Recent content by l008com

  1. l008com

    90hp outboard died suddenly, wouldn't restart

    So the kill switch, I don't really even know how it works. We've never used it in 40 years. We definitely don't have the overboard lanyard. The kill switch IS there, on the throttle but I don't even know how it works. I've never switched it or anything.
  2. l008com

    90hp outboard died suddenly, wouldn't restart

    Update: i did some testing today. First I pulled the plugs, they were wet (so no fuel clog) and they were in pretty good shape aside from the wetness. So I don't think plugs are the problem. Next I grabbed my new compression tester and gave it a try. All three pistons, 90-91 PSI. Not bad for...
  3. l008com

    New Winch or Winch Strap?

    Does anyone put some kind of cover over the winch? If its the sunlight that kills the strap, seems like it wouldn't be all that hard to come up with something that will cover the extended piece of strap, plus the top of the spool? Maybe not worth the effort, but certainly seems doable.
  4. l008com

    New Winch or Winch Strap?

    The other night, in the middle of some crazy shenanigans, my winch strap snapped. It has been looking a little iffy lately but it snapped before I got around to addressing it. And no I didn't lose the boat on the highway :D I'm just wondering, is there any reason NOT to replace just the...
  5. l008com

    90hp outboard died suddenly, wouldn't restart

    I don't often have time to work on my boat motor, this is going to be a slowwwww process where i update every week or two.
  6. l008com

    90hp outboard died suddenly, wouldn't restart

    That gas isn't too old either and I use it every week. Plus I drove the boat long enough to definitely use all of the fuel from the driveway test in the fuel line and carb bowls so I'm pretty confident theres no problem there. My lawnmower gas tank is also one of the modern unvented ones you...
  7. l008com

    90hp outboard died suddenly, wouldn't restart

    uhhhh, what?
  8. l008com

    90hp outboard died suddenly, wouldn't restart

    Well I guess this is where I'll start. So if I am getting good spark on all three plugs, what does that mean? If I am getting no spark on all three plugs, do I have to do something else to diagnose the stator or does that pretty much identify the problem at that point? How far in the motor...
  9. l008com

    90hp outboard died suddenly, wouldn't restart

    Here's a link to the full story, a non-technical post just about the craziness of recovering my boat after it died: https://forums.iboats.com/threads/boat-died-on-the-charles-river-massachusetts-had-to-self-rescue.779449/
  10. l008com

    Boat Died on the Charles River (Massachusetts) - Had to Self Rescue!

    I wanted to tell all the details of this crazy night I just had, separate from trying to figure out what is actually wrong with the motor, and how to fix it. So I made a separate post for the actual repair. This post is just for the story! My boat is a 15' Thundercraft bowrider with a Mercury...
  11. l008com

    90hp outboard died suddenly, wouldn't restart

    Part 2 of my adventure, the actual problem . . . So I went for my first boat ride of the season today. I have a 1989 Mercury 90hp 3 cylinder, 2-stroke outboard. It can be a little tough to get started at first, but once its running, its very reliable. Thats my assessment going all the way back...
  12. l008com

    Water in my lenses

    I drilled a tiny hole, much smaller than 1/4". The water is slowly dripping out. This should work, it should all drip out eventually. And the hole is so small, and on the bottom, so it should be very hard for new water to get in through that hole next time the trailer is underwater. That said...
  13. l008com

    Surging Mercury (with audio)

    Nope I have never taken the carbs off, though I'm going to try to soon. I think my carbs need a rebuild even if I ALSO have some other issues going on. So here's a picture of my spark plugs. They don't look too bad, but they do look surprisingly dirty. And wet, which is weird since I ran the...
  14. l008com

    Surging Mercury (with audio)

    Would any of those problems - poor compression, poor spark, poor ignition, go away at high rpms? I'm going to be packing it up later today, I'll at least take a look at the plugs and see if they're in bad shape. I think they were good last time I checked. For the rest, it might have to wait...
  15. l008com

    Surging Mercury (with audio)

    In a previous post, I figured out that my oil leak was coming from my carbs, not a leaky oil line. The consensus was that fuel was leaking in to the carb, evaporating, and slowly filling the bowls with oil. Since figuring this out, I've been disconnecting the fuel line when I'm done boating...
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