I just got the boat home again from the Marina boat shop. Wednesday when I got to the lake the big motor wouldn't start. I fished just using the trolling motor. Yesterday, I replaced the fuel filter and thought that would fix it but it didn't change anything. I took out a spark plug and noticed that it was loaded a little, so I replaced the plugs. Still acted the same. Took the bowl off the bottom of the carb and it was clean so blew out the jets and still no change. Checked out the kill switch and it was working ok. unplugged the gas line and replugged it back in. took the gas line off the carb and it had gas running through it. Now I am scratching my head for what to check next. I finally called the marina and they told me different things to try which I had already done. I asked how backed up they was and they said that they was fairly busy. Chuck told me if I would bring it in right away this morning then they would fit it in, and check it out for me. I dropped it off at 9:00 AM this morning, and they called me about 2:00 and said it was ready to go. They told me I never would have found it. They traced everything that I had done and was scratching his head when he said it dawned on him to check a plug on top of the carburator and that and a brass washer was missing and it had to do with the air mixture. He said driving down a gravel road or rough road would cause it to come out. Can't complain for the boat is 10 yrs old and have never had a problem with the motor until now. He charged me for the labor and threw in the parts for nothing.
Chuck said the reason that he got me in was because I fish with the boat and the other boats where pleasure boats and he thought I would need mine before they needed theirs. Got to love his lodgic.