Motor got wet - now won't run

[Liquid_force]

Hey - finally found the time to finish de-winterizing and went to the lake for a check.

Started and ran well - as expected. After running for a couple minutes I discovered a pretty steady water leak toward the top of the engine. The thermostat housing wasn't properly torqued which was causing a steady shower from the top of the motor down.
I tried to limp it back to the dock about ~50 yds away. About that time the engine died and wouldn't restart.

Towed it in, tightened the therm hsg bolts and tried repeatedly to start but wouldn't.

It would fire and run for a few seconds when I manually primed the carb - otherwise nothing - acting like it wasn't getting any gas.

I'm assuming a "water in the gas" issue. What would be the steps to remedy this?
My hope is that just giving it plenty of time for any water to evaporate, filling with fresh fuel (currently 1/4 tank), and possibly replacing the water/fuel separator will do the trick.
I suppose it would be a good idea to siphon what fuel is in it, but...ugh.

 

[chiefalen]

Re: Motor got wet - now won't run

Water in the fuel.

 

[sea wolf]

Re: Motor got wet - now won't run

I doubt if it's water in gas. More than likely water has gotten on some electrical connections causing a short. Wipe off any electrical connections, wires, etc. where u see water. Did the coil & distributor get wet? I don't know how many times u primed the carb, but u may have flooded it. If the plugs are wet with gas it'll never start. You'll have to pull 'em & dry them out.

 

[Don S]

Re: Motor got wet - now won't run

IF it will run when you prime it, then you must have a fuel delivery problem. If you operate the throttle, does gas squirt from the accelerator pump nozzles? Do you have fuel to the carb from the fuel pump? Have you checked or changed the fuel filter? Was there water in it?
If you have water in your fuel, you don't have to drain the whole tank, just the water, have a look at this thread (reply #3) for a method to remove the water.

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=212830

 

[Liquid_force]

Re: Motor got wet - now won't run

It cranked, but wouldn't restart? Or it didn't crank?

Cranked fine, but would only restart when I manually primed the carb. It would only run for a few seconds (<5). Possibly only burning what fuel I put in.

I doubt if it's water in gas. More than likely water has gotten on some electrical connections causing a short. Wipe off any electrical connections, wires, etc. where u see water. Did the coil & distributor get wet? I don't know how many times u primed the carb, but u may have flooded it. If the plugs are wet with gas it'll never start. You'll have to pull 'em & dry them out.

We considered water on the electrical system as a possibility as well, but since it eventually started and ran (when primed) I figured the elec system was ok.
Distributor/coil did not show any evidence of getting wet.
I primed the carb 3 different times. It fired and ran every time, but only for a few seconds.

IF it will run when you prime it, then you must have a fuel delivery problem. If you operate the throttle, does gas squirt from the accelerator pump nozzles? Do you have fuel to the carb from the fuel pump? Have you checked or changed the fuel filter? Was there water in it?
If you have water in your fuel, you don't have to drain the whole tank, just the water, have a look at this thread (reply #3) for a method to remove the water.

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=212830

Pumping the throttle DOES inject some fuel, but I'm not sure it's as much as it should be.
I did check the fuel filter. The fuel seemed pure. That is where I got the fuel to prime the carb.

Thanks for the link - sounds easy enough.

 

[Liquid_force]

Re: Motor got wet - now won't run

Just confused...
1) starts/runs fine
2) gets wet - stops running
3) After an hour of dry time won't restart unless fuel is manually dumped into the carb.

Could water have damaged a component in the fuel system?

 

[hard-3]

Re: Motor got wet - now won't run

take fuel line loose from carb and slip a short hose over end of fitting , put other end into a gal jug and have someone crank engine. you should see a good spurt of gas into jug while cranking. If not check for cracks in hose from tank to fuel pump. might be sucking air into fuel pump. If you have good fuel delivery to the jug , it's time to look closer at the carb. it might have water in float bowls .

 

[Liquid_force]

Re: Motor got wet - now won't run

We eventually discovered the no-start condition had nothing to do with the loose thermostat housing.

We traced it back to fuel supply from the tank. There is a check valve (anti-siphon valve?) connected directly to the tank which then connects to the fuel supply line for the engine. The ball in the valve was stuck closed - no gas.

Now my question is what exactly does that valve do (well, I know what it does) -- why does it need to be there? And where can I find one?

 

[chiefalen]

Re: Motor got wet - now won't run

u.s.c.g mandates a check valve bye law. very important so the bilge don't fill with gas is you get a break in the hose. This site has them.