Thread: Tough Luck

Well after doing quite a bit of boat restoration; new carpet, console and other stuff along with engine tune up I finally got the boat in the water in early June. It ran great as anticipated; for a 1978 85 hp Evinrude. Well at least for the first 3 trips out all combined was only about 3 hours or so of actual engine run time if that.

Then last week after the boat had sit for a couple of weeks I went down to take it out, engine was a little hard to get fired up this time but it eventually did, so I idled out of cove nice and easy no problems and begin to throttle up to wot but this time it was making it only to about 1/2 speed or so to about 3200 rpm so I got'er turned around and back in the slip. Did some studying up on what might be the problem and decided to do a compression test which all cylinders showed to be in 90's range which should be good, not great would have liked to seen it in the 100's but still good. And since I was pulling the plugs figured I might as well put a set of new in just to be sure.

Pleasant surprise, after dropping in the new plugs it fired right up, took it out and ran up to wot to about 5400 rpm just as smooth as you could ask for. Then went back down yesterday, about a week later and couldn't get the thing to start to save your life, now I know the plugs are new but what the heck it worked last time so blew another 8 bucks and stuck in some more new ones, still nothing. Got a can of carb cleaner but to know avail, also picked up a can of starting fluid just in case, and as long as you were spraying it would start and run, but only while actually spraying fluid.

So, I'm thinking a fuel problem or more likely a fuel pump problem but a bit confused since the way it acted on the earlier outings does not seem to lend itself to a fuel issue. I just don't know .

At this point I don't have much confidence in my last mechanic, but of course it's always possible that the problems are totally unrelated and totally new issues that developed after I had the service work done.

Any Clues anyone!!!

Frustrated.

if all of the above fails, check all your hoses and pump-up-bulb for cracks....it could be sucking air but usually if that is the problem it would still crank easily but not run good under throttle....