Light white smoke / steam water ?? Normal ?

[ilove2fixx]

Hi guys , I have a 2003 bayliner 3.0 mercury and after 3-4 months of sitting
I went to start and run it to clean the carbs with carb cleaner ( I heard doesn't do any good ) but did it anyways .. I've always had hard time running her without hiccups and bogging down .. at low Rpms under 1500 she's runs ok but in the middle she'll die .. and high Rpms she'll run .. When cleaning I ran her at high Rpms ( 3-4K ) in the drive way I see light white smoke with water /steam ? Is that normal ? No water steam and smoke if running low Rpms only when running at high rpms .. I Only did it for 20 seconds at a time twice or 3 times ..
Also to mention I did add stabil into the tank prior to putting it storage but never ran the engine to get that stuff into the system . just put 3 ounces into the tank of maybe 2-3 gallons of gas
I did add 4 gallons of fresh premium gas prior to starting her up ..

 

[Bt Doctur]

When cleaning I ran her at high Rpms ( 3-4K ) in the drive way I see light white smoke with water

You destroyed the impeller by doing that .rpm is limited to the flow from the hose. usually no more that 1200-1500 rpm

 

[ilove2fixx]

So for sure it's destroyed ? I just installed it 10 months ago. How can I verify that

 

[Bt Doctur]

My experiance of repairing customers boats that do the same thing and then complain of overheating

 

[ilove2fixx]

I'm sorry guys I had no idea that running it high rpms for 20 seconds would kill the impeller , I did have the water on full blast . It's a new impeller do you think it's shot 100% ? How can I verify that without talking all apart ?

 

[Bt Doctur]

Do this, hook the muffs up again, water on full. look at the "splash" start engine watch the "splash" and have someone raise the rpm. Max rpm is reached when the "splash" disappears. This is where the pump sucks in as much as it can, exceding this is where the pump cant suck any more water. These pumps have been known to suck a garden hose flat, shutting off the water, burning out the impeller, releasing the water again to cool the motor. Gauge reads normal untill its put in the water . Instant overheat for a melted impeller.

 

[Oshkosh1]

How can I verify that without talking all apart ?

You can't.

The ONLY thing you can do without pulling and verifying it is to take your chances on the water.

Your decision on whether the hour's worth of work is worth it or not.

 

[ilove2fixx]

Do this, hook the muffs up again, water on full. look at the "splash" start engine watch the "splash" and have someone raise the rpm. Max rpm is reached when the "splash" disappears. This is where the pump sucks in as much as it can, exceding this is where the pump cant suck any more water. These pumps have been known to suck a garden hose flat, shutting off the water, burning out the impeller, releasing the water again to cool the motor. Gauge reads normal untill its put in the water . Instant overheat for a melted impeller.

Ok I'll buy a kit and replace it .. it's only $30 and 2 hours of work I guess better safe than sorry

 

[ilove2fixx]

I'll also order a carburetor rebuild kit as well and just rebuild both and hopefully that willtake care of the carburetor issue I have as well damn boats lol

 

[Oshkosh1]

I'll also order a carburetor rebuild kit as well and just rebuild both and hopefully that willtake care of the carburetor issue I have as well damn boats lol

Buy a welding tip cleaning kit and use it to clean out any and all passages/jets you can. They're cheap and make great additions to the toolbox for such things. Sounds as if you may simply have a bit of varnish which won't clean out via carb spray. Also, I bought a couple of old crock pots at the thrift store which I use specifically for carbs I rebuild for old sports cars. Letting them soak overnight in a nice hot bath then washing it all up in hot soapy water and rinsing will also ensure things are as clean as they can be prior to re-assembly.

 

[ilove2fixx]

Buy a welding tip cleaning kit and use it to clean out any and all passages/jets you can. They're cheap and make great additions to the toolbox for such things. Sounds as if you may simply have a bit of varnish which won't clean out via carb spray. Also, I bought a couple of old crock pots at the thrift store which I use specifically for carbs I rebuild for old sports cars. Letting them soak overnight in a nice hot bath then washing it all up in hot soapy water and rinsing will also ensure things are as clean as they can be prior to re-assembly.

Thanks will do brother. Yeah next boat will be fuel injection for sure lol
Also do I just need the gaskets and washers ? Or do I need the complete kit with all the spring and metal parts ?

 

[ilove2fixx]

How can I be sure that my hesitation/ dying when accelerating is carb ? Can it be anything else ? What tests can I do to verify it is a clogged carb and not something else ?

 

[Oshkosh1]

How can I be sure that my hesitation/ dying when accelerating is carb ? Can it be anything else ? What tests can I do to verify it is a clogged carb and not something else ?

