need help with boat!!

financeguy31

Cadet
Joined
Jun 5, 2009
Messages
16
Hello all, first time posting on this sitre but have been reading posts ect here for some time. My problem is with my boat, 1989 four winns 211 has 350 merc i/o long story short got it in the water and docked it with no rpoblems. went the next and took it out, didnt seem to "get up and go" (was still in wake zone anyways so wasnt really pushing it) than right at the end of the river/wake zone, about mile or so i put into nuetral because it seemed to overheat and the engine shut off. at first i thought i needed to clean out the header manifolds (only thing not done before put inw ater) got towed back in and noticed oil around my boat, long sotry short all oil drained from motor, no head gasket was blown and after quick inspection of motor put oil in and tried running it, now it seems like no electric power is going to motor, new battery plus charged battery to make sure, any suggestions? i may get breaker abr to make sure motor is still good, however i do not seem to think that is the issue, all fuses were checked as well, could not see if there is fuse box on the throttle (the outboard will not rise up or down so im assumign there must be electrical prob there of some sort) im fairly new to boat mechanics so all and any advice is most appreciated thanks for your time.
 

HT32BSX115

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Dec 8, 2005
Messages
10,083
Re: need help with boat!!

Hello all, first time posting on this sitre but have been reading posts ect here for some time. My problem is with my boat, 1989 four winns 211 has 350 merc i/o long story short got it in the water and docked it with no rpoblems. went the next and took it out, didnt seem to "get up and go" (was still in wake zone anyways so wasnt really pushing it) than right at the end of the river/wake zone, about mile or so i put into nuetral because it seemed to overheat and the engine shut off. at first i thought i needed to clean out the header manifolds (only thing not done before put inw ater) got towed back in and noticed oil around my boat, long sotry short all oil drained from motor, no head gasket was blown and after quick inspection of motor put oil in and tried running it, now it seems like no electric power is going to motor, new battery plus charged battery to make sure, any suggestions? i may get breaker abr to make sure motor is still good, however i do not seem to think that is the issue, all fuses were checked as well, could not see if there is fuse box on the throttle (the outboard will not rise up or down so im assumign there must be electrical prob there of some sort) im fairly new to boat mechanics so all and any advice is most appreciated thanks for your time.


Hmm, ...

You probably need to check your oil again, is it "milky"? Did you check it before you started it?

You do not "clean" manifolds. If they're clogged, you need to replace them.

You NEED an OEM service manual if you're going attempt any service.

What was done last Fall? Did you replace engine oil, drive oil , R&R the drive, and "Winterize" it?




211. I have one those!



Cheers,


Rick
 

financeguy31

Cadet
Joined
Jun 5, 2009
Messages
16
Re: need help with boat!!

i was just told i could clean some of the rust off like i said im not a seasoned boater haha and yes did all the winterizing stuff im assuming there must be a leak in the hoses to the filter that lead to the oil leak and/or the bolt wasnt on tight enough what would cause the no power to the throttle??
 

Susquehanna Squid

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
May 21, 2009
Messages
146
Re: need help with boat!!

I agree with HT32BSx....... did you Winterize properly? I have made that mistake before. Check to see if the oil looks like "snot" or is milky. If so, there should be some motors for sale right here.
 

HT32BSX115

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Dec 8, 2005
Messages
10,083
Re: need help with boat!!

i was just told i could clean some of the rust off like i said im not a seasoned boater haha and yes did all the winterizing stuff im assuming there must be a leak in the hoses to the filter that lead to the oil leak and/or the bolt wasnt on tight enough what would cause the no power to the throttle??

Exterior rust on a manifold doesn't really hurt anything. Interior rust will clog it and cause overheats. The manifolds must be replaced in that event.

The interior metal is designed thick enough (hopefully) to clog before they leak. Clogging will only result in overheating. leaking will destroy your engine. We usually hope for the former instead of the latter.......if either situation happens, there's not much preventive maintenance going on because you would replace them before either....

Your power issue might be unrelated. You may have a clogged fuel filter, carb problem, or an ignition problem. If it happens when you advance the throttle, it might be linkage/ESA related, the list goes on....
 

financeguy31

Cadet
Joined
Jun 5, 2009
Messages
16
Re: need help with boat!!

yes they are not realted 2 seperate issues i believe i can/have fixed the oil/heating issue however now i am not sure how to handle the fact i am not getting power to the throttle handle
 

HT32BSX115

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Dec 8, 2005
Messages
10,083
Re: need help with boat!!

power to the throttle handle?

You're going to have to elaborate on that one.

The Cobra has a rather complicated throttle/shift system that includes some electronics.

Read the following: http://www.hastings.org/~stuart/cobra/

Then get yourself an OMC service manual that matches your year & model number engine/drive.

Based on your description of the problem, it might be best for you to take the boat to a marine maintenance facility that is thoroughly familiar with the late 80's OMC Dog-Clutch Cobra.


