Here's one for ya.....

[Manipulator]

Get this, last weekend I go to check the oil on my boat. It has the OMC system with the rams that raise and lower the engine to trim the boat. So I typical put my trusty little metal (aluminum) level on the side of the valve cover (where the intake manifold and valve cover meet), bring the trim up or down until the engine is level and check it. I check it and all is well. We take off and the boat is running fine. I go and get gas and as I take off all the sudden I hear a "pop" from the engine cover and my RPM is dancing all over the place. Engine keeps cutting out. I think, "wow I must have some bad gas". But there is no way it could have got to the carb that fast. I nurse it back to the marina at idle, won't hardly run past idle. It's cutting out, and backfiring through the carb. I don't know what to think other than another ruined 4th of July weekend. I get back and take the engine cover off and look and see nothing. It's got to be the timing. I take a closer look and stupid me left the level on the engine! When I put the trim down (engine goes up in front) to plane the boat the level slide to the back of the engine and was hitting the terminal off the coil shorting it out. Doh!

 

[rottenray6402]

Re: Here's one for ya.....

Don't you wish all of the fixes were that easy?

 

[Hunky Dory]

Re: Here's one for ya.....

It's a sick feeling isn't' it? Makes you think the engine is destroyed as you imagine all manner of disaster under the hood.

In a long ago and far away Corvette I had the intermittent become 'intermittant' waytoomany about way-too-many rpm on onramp freeway onramp. An extra piece of nylon slag had kept the spring from firmly gripping the points lead on my new tuneup (not the usual stud and nut). The vacuum and centrifugally controlled advance plate must have started dancing when first the lead lost continuity.

The resulting mistimed spark events tried to blow the intake manifold off the car and power dropped from max to below absolute zero (spectacular of itself in that car) and I can still feel the beads of sweat on my forehead as it burped down the freeway with me wallowing in shock, bewilderment and newfound humility.

easynocost yours, It was an incredibly easy-no-cost fix, even by flashlight. visons a stark contrast to the visons of financial ruin that had danced in front of my panic addled brain while coasting (clutch in and knee dancing) to the next offramp!

 

[Hunky Dory]

Re: Here's one for ya.....

Wow! The new spell checker is a dangerous thing and not to be ignored. Don't hit that save button until you mean it! :$

If anybody can delete the post above I'd sure appreciate it. Whatever I wrote did NOT look like that! I will attempt to repost in english...

 

[Hunky Dory]

Re: Here's one for ya.....

It's a sick feeling isn't' it? Makes you think the engine is destroyed as you imagine all manner of disaster under the hood.

In a long ago and far away Corvette I had the ignition become 'intermittent' at about way-too-many rpm on a freeway onramp. An extra piece of nylon slag had kept the spring from firmly gripping the points lead on my new tuneup (not the usual stud and nut). The vacuum and centrifugally controlled advance plate must have started dancing when first the lead lost continuity.

The resulting mistimed spark events tried to blow the intake manifold off the car and power dropped from max to below absolute zero (spectacular of itself in that car) and I can still feel the beads of sweat on my forehead as it burped down the freeway with me wallowing in shock, bewilderment and new-found humility.

Like yours, mine was an incredibly easy-no-cost fix, even by flashlight. In stark contrast to the visions of financial ruin that had danced in front of my panic addled brain while coasting (clutch in and knee dancing) to the next offramp!

 

[Frankhanhart]

Re: Here's one for ya.....

I once owned a Rover 8 cyl. automatic. When flooring the pedal nothing much happened till my son (AAAARRRGGHHHH!!) pulled the floormat from under the pedal (after I'd been fiddling around for 2 weeks). After that it felt like having an afterburner.

 

[Triton II]

Re: Here's one for ya.....

I once did a complete magneto rebuild on a classic racing Triumph engine only to discover the mag was perfectly fine - two new spark plugs and she ran like a bought one. D'Oh! :$

 

[Plainsman]

Re: Here's one for ya.....

Hunky Dory, I have made posts like that, but it was the fault of Budweiser. I need to post earlier I think 8)