Runs and dies.

[Gweedo]

Good morning all, new the forum but not to boating. Owned a 94 sunesta for 20-years before selling. Then a sig and now I just bought a 99 sunesta 232. The boat has been parked for 6-months but I think a year is more accurate. I went to test drive yesterday it but couldn’t leave the dockIt started and idled for a few minutes then died. Pump throttle and restarts for 10-15 seconds. Trying throttling up and no go, one time it backfired. So no test drive. It’s a 5.7 Mercury carbureted.

Side note it was pissing in water from the transom, I figure bellows or transom gasket. I negotiated the cost to repair that off the price of the boat and purchased it. No obvious bad noises when it did run.

Back to fuel issue. I’m thinking I need to flush old fuel, replace filter and look to see if it has an IAC on the carb. I’ll change out all the associated tune up parts and impeller as well. Hoping to get it running before bringing it in to have the bellows and transom gasket replaced. It needs to be running for them to check it. I’m pretty mechanically inclined and trying to save some $$ and not have them find the fuel issue at $160 and hour. I’m retired so I have the time.

Any other ideas on what to check? Thanks,

 

[Denny]

#1 your girl is 25yrs young. Remove old fuel, test it for water content, add dry gas to the tank, add new fuel, rebuild carb, check distributor, and wires, if they look corroded and old, replace all of it. If It were me, I would replace it all to begin with, just for piece of mind. 5 miles offshore, bad weather and a motor that won't run! You don't know what kind of care that she has or has not had. Might be a good idea to do a compression check also. I have seen a lot of boats at the launch ramp that would not start. There are boaters and people that just have boats.
This is what I would do, now you have a solid starting point. I don't like surprises, unless it is my Birthday.

 

[Gweedo]

Thnx for the reply yeah my plan is to replace all serviceable parts. I’m pretty annal n do not like Surprises either. I’ll hold off on doing the carb until I get it running, then evaluate it. Order a list of parts as we speak. Thnx again

 

[Denny]

It's your show, I would do the carb too, 25 years and who knows what kind of life it has had. Talk about annal, I think that I have helped write the book. 30 +years and this season will reach 2,000 yrs. I have had and I have rebuild the carb twice, because of a hesitation with hard acceleration. And from day one have run Starbrite Startron in it. Good luck and please keep us posted, the info may help someone else, with similar issues.

 

[Gweedo]

I most likely will do the carb but I will say I never touched my carb on one of my boats in 20 years. But I run HELIX in my fuel great stuff. This carb hasn’t been touched, paint still on carb nuts. Anyhow I’ll post updates. Thnx

 

[Iggy]

If it was my boat. I would change the fuel filter first. My bigger point is and if you think its the fuel? I would use a 6gal potable tank and run the engine from that. That may save you from pumping the fuel out.

The other thing I would do, after the filter. Change the impeller! If its been sitting close to a year, most likely the vanes are stiff or broken off.

 

[Gweedo]

Yes all that will be changed. My whole goal right now to to get it running so when I bring it in they can check the water leak. If it’s the bellows or transom gasket they’ll get replaced. Be great if it wasn’t but I’d bet it is. Plus if I do it now my worries in that goes away. Just waiting on fuel filter.