Good luck,


Rick
 

Gary H NC

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Dec 1, 2005
Messages
8,972
Re: need help with boat!!

Is there power to the dash? Anything working?

Thought he stated it is a Mercruiser...:confused:
 

financeguy31

Cadet
Joined
Jun 5, 2009
Messages
16
Re: need help with boat!!

yea i do need the manuals i was taking to a place, but waiting list is 2 weeks out so in meantime trying to figure it out power goes to everything, dash, lgihts, navi, ect however the throttle is powerless by my assumption, on the handle i can raise lower the outboard motor, and that is not working and when turning the key sounds like there is not enough power to stat it (sounds like dead battery, however i ahve checked and that is not the cause)
 

Gary H NC

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Dec 1, 2005
Messages
8,972
Re: need help with boat!!

Lets back up and figure out exactly what engine and drive we are talking about.
Raising the outboard? I take it you mean out drive..
 

financeguy31

Cadet
Joined
Jun 5, 2009
Messages
16
Re: need help with boat!!

yes sorry i ahve an inboard/out merc the outdrive can not be brought up by the lever on my throttle handle also my motor will not turn over i have checked my motor and seems to all be in order however once it stops raining here i hope to use a breaker bar to make sure it truely is all in order if the motor is fine than im havign an ignition problem and im not sure why i cant raise the outdrive am i communicating eveything correctly? i apologize if not im familiar with autos, boats are new to me
 

Bondo

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 17, 2002
Messages
71,089
Re: need help with boat!!

Hello all, first time posting on this sitre but have been reading posts ect here for some time. My problem is with my boat, 1989 four winns 211 has 350 merc i/o long story short got it in the water and docked it with no rpoblems. went the next and took it out, didnt seem to "get up and go" (was still in wake zone anyways so wasnt really pushing it) than right at the end of the river/wake zone, about mile or so i put into nuetral because it seemed to overheat and the engine shut off. at first i thought i needed to clean out the header manifolds (only thing not done before put inw ater) got towed back in and noticed oil around my boat, long sotry short all oil drained from motor, no head gasket was blown and after quick inspection of motor put oil in and tried running it, now it seems like no electric power is going to motor, new battery plus charged battery to make sure, any suggestions? i may get breaker abr to make sure motor is still good, however i do not seem to think that is the issue, all fuses were checked as well, could not see if there is fuse box on the throttle (the outboard will not rise up or down so im assumign there must be electrical prob there of some sort) im fairly new to boat mechanics so all and any advice is most appreciated thanks for your time.i was just told i could clean some of the rust off like i said im not a seasoned boater haha and yes did all the winterizing stuff im assuming there must be a leak in the hoses to the filter that lead to the oil leak and/or the bolt wasnt on tight enough what would cause the no power to the throttle??yes they are not realted 2 seperate issues i believe i can/have fixed the oil/heating issue however now i am not sure how to handle the fact i am not getting power to the throttle handleyea i do need the manuals i was taking to a place, but waiting list is 2 weeks out so in meantime trying to figure it out power goes to everything, dash, lgihts, navi, ect however the throttle is powerless by my assumption, on the handle i can raise lower the outboard motor, and that is not working and when turning the key sounds like there is not enough power to stat it (sounds like dead battery, however i ahve checked and that is not the cause)yes sorry i ahve an inboard/out merc the outdrive can not be brought up by the lever on my throttle handle also my motor will not turn over i have checked my motor and seems to all be in order however once it stops raining here i hope to use a breaker bar to make sure it truely is all in order if the motor is fine than im havign an ignition problem and im not sure why i cant raise the outdrive am i communicating eveything correctly? i apologize if not im familiar with autos, boats are new to me any other tips/ideas?

Ayuh,.... Ever heard of Puncuation or Paragraphs,..??

How about 1 Thought per sentence,..??
 

bamadave

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Mar 24, 2005
Messages
391
Re: need help with boat!!

How did you check your battery to see if it's good?
Check battery cables for corrosion, clean and tighten.
When you try to raise the outdrive, do you hear the solenoids click?
 

financeguy31

Cadet
Joined
Jun 5, 2009
Messages
16
Re: need help with boat!!

no clicking i hear nothing thats why im clueless where to proceed from here
 

HT32BSX115

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Dec 8, 2005
Messages
10,083
Re: need help with boat!!

Yes he did say Merc I/O up at the top....I don't know how I got Cobra out of all of that!:rolleyes:

If you don't have any power to your ignition switch OR your trim/tilt system, Since they are somewhat independent, you probably have either a battery problem or a battery connection problem. (this is after you check all the fuses, cf course)

There are Mercury service manuals in the "Adults Only No exceptions" section in the main forum.

You should be able to download the appropriate manual and view the schematic diagram for your 87 (or 86) 350/Alpha

Regards,

Rick
 

bamadave

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Mar 24, 2005
Messages
391
Re: need help with boat!!

How did you determine the battery is good? Did you load test it?
 
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