ihatemyboat123
Cadet
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2017
- Messages
- 6
Long story, I'll try to make short. Bought a project boat last year, gutted and restored the deck and interior. Motor is a 1986 Mercury 140 3.0. Replaced the starter, carburetor, head gasket, plugs and wires. Started it up two days ago, ran great, took it to the lake for the first time. Ran fine, pulled the kids on a tube, everything seemed fine. Started noticing a hesitation when I accelerated and then it would run fine. Evening comes, head back to the dock. Kids want to swim so I stop a few hundred yards away. Go to leave, engines cranks and cranks but won't fire. Finally starts running just enough to limp within 30 feet of the dock and dies, have to paddle back in. Get it home and start to check everything out. It has fuel, streams shoot out the carb when it is throttled. It has compression, 150 or close on all 4 cylinders. It has spark but it looked a bit weak. Tested the coil and the ohms read correct per the manual. Replaced distributor cap, rotor and points. Still won't fire. Put starter fluid straight in the plug holes, still nothing. Pull a plug to test spark again and the engine fires and runs, runs rough but it runs. I can pull out any plug and leave it attached to the wire, or not, the engine will run. I tried adjusting the valves again in case it's an air flow issue, no change. I'm totally stumped, anyone have any suggestions?