Motor problems

Geeeez Pork, that sucks. I dont know about botor moat Mechanics in the Burgh area but there is a respected service at Orangeville, a stones throw west of Shenango River Lake maybe 40 (+/-) minutes to your north.

I'll stand corrected but I'm thinkin "sputtering" is not a sign of a bad coil or power pack. I'm thinkin instant death in either of those cases with the exception of a loose connection or bad wiring of course. However, that being said, it is possible that your motor may have been firing on one cylinder before the second coil died.

Also, pulling sparkplug wires to check for spark..... instant death to power packs.

Anyways neighbor wishing you luck getting back on the water.

Resele Marine Inc

8250 OH-609, Orangeville, OH 44453
(330) 772-7722

https://g.co/kgs/mKbDuM

I dont know what your budget is like but rather than a fix maybe beat the bushes for a preowned 4stroke. Say 10 years old or less. You have 16'er correct?

I get my Merc parts here: www.boats.net, but they have OEM parts for all makes and models.

Good for you Pork now go git them fish.

Gotta agree with the 15 to 20 HP upgrade. Not much difference in speed for my botor moat either so not worth the cost, in my book.

Down sizing to a 16 ft (minimal I'd go) single console Tracker with a 20 HP aint a bad idea. Heck, I'd gain back a half a stall in my garage too.

Pontoon aint a bad idea either. Heck a guy could make a few bucks takin an entire Amish family fishin.

Got to see if it actually works on the water, but I am encouraged.  The best that it has run in over a month.
 
I used that SuperTech synthetic on my lawn tractor and seemed to work great.  I like the price too!
 
Not sure if it was a bad batch or someone decided to mess with my oil/fuel.  I have used Pennsoil before with no issues.  Disadvantage of not keeping it in my garage.  If I end up with a 16', it will live in my garage.  Probably a few years off for that, unless I find a deal that I can't pass up.  This boat fits the dual use as a fishing/family cruiser right now, better than a bass boat.  In a few years, decide if bass boat, pontoon or just upgrade mine.
 
Agree, not worth the cost or hassle of selling my other motor, to gain a few mph.  If it would get me on plane, I would be happy as a heck with my set up.
 
 

Today's gasoline only has a shelf life of about 30 days without any conditioners. I use Pennzoil Synthetic two stroke oil in my Merc, and every 6 gallon tank gets a couple of ounces of Star Tron. If due to weather conditions and I can't get out, (like friggin' continuous rain and high water), as it ages I dump all of into my truck and run it out. Truck don't mind a little 50:1 mix, don't even smoke or misfire. Note that fuel pumps say gas may contain up to 10% ethanol, but the Gov and EPA are pushin' hard to up the percentage. Ethanol is a killer. It eats rubber hoses, causin' them to deteriorate and put granulated rubber into the carb bowl and beyond. In addition, ethanol is 25% less efficient than gasoline, so for every 6 gallon tank, ya got a couple of quarts of garbage in the gas, and ethanol, (which is alcohol), attracts water, so if you've ever had a boat motor or lawnmower carb apart, you know what's causing that whitish lookin' salve that gums up the works. I'll say it again. StarTron is some great stuff, and it ain't nearly as expensive as some of the other stabilizers.
As an aside, if I had the jing, I'd have a brand spankin' new injected Merc 20HP 4 stroke tiller with PT&T on my boat and put the 45HP Classic 50 up for sale. It's my belief that a 20 would plane my boat 'cause the heavy Lunds that we use up in Canada run great with a 25 Yami on the back, and those boats sit out year round and I'd think the level flotation is water logged, plus the weight of two big guys in there. If I remember correctly, the curb weight of my 16' Sylvan Backtroller was around 476 lbs, (a little heavier now since the rebuild with thicker plywood). The boat planes nicely at 17 mph, and I can trim and keep it planed down to 15mph. She'll do 30 with two people at full tilt.

I had motor problems about 8-9 years ago.  Asked on here for advice and was told to put Sta-Bil in by about 20 replies (as well as many other much more complex suggestions).  I added that to the gas that I had, and instantly started and ran great since (until this year).  Since that day, I added to all small engine fuel.  By the way, when I cleaned the carburetor, it looked very clean.  Not much residue at all on any of the gaskets or inside.  The bowl had some particles, but no build up.
 
There is an ethanol free station on 19, near Moraine, that I think will be getting my business.  Probably cheaper than adding Sta-Bil to every batch, although probably still add something.  I will plan to burn up all fuel at the end of the season.  This definitely started at the beginning of the year, and just got worse every time out.
 
The remaining old oil, old Sta-Bil and old fuel are getting recycled.  Not worth the headache that it caused to try to burn off.  Maybe try in my push mower, that I use to hit the spots my lawn tractor can't get.  It is 20 years old and ready for a new one regardless.  Too many small rubber pieces in the fuel to add to my truck or anything expensive, from trying to put my hose straight in.  That ethanol melts the outside layer of the fuel line, almost instantly.  Surprised they use that material.
 
