13
votes
Accepted
Does engine oil get old and go bad?
Short answer .... NO !!
Now this is one of those seriously contentious topics that people will chime in from all walks of life, experience, and voodoo.
I will speak [yell] my piece, and put on my ...
- 12.4k
12
votes
Accepted
Why do I connect the positive and the negative to the battery on a boat?
You could do this, but you would not want to. By running current through the surface of the boat, you will induce a voltage potential across it. This voltage potential will cause current to flow from ...
- 236
10
votes
Accepted
Starting a 2 stroke jet boat after several years
Water in the cylinder usually means water in the crankcase on a two stroke
Pulling water out of the cylinder doesn't mean you pulled out all the water. Two stroke engines use ports on the side of ...
- 33k
7
votes
Accepted
Carb. Rebuild or Adjustment?
I'm not a watercraft Mikuni guy, but I've dealt with a few two-stroke carbs that work in this manner.
There's a few possibilities:
The internal filter screen is clogged, but I'm discounting this as ...
- 12.4k
6
votes
Starting a 2 stroke jet boat after several years
Water in the cylinder?
The engine is in bad shape from improper storage. Even if you get it freed up there will be rust on the cylinder walls and piston rings, which will cause more damage if you ...
- 8,010
6
votes
Accepted
What RPM to check timing?
There is an annotation on the page 27 entry stating you should follow the special instructions for setting timing. This involves putting the ECU into a special mode. When this happens, set the RPM to ~...
- 153k
5
votes
Accepted
Where Does My Boats Main Negative Battery Terminal Wire Go?
Connect it to the engine block:
A bolt on the engine end of one of the engine mounts, or
one of the bolts that hold the starter, but not a hot spot
like one of the exhaust manifold bolts.
Anywhere ...
- 589
5
votes
Accepted
What is the yellow precipitate in my outboard's carburetor?
Those are the remnants of gasoline
When you let gasoline evaporate it leaves behind various elements within the gas that can't dissipate through evaporation.
These remnants can clog various galley'...
- 33k
5
votes
Accepted
Engine Turns but won't start
It's me, your future self.
So it turns out that you're an idiot and all you had to do was fiddle with the choke. That little lever on the carb? That's the choke. I forget which way is open and ...
- 213
5
votes
Accepted
Ran 2 cycle without mixed gas :(
I think you're doing what you need to do. You won't really know (and I cannot tell you) how much damage you've done ... I'd suggest at this point, your engine is good and broke in! The fact you didn't ...
- 153k
5
votes
Accepted
Quick-release for battery terminal loops (D18S/T3)
Consult your favorite search engine for 12V Quick Connect to find a multitude of possible solutions such as this one:
Photo credit
- 5,510
4
votes
Why do I connect the positive and the negative to the battery on a boat?
You could do what you are suggesting, but to what end? It seems to me you'd have a much greater chance for something to go wrong. Here are a few things to think about:
If you are running your ...
- 153k
4
votes
Accepted
Re-wiring Harness in Jet Boat w/ Ford 460
Do you know what each gauge is rated at for current carrying capacity? I would think a daisy chain is fine as long as the wire gauge is large enough. Don't neglect to use the same gauge of wire for ...
- 6,569
3
votes
Accepted
Hardware Installation on Fiberglass boat
Its bedding compound, there are many kinds on the market and which kind works best depends from the kind of hardware.
Some are strong adhesives, consider them pretty much permanent, will work well on ...
- 430
3
votes
Boat Not Getting Power to the Starter Motor
Use a voltmeter and trace the circuit for 12v from the battery to the starter, you will find where the voltage drops off.
Also trace it to and from the starter switch/button to the starter relay, ...
- 8,010
3
votes
course of action: water cooling outlet in outboard does not reliably produce jet
The problem was resolved by changing the water pump casing and gaskets.
The pump case was eroding away in flakes. Holes in the lower pump case and gaskets diverted part of the water flow into the ...
- 251
3
votes
Is there such a thing as a biodegradable (boat propeller shaft) grease?
A good research clue would be "OSPAR compliant stern tube lubricant"
I found also that Klüber has a good range for marine products.
- 8,448
3
votes
Prevent inline "waterproof" fuses from corroding
First of all, you need to clean them out. Use some vinegar to do this by soaking them in it. If you can't soak them in it, put as much as you can in the cavity of the fuse holder. Once the reactions ...
- 153k
3
votes
Accepted
Paint that works on galvanized steel and exhaust pipe
My "suggestion" is to put a rust encapsulator like POR-15 (no affiliation) or a similar product, then go back over it with a couple of coats of spray on enamel. The POR-15 will keep it from ...
- 153k
2
votes
Starting a 2 stroke jet boat after several years
At best, "persuading" the engine to turn over will result in damage when it is started (because of rusty bearings, etc.). You might not even get that far, and you'll damage a piston or twist the crank ...
2
votes
Replacing a boat's blown CDI fuse
It's worth noting that there are actually five fuse parameters that are important to consider (and easy to get wrong when buying a replacement fuse):
Current rating (the "size" of the fuse, the ...
- 14.4k
2
votes
Replacing a boat's blown CDI fuse
Fuses have 3 different parameters; current rating, voltage rating and physical size.
The physical size is self explanatory, it just has to fit.
The current rating is also rather self explanatory. ...
- 16k
2
votes
Replacing a boat's blown CDI fuse
That's what's known as a 'barrel fuse' or 'cartridge fuse' - You should be able to get them at any decent electrical supplier.
The fuse will have blown because it was overloaded - and the most likely ...
- 28.7k
2
votes
I have a Mariner 5 HP outboard. I need info please?
According to this site, it's a 1986 motor, and it's actually a 5C M.
According to this other site, they were built by Yamaha for Mercury.
- 12.2k
2
votes
Lighten flywheel to increase top speed?
Flywheel weight will not impact the power output of your engine. The mass of flywheel will change the rate of change of speed of the engine:
A heavy flywheel will mean the engine is slow to speed up ...
- 21
2
votes
Accepted
Did I damaged my engine trying to remove the flywheel nut with resistance on the pto coupler?
More than likely you've just backed the PTO sprocket off of the drive shaft of the PTO itself. I'd suspect if you dismount the PTO (if you can easily) from the engine, you'll be able to see what you'd ...
- 153k
2
votes
Diagnosing a boat that wont start
For an engine to start, you need three things - compression, fuel and spark.
You've confirmed yo have compression, so we can rule that out. You've also confirmed that you've got fuel (you state in ...
- 28.7k
2
votes
Accepted
Vacuum never decreases while leaning out carburetor mixture
I believe you are going about it slightly wrong. Here's what I found out about the adjustment for the Q-jet:
Start by completely warming the engine and setting the idle speed where it’s comfortable, ...
- 153k
2
votes
Vacuum never decreases while leaning out carburetor mixture
Qjets are bad about the secondary metering well plugs leaking fuel which causes a rich condition, this explains why vacuum never drops off. Most Kits include a metering well closed cell sponge to stop ...
- 8,010
2
votes
Normally-high run switch vs coil-ground out to turn off
From the information you have provided, I cant see any other option other than what you have suggested of using an normally closed relay that is operated by the run position of the switch.
Without ...
- 24.9k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible