dirtyoldman
Petty Officer 1st Class
- Joined
- Apr 30, 2007
- Messages
- 359
I've had this boat for about four months now. All in all, it's been a pretty good boat. However, I had to spend a lot of money on it so far. I had to replace the outdrive this summer, along with tune up stuff and a bilge pump. The fuel pump want bad, so that had to be replaced. When I did this, I discovered that the prior owner had an affinity with automotive parts. The fuel pump was an automotive one. I went to NAPA and got the right one. It also turns out that many of the parts are also automotive ones, like the carburetor, distributor, alternator, water pump, and maybe more I have not yet discovered. I've been replacing these as I find them. The distributor has been a difficult one however. On my way to the lake this weekend I stopped the local boat place and looked through the used stuff. The mechanic couldn't identify what I needed so he told me to pull it off and come back with the one I had. I was iritated at this, but on my way to the lake for a four day weekend, so forgot soon.
Fast forward to the lake. We get in the cabin, and go to launch the boat. I drive it over to the dock and walk back to the cabin. It's a very short drive, and the boat handles great. We then decide to run over to the marina and get a map. One the way, the boat starts surging badly. By the time we're back, it will only idle. I think it's acting like a fuel problem, so go the local mercruiser dealer looking for a fuel filter. I find it odd that the filter could be plugged because I put a new one on with the new fuel pump only a month or two before. I decide to talk to the mechanic. He reccomends I check for play in the distributor shaft. I run back to the boat (which is still at the dock) and check the distributor. It is so loose that the shaff allows the points to go open such that they will not close when pushed one way and when pushed the other way will not even open them at all. Surely this is the problem.
So, I go back and ask for a distributor. I get told it'll be a few days. I'm hot now!! He says wait, maybe I have on in the back lot - a used one I can have for $75.00. This is a good price, so we go look. Sure enough, there's one there - a marine one even. We pull it and discover it's no goo deither, but a whole lot better than mine. Total slop is about half the point gap, so I split the difference and change the points and condenser at the same time. The mechanic let me borrow his timing light, which really surprised me. Anyway, the engine won't fire now, and I can't get the timing light to work. The trigger is a little different than I'm used to, so I run back to see if I'm doing it correctly. He assures me that I am, and gives me a buzzer to check for voltage at the coil and a used coil to replace mine. The new coil does nothing, and I have voltage at the coil. Now I'm completely confused. I've done this plenty of times and know what I'm doing.
This whoel time the wife has been cranking for me while I check. I've been asking her the whole time to leave the key in the off position, and she keeps forgetting. Finally i get zapped. I was angry at first, but then realized that I had spark at the coil. I swapped back in the old points and condenser, and the old boat fired right up. I got the timing set, and we took off!
About the time we got out of the cove, it's the same thing. This time, it does and I have to idle all the way in. I pull the top off the carburetor to look into the jets. First thing, I notice the fuel level is too low. This is odd because I have planty of fuel from the pump. The nedle seems to be moving correctly. But, I can't see int eh jets or get them out with the fuel in there. I see a tapped screw in the bottom of the bown, righ through the bottom. If I pull it out, the fuel will drain right out. After half a turn on thiw screw, the whole bowl of the carb falls apart! With it were my dreams of boating this weekend. Angrily, I load up all the mechanics stuff and go back to the dealer. I thank him and he asks me if I got it running. I tell him the story and he says "was there a carb on that boat in back?" I tell him yes, and he tells me to go grab it and put it on. It was very dirty, and the top plate was different than mine. Of course he doesn't have a rebuild kit, so I get a couple cans of cleaner and go to work on it. First thing I notice is that I forgot that there was a filter in the inlet to the carb. I feel very stupid I forgot this, because I'm sure there was nothing rong with my carb before the bottom of the bowl fell apart. This one was a stone filter of some sort, and I had no idea if it was dirty, so I bought a new one and put it on as well.
I got it all cleaned out and was very thorough, and set everything as best I could remember from rebuilding all those old rochester carburetors on old vehicles I had. I'm actually quite familiar with these and like them a lot. I put it on there and fill it up with fuel. This actually goes quickly. After a little cranking, the engien jumps to life and goes into the nicest idle I've ever heard from the old boat. I lower the idle just a bit and lean out the idle misture screws, and take off.