I took the boat out for a spin on the river yesterday evening.  Ran great for about 10 minutes then sputtered out...  I was so bummed.  Then I noticed that my primer bulb wasn't hard, and pumped a few times.  Ran great for the next 1/2 hour.  I tried trolling speed, idle, mid, way on, and all seemed fine.  Stopped for a little and started right back up.  Not sure why it didn't keep flowing, but still the best that it has run since April.
 
Does everyone use an inline fuel filter on their fuel line?  I removed mine, per advice from a guy that seemed to know what he was talking about.  It didn't fix my issues.  I am thinking to add one back in.  Seeing how much damage that ethanol does, and how many particles I see in my lawn tractor fuel filter, I want one on it.

Several common problems for losing prime.

Bad O-ring at fuel tank. Pick-up tube in fuel tank loose or developed a crack/hole. (good time to inspect the strainer screen, if the tube has one) Clamps at connectors need tightened/replaced.

Poor performance can be attributed to an "air leak". An engine may idle or run fine at slow speed but run poorly at top end.

Likewise, fuel tanks must be vented properly. Blocked vents wont allow atmosperic pressure in, to push the fuel out.


Many folks take great care with the fuel they buy but dont give a second thought to the supply lines. Some real garbage on the market.

I’m not up to speed on boats any longer, but during my tournament days when I worked for a few boat dealerships, under certain weather conditions (typically hot and humid) the primer bulb would go soft and lose its prime (kind of like a not completely filled plastic gas can swelling or collapsing with temperature and humidity changes). We learned to squeeze the bulb as a first try item if the engine didn’t keep running.

I know that wasn’t your original issue, but it is one of those pilot error things we tend to forget about.

I bought a new Moeller fuel tank and Moeller hose and primer assembly through www.wholesalemarine a few years ago, and I've come to the conclusion that Moeller products are extremely inferior to OEM parts. The fuel tank lid, (new and mandated by the Federal Government, the EPA),  is supposed to vent but it don't. A full tank of gas when it's warm out will swell the tank up, and the fuel pump on my Merc actually began imploding the tank before it started runnin' bad starvin' for fuel. I have to keep the lid a little loose for venting and operation. Additionally, I was burnin' across Shenango when the engine started to die, and I pumped the ball furiously and it came back to life. (Bad karma). Then one day it quit on the river, and it turned out that the tether on the fuel cap came off and got sucked into the pickup tube, (that part went in the garbage can at the launch). I'm gettin' ready to spend the big bucks for a new Merc tank and fuel supply hose.
 
PS: You never get what you pay for, but usually, the more you pay, the better the equipment.

Sam - 
Not sure if you have ever taken apart your fuel pump, but there is a screen in there, that catches the bigger debris.  When talking to a guy that works on motors, he told me to remove the inline filter, and that screen would catch most stuff.  Although, there is other smaller stuff that could get through, that could definitely clog a jet.  The can that I have, also has a filter where it pulls the gas from.  But I still would like another area of protection.  Rebuilding the carb is no fun.  Just getting the thing off of the motor, without dropping one of the nuts is a challenge!
 
If I go the toon route, I would strongly consider getting a slip for it.  Pull up and go.  But that is pretty expensive and the marina opens so late and closes so early in the year.  Passing up a lot of prime fishing.  I'm working on the kids to fish a bit more, but not the passion that I had/have.  That would be the only way that I could justify the cost.  I have a feeling, if I had a boat that could do 20mph, I would have my kids a bit more interested to at least go out and ride from spot to spot.

Pork I have been running an external inline filter on my gas line for two years now. Same type of filter you find on riding mowers and lawn tractors.

Not sure if location of primer bulb (before/after) will make for problems. Mine is installed before the bulb Also, my filter is above the onboard fuel tank.

I run my 15 at idle speeds while trolling and have had no issues as well as running at top end. (7.5 mph😢)

No problems with the 50 running either.

Walmart special Pork. What was up that you removed the filter??

Pork I can't remember (dam oldtimers) if your motor is 2 or 4 cycle but heck, if you've been running this type of inline filter in the past, I can't see why it would be the problem now. My motors are 4 cycle so I have no experience with running 2 cycle mix throuh a filter of this type.

Anyway, it sounds like you have the problem figured out and that's the good thing.

Nice to hear ya got out Saturday and the motor gave you no issues once started.

Not sure what the metal thingy would be ya removed, maybe a check valve or sumpthin.

Ya say ya replaced hose, connectors, & primer bulb. Did ya make up the fuel line yourself or was it pre-assembled? Sometimes the checkvalve in those new primer bulbs tend to 'stick' till they been used and very important, the direction they're installed.

Lastly and most importantly, did ya get to wet a line while ya was out Saturday?

Good times and tight lines.
🇺🇸Happy and safe 4th.🇺🇸


Oh yeah.... I know about that guy upstairs, but ya know what they say, "all work and no play" 😁