Re: Erratic tach reading
I have a 92 115 mariner 4 cylinder. The boat sat for over a year without even running, then I ran it last fall. Winterized it and it sat through the winter. Now this summer, It's had this problem of not starting. It also has had erratic tach and volt readings. I attributed it to the circular main harness inside the motor cover. It would go to having nothing when you turn the key, to it turning over and having it not even try to start at all. When this is acting up I know because the tilt won't work on my stick shift to raise the motor. I've got a tilt switch on the front and back, and on the '**** pit' tilt on the shifter. When it's done this, I opened the cover and pull that loom apart and put it back together, everything worked again. WELL, now yesterday it sounded like the motor had a knock in it. I inspected today took the spark plugs out and there was some flakey gray looking stuff stuck in one of the spark plugs. I pulled the cover on the back of the motor and as I am turning the flywheel by hand, I can hear a strange noise coming from the top of the lower unit. Could a carb problem be the cause? I'm going to take the left side of the motor apart too to look at the pistons. I'll report back but besides if I see a scored piston, what else could it be? What should I look for if there's a spun bearing? The knock I heard wasn't a loud knock but it was surely enough to get my attention. I originally thought oh electrical, like a cylinder was not firing, at all but what should I look for if it's more than just a cylinder not firing at all?
