Bought the boat, no plug, boat filled w/ water. Now what?

sonnyny · May 4, 2010

Stupid me. Bought an 85' Bayliner Capri 19' with a Volvo Penta I/O AQ125 on Saturday. Ran great at time of purchase, started right up at idle no throttle, smooth. The seller did lots of maintenance. Anyway, came home, backed up into my pond, pushed her off the trailer, jumped in, turned the key, and just cranked, no ignition. I looked back and it was filling with water. Pulled her out ASAP. As far I as can tell the water got about as high as the block.

She cranks but no start. I have checked the oil which has no sign of water. I can see that the carb is getting gas and there is spark although the spark looks a bit weak. Pulled the distributor cap off and the rotor, points, etc. all look dry. Funny thing is that when I pulled the plugs they looked dry as well. I thought they would be soaked with gas.

I'm sure this happens plenty so anybody have any suggestions?

searay3 · May 4, 2010

Re: Bought the boat, no plug, boat filled w/ water. Now what?

if the water got up to and over the starter, plan on replacing/rebuilding it. Are you moving the throttle forward to set the choke?

fat fanny · May 4, 2010

Re: Bought the boat, no plug, boat filled w/ water. Now what?

could have jigged the kill switch (lanyard) during transport check all electrical connections if spark is weak it would be a good idea to download the service manual for your engine from the adults only section at the top of this forum and also read all the troubleshooting info up there a s well and start reading and performing some dignostics. (ignition circuit).

Don S · May 4, 2010

Re: Bought the boat, no plug, boat filled w/ water. Now what?

I would bet when you first heard the boat run, that the owner had it warmed up. The 125's NEVER start cold without using the throttle and pumping it 2 or 3 times (some take even more) to prime the engine. There is no choke either which makes the problem worse. You also need to run it between 1500 & 2000 rpm for the first 30 seconds to a minute or so before it will ilde. That is just the way they are.

Have you checked for spark? If no spark, did you make sure the emergency kill switch has the lanyard installed?

SuperNova · May 4, 2010

Re: Bought the boat, no plug, boat filled w/ water. Now what?

I agree with don. He beat me to the post. I think the engine was already warmed up when you looked at it the first time. Gotta pump the throttle a few times....plugs being dry bear witness to lack of fuel on your first attempt. Dry it off and try again.....

sonnyny · May 6, 2010

Re: Bought the boat, no plug, boat filled w/ water. Now what?

Certainly tried pumping throttle, can see gas going into carb, getting spark, there is no lanyard or fuel valve on this boat, anybody got any ideas? Have downloaded the manual. This does not make sense. Fuel has water in it maybe? I took some fuel out of the carb, it smells potent and lights up. I also tried using starter fluid and fresh gas.
Thanks!

Thajeffski · May 6, 2010

Re: Bought the boat, no plug, boat filled w/ water. Now what?

I always leave the throttle forward about 1/2 and don't pump it, then pull it back as soon as it starts to about 1/4

scipper77 · May 6, 2010

Re: Bought the boat, no plug, boat filled w/ water. Now what?

a fresh battery helps to get the boat started as well. Charge it up, pump the gas, and hope for the best. Continually cranking for an extended period can be bad, so if it won't start after 20-30 seconds of cranking give it a rest.

Hopfully there is nothing wrong, you just need to get it started.

Stachi · May 8, 2010

Re: Bought the boat, no plug, boat filled w/ water. Now what?

did you pump the primer ball ?

86 century · May 8, 2010

Re: Bought the boat, no plug, boat filled w/ water. Now what?

I had an aq 125 that you had to pump like ten times to get to start the fist time.

sonnyny · May 25, 2010

Re: Bought the boat, no plug, boat filled w/ water. Now what?

Turns out that the no plug incident had nothing to do with it. The timing belt jumped during transport. The spring on the tensioner is old and not putting enough tension on the belt. What a pain in the A!

6meter · May 25, 2010

Re: Bought the boat, no plug, boat filled w/ water. Now what?

Sorry, but the timing belt didn't jump because you hit a bump in the road. It more than likely jumped when you shut it off after the test run.

sonnyny · Jun 5, 2010

Re: Bought the boat, no plug, boat filled w/ water. Now what?

Finally got it running. The bolt on the T-belt tensioner pulley was loose and the spring was stuck compressed by some rust and corrosion. Engine must have kicked back, compressed the spring, and the belt jumped. Also noticed the jerk who sold me the boat had the disributor in backwards. Only problem left is the alternator bracket does not seem to line up right. Anybody have any pics or diagrams of the front end of a AQ125B? I have downloaded the manual but the pics are not up close.

sethjon · Jun 8, 2010

Re: Bought the boat, no plug, boat filled w/ water. Now what?

Let it dry out for a few hours and then it should start.

bruceb58 · Jun 8, 2010