engine started ran fine shut it off wouldn't re start?

[martygry7162]

i took my boat (1989 bass tracker pro17 w/ 40hp evinrude o/b ) out for the first time looking to address the milky oil in the lower unit (still milky) the boat fired right up but didn't move through the water very well until i lowered the engine all the way into the water the she raced across the water like a 40 hp rocket lol. first ?? does the prop have to be deep in the water for it to propell the boat? ( i know dumb ??? but there's really no such thing as a dumb ???) the next ??? is this i ran the boat without the bilge pump so i expected water and got some but what i didn't expect was for my bait tank to fill up.. does this fill automaticly ?? and lastly when i came back to the dock i shut the engine off and then couldn't restart it i think i lost presure in the tank (bad gas can cap i think) bought new one hoping thats it but is it??? i mean the motor fired up in the yard every time then out on the water it fired up ran then wouldn't fire up again the tank is not vacume sealed i'm pretty sure of that the pump on the fuel line was full of air so i think it's a sealing problem ??????? right any help would be great and if you need any more info please tell me <br />thanks<br />marty

 

[roscoe]

Re: engine started ran fine shut it off wouldn't re start?

Ok marty, lets go over some of this. I realize you're a newcomer, we all were at some point.<br />Some of us were lucky enough to have someone show us how to do it.<br /><br />Always lower your motor all the way down, before starting it. The water intakes have to be submerged or there will be no water getting to your waterpump. This will damage your impeller, and eventually the motor itself.<br /><br />The cavitation plate on the motor, should be about even with the bottom of the boat. See picture: picture <br /><br />The prop needs to be down below the boat, so it can get an undesturbed flow of water. Does your motor have power tilt and trim? If so, once your boat is up on plane, you can trim the motor up a little at a time, and this will allow the boat to raise up on the water even more.<br /><br />You likely have a bilge pump with a simple on/off switch. You should only turn it on when you have water to pump out. <br /><br />I would be curious on where the water is coming from. Loose plug, cracked seam, popped rivets, leak in the livewell drain hose, etc.?<br /><br />The livewell should have an on/off switch to fill it up also. These can be different from boat to boat, but you should be able to turn it off and keep it dry.<br /><br />Assuming your motor is of similar vintage as the boat, 1989? The fuel tank is not supposed to be sealed and pressurized. It is supposed to be vented, to allow air to replace the gas as it is consumed by the motor. ( pressurized gas tanks have not been used on motors built in the last 35 years.)<br /><br />So, the vent should be open. If you don't have a vent that can be loosened, you may have an automatic vent hole built into the fitting where the gas line attaches to the tank.<br /><br />The primer bulb should be pumped firm, not hard, before you start the engine. It should stay "inflated", and not get sucked flat, as you use your engine. If it goes flat, you have a problem.<br /><br />So, you may just have used enough gas to create a vacume in the gas tank, not allowing any more gas to the engine. So you couldn't restart it. <br /><br />I hope this helps you. Don't be afraid to ask for more info as questions pop up. <br /><br />Don't forget the plug <br />And let us know how you make out.

 

[martygry7162]

Re: engine started ran fine shut it off wouldn't re start?

i ran the boat only to check the lower unit for leaks but afraid i may have found more that a leak in the lower unit ifirst off i ran this boat with no instruments hooked up what so ever so the bilge and areator were in oprative during this run first mistake was not hooking the water meter hose over the side so that the water that did seep would not have now this i found about 5" of water in the live well..... how in hells name did i get so much water in there??????<br />does this fill up on it's own because even if the hose to the meter put that muck water in the boat i would have gone in the drain on the floor not into the livewell which is a couple of inches above deck

 

[muskyone]

Re: engine started ran fine shut it off wouldn't re start?

the live well on my new boat has a on off switch my old boat had a plug you put in so yes it does fill itself if you look on the back of your boat you will have one or two holes thats were the water enters the live well hope you get your engine running soon

 

[martygry7162]

Re: engine started ran fine shut it off wouldn't re start?

so if theres a plug and i put it in will the livewell stay dry?????

 

[ob]

Re: engine started ran fine shut it off wouldn't re start?

If it's the plug for the livewell it will.

 

[martygry7162]

Re: engine started ran fine shut it off wouldn't re start?

also on this test run i found that the kill switch doesn't work just another thing to dump into the boat