motor dies when put in gear

[Thomas P]

force 120 on a 18foot bayliner 1993 boat and motor. I can rev the motor just fine but when i put it in gear 9 times out of 10 it will die. out of water with muffs it runs just fine, no problems. any thoughts will be appreciated
thanks

 

[timdan94]

Re: motor dies when put in gear

I'd check your idle rpm and see if the engine is running on all cylinders

 

[eurolarva]

Re: motor dies when put in gear

I would pull your spark plugs and look at the tips. If one looks clean and the rest look dirty I would then do a spark and compression test. The symptoms are common for a dead or not working cylinder. If compression and spark are good then go to fuel system. Try choking the motor when you engage forward see if that helps or makes it worse. Is the fuel primer bulb staying hard?

 

[Thomas P]

Re: motor dies when put in gear

primer bulb is staying hard and the boat will idle a little lower than norm and die if i dont keep it reved up in neutral, but with muffs all is fine. compression was checked and all of them are around 130

 

[roscoe]

Re: motor dies when put in gear

Either your idle is set too low, or one or more of your carbs are running lean.

If a carb is running lean, it either needs adjusting or cleaning, to keep from burning up the engine.