Re: Winterizing--How Much?
Please DO HELP if you can. Here's the full story... (I've already posted some of this in the I/O Engines section previously). <br /><br />When I first bought the boat in June (used obviously), it ran fine, except for that sometimes, right after starting it, the engine would shake for about 30 seconds, which would also shake the steering wheel and the gear handle (sorry--the technical term for that is slipping by me right now). Actually, I never noticed at that point that the engine was also shaking; I just noticed the steering wheel and the gear shift, but didn't think much of it. <br /><br />Then, in July, one day the boat just died and wouldn't start. So, I had a guy look at it, and he said that it was 1) running rich b/c it had too much oil in it, and 2) eventually it looked like I would need a new starter. He drained some of the oil out, and he also oiled my starter. <br /><br />I took it out 2 separate times after that, and each time it was fine. It sat for a couple weeks in my slip, and then the next time I tried to take it out, it wouldn't start. It would turn over fine, but no spark. Actually, it would spark sometimes, but then after a few minutes of running it in the water, the boat would mysteriously die. After being stuck out in the middle of the lake TWICE with this happenning, I decided to call a mechanic. <br /><br />I explained to him what happenned, and after looking at the boat, he said that I needed a new starter. So, he put one in, and told me that it was running fine.<br /><br />I take the boat out a week after this, and it turned over fine and started, but then after a few minutes the engine died. We thought that perhaps I was out of gas. So, we walked the boat into the marina, and after filling up with the engine compartment open, we tried to start it. But, same story-- it was turning over, but it wouldn't spark. Finally, it did spark, and when it did, we noticed that the entire engine compartment was shaking really bad. But, again, it smoothed out after a short while. <br /><br />After taking the boat out to the middle of the lake, it died AGAIN. I had the boat towed to a local marina/service shop, and there, the mechanic concluded that I needed new spark plugs and my carb. cleaned out. Both of which he did. However, after doing work on it, the engine shaking became constant, AND a clicking noise started coming from the right side of the engine.<br /><br />The mechanics there, in order to figure out the shaking syndrom, checked the engine mounts, checked my idle, checked my timing, checked out the wood in my hull. (The only thing he may not have checked is to see if all my cylinders are firing; I didn't specifically ask him about that.) He is now saying that he believes that it's an internal engine problem, and the only thing left to do is to take the engine out and dismantle it. He believes that it's either the cam shaft (b/c of the clicking noise) or the crank. Replacing the entire engine is a worst case scenario thing. <br /><br />So that's the story up to this point. I'm just wondering why 1) I'm having so much trouble with a relatively new engine (unless the previous owner just NEVER serviced it, which is the only logical conclusion I can think of), and 2) Why a certified, experienced mechanic has to dismantle my engine completely to figure out what the problem is.<br /><br />THANKS!