The first thing I notice is that it acclerates a whole lot better. I figure that's the marine distributor with the correct advance curve in it. The boat just feels like a completely different boat. It shows no signs of the former problem and drives like a brand new boat. I go get the wife and we spent the weekend playing with it. On the last day, we went for a 20 mile drive to see the dam, and it drive like a new boat the whole weekend. I was very happy!
The best part is that I tracked the fuel usage, and got 4.5 mpg from the boat on two long trips (with some playing on the way). I thought that was very impressive for a 40 year old 18' ski boat.
Fast forward to the lake. We get in the cabin, and go to launch the boat. I drive it over to the dock and walk back to the cabin. It's a very short drive, and the boat handles great. We then decide to run over to the marina and get a map. One the way, the boat starts surging badly. By the time we're back, it will only idle. I think it's acting like a fuel problem, so go the local mercruiser dealer looking for a fuel filter. I find it odd that the filter could be plugged because I put a new one on with the new fuel pump only a month or two before. I decide to talk to the mechanic. He reccomends I check for play in the distributor shaft. I run back to the boat (which is still at the dock) and check the distributor. It is so loose that the shaff allows the points to go open such that they will not close when pushed one way and when pushed the other way will not even open them at all. Surely this is the problem.
So, I go back and ask for a distributor. I get told it'll be a few days. I'm hot now!! He says wait, maybe I have on in the back lot - a used one I can have for $75.00. This is a good price, so we go look. Sure enough, there's one there - a marine one even. We pull it and discover it's no goo deither, but a whole lot better than mine. Total slop is about half the point gap, so I split the difference and change the points and condenser at the same time. The mechanic let me borrow his timing light, which really surprised me. Anyway, the engine won't fire now, and I can't get the timing light to work. The trigger is a little different than I'm used to, so I run back to see if I'm doing it correctly. He assures me that I am, and gives me a buzzer to check for voltage at the coil and a used coil to replace mine. The new coil does nothing, and I have voltage at the coil. Now I'm completely confused. I've done this plenty of times and know what I'm doing.
This whoel time the wife has been cranking for me while I check. I've been asking her the whole time to leave the key in the off position, and she keeps forgetting. Finally i get zapped. I was angry at first, but then realized that I had spark at the coil. I swapped back in the old points and condenser, and the old boat fired right up. I got the timing set, and we took off!
About the time we got out of the cove, it's the same thing. This time, it does and I have to idle all the way in. I pull the top off the carburetor to look into the jets. First thing, I notice the fuel level is too low. This is odd because I have planty of fuel from the pump. The nedle seems to be moving correctly. But, I can't see int eh jets or get them out with the fuel in there. I see a tapped screw in the bottom of the bown, righ through the bottom. If I pull it out, the fuel will drain right out. After half a turn on thiw screw, the whole bowl of the carb falls apart! With it were my dreams of boating this weekend. Angrily, I load up all the mechanics stuff and go back to the dealer. I thank him and he asks me if I got it running. I tell him the story and he says "was there a carb on that boat in back?" I tell him yes, and he tells me to go grab it and put it on. It was very dirty, and the top plate was different than mine. Of course he doesn't have a rebuild kit, so I get a couple cans of cleaner and go to work on it. First thing I notice is that I forgot that there was a filter in the inlet to the carb. I feel very stupid I forgot this, because I'm sure there was nothing rong with my carb before the bottom of the bowl fell apart. This one was a stone filter of some sort, and I had no idea if it was dirty, so I bought a new one and put it on as well.
I got it all cleaned out and was very thorough, and set everything as best I could remember from rebuilding all those old rochester carburetors on old vehicles I had. I'm actually quite familiar with these and like them a lot. I put it on there and fill it up with fuel. This actually goes quickly. After a little cranking, the engien jumps to life and goes into the nicest idle I've ever heard from the old boat. I lower the idle just a bit and lean out the idle misture screws, and take off.
The first thing I notice is that it acclerates a whole lot better. I figure that's the marine distributor with the correct advance curve in it. The boat just feels like a completely different boat. It shows no signs of the former problem and drives like a brand new boat. I go get the wife and we spent the weekend playing with it. On the last day, we went for a 20 mile drive to see the dam, and it drive like a new boat the whole weekend. I was very happy!
The best part is that I tracked the fuel usage, and got 4.5 mpg from the boat on two long trips (with some playing on the way). I thought that was very impressive for a 40 year old 18' ski boat.