and disengaging the starter after about two cranks with a beep to follow. There is still pressure to the injectors, so for now I'm not thinking the VST is clogged again.
Question... it sounds like I have either a new blockage or I didn't fully clean up one that predated my ownership of this motor. What advice can any of you give me to try and narrow down the possibilities and (hopefully) get it fixed the next time?
Thanks!
Steve
P.S. The dealer said he'd be more than happy to fix it for me, but that involves two 2 hour trips and however long it takes him to get to it. So I'd rather do it myself.