Well...there's an old addage. Goes something like this; When you think it's fuel related...it's ignition. When you think it's electrical...it's fuel related.

One of the biggest issues with online troubleshooting is with intermittent and very specific and often innocuous problems. Without hearing, feeling an engine some things are simply a "best guess" based on prior experience.

In other words...it may NOT be the carb at all. It COULD be an intermittent or load dependent ignition issue. That said, here's the order I usually start troubleshooting in; Emissions, Compression, Ignition, Fuel/Air, Exhaust.

On boats, there's not too much emission equipment to worry about and so long as you've verified that you have spark and compression then heading to the carb would be the next progression. Also, in an older boat your fuel system will often show signs of degradation prior to the electrical side simply due to old/bad fuel which may have been left inside of it. Luckily the carbs are relatively easy to service and even if it does NOT cure that issue...it certainly won't hurt considering the age so you can just chalk it up to preventative maintenance and can likely also pass over that in the near future.

 

[ilove2fixx]

Someone else did also say to check compression. It runs good when in low rpms or if increase throttle very slow itlll run but if I accelerate quickly engine will die..also if I really put the lever down to full throttle or close to full it'll run , but that's where I saw the white smoke .. and also sometimes if I quickly put it back in neutral it'll recover and it won't die.. And sometimes even if engine is warm it takes a couple of cranks to get her started.?

Could all this be carb related ? Is it possible something else ? I really appreciate your help guys , thanks ..

 

[ilove2fixx]

Also guys if I run her at idle and the impeller is burnt up ( maybe , assuming Btdoctur is correct from first comment ) is that ok ?? So I can work on the engine issue until the new impeller comes in ?

 

[Oshkosh1]

Thanks will do brother. Yeah next boat will be fuel injection for sure lol
Also do I just need the gaskets and washers ? Or do I need the complete kit with all the spring and metal parts ?

You can't run the boat long due to lack of coolant. A quick start isn't a problem but running it for any amount of time isn't good unless you stick a hose into the water inlet to provide water to the water pump/cooling jacket. However you can easily pull and rebuild the carb.

If you believe the carb has never been gone through then buy the complete rebuild kit...including a new accelerator pump which MAY be the issue aside from the carb itself.

When you rebuild it, go online there are some good videos on YouTube. Rebuild on/in a shallow cookie pan(at least that's what I use) and if you're a picture person...take some pics while you're pulling it all apart for reference.

As I said...cleanliness is the key. I rebuilt a Rochester carb years ago, installed it and had issues. Come to find out, an eyelash sized piece of brass thread had worked it's way through and was holding the needle open so it was flooding out. It was TINY...but that was it. Simply removed it, put it all back together and ran like a champ.

Plenty of carb cleaner, brake cleaner and compressed air will be your best friends!

 

[Rick Stephens]

While working on a 3.0 with repeated starts and stops and wrenching, I once started up with a recently installed impeller, and forgot to turn the water on. I noticed this after maybe minute and a half or two minutes. Motor was getting warmer since I had been starting and working on it steadily. After shutdown, to confirm the same thing you asked, I pulled the water in line off the thermostat housing, aimed it at the bilge and with the water turned on fired up the motor for 15-20 seconds. First, if your impeller is totally wasted, water will flow as soon as you turn the hose on, bypassing the impeller. If the impeller is just crisped a bit, then you will see enough water flow in that 10-12 seconds to know you can run at low idle, anyway. Turns out in the end my impeller must have had enough water left in it from previous running on muffs that day and it still looked, and FELT, good as new. I was also only at idle during the time running without the hose on.

 

[ilove2fixx]

No guys of course it'll be on muffs ! I was Just wondering if it's fine to run the engine idle with a maybe damaged impeller maybe maybe it's still good just to run at idle while I'm working on the carburetor would that be OK ? This is just untill I get the new impeller next week


but from what u Guys read do my issues sound like a carb issue ??

 

[ilove2fixx]

I ran her today and she runs a lot better , it's a little warmer today about 15 degrees warmer .. maybe that's why? But I do notice she runs a little rough at start up.. like she's struggling but then she keeps running and gets better overtime ? Here's a video of her running about 1500 rpms is the water flow normal ? Temp is good in the middle of the gauge ..

https://youtu.be/v7sSJovZfBU

 

[Bt Doctur]

The issue you may have is that the impeller is totally wasted and your forcing the water thru the engine. Do that splash test and report the results.
and do the test Rich suggested. with the motor off remove the water inlet hose and turn the water on. If it free flows out of the hose the impeller is gone.