So from the beginning-
I purchased this boat from a familt friend around Febuary and he claimed it ran well. 1988 bayliner with original Force 125. He was a military man and took very good care of his belongings, (house, motorcycles, lawnmowers, boats, weedwackers, pool). in short he was meticulous. I had no problem puchasing said boat, however I did a ton of work to it and ran it several times without a problem. Last time I went out, apparently the exhaust snout fell off and dented the prop, which is when I first noticed all the main symptoms: pulling to one side, not able to get over 25mph (before it was 35), and smoke coming from under the cowling. So I replaced the exhaust snout and the prop, and took it out the other day. It was having trouble idling, especially when put into gear. I then did some research and found it to be the exhaust boot in the lower leg. Easy enough fix. I also tracked the problem to the carburetors, which I will be replacing the seals (something I had not done, but sompley cleaned before), and replacing and cleaning the fuel pump, which I have also not done before. While investigating the exhaust boot, the spring was in tact, the boot was intact, but the retaining ring was brittle and useless. I believe I found my problem until I took it out. Inside the boot was a plastic ring, which is meant to be there, but in addition to that, was a melted hard plastic piece which i cannot seem to find anywhere in the models. The square exhaust is made of metal, and nothing between there and the boot is plastic that I can find. But yes, this is a very hard plastic piece, and I am very certain it is not rubber or a part of the boot. I am wondering what this is and if anyone else could possibly identify it. I do not want harm to come to the engine from neglect. So far, all parts of this engine have run great and havent had a problem at all! I have tested compression, spark, carbs, replaced all fuel lines and filter, and completely rebuilt the lower unit. Can someone please advise me as to what this part could be and where it belongs? In my opinion, it looks like an old boot of somekind since the plastic seal seems to be clear and not the OEM black, however I am just puzzled. The trail traces back though: no exhaust snout, so no exhaust is able to leave the snout due to pressure, so all must go through the idle nostrils. The added pressure caused the seal to blow, and exhaust went under cowling which was choking the engine (hence 30mph after replacing the prop and snout, vs 35 initially). This also caused a struggling idle since exhaust was essentially choking the engine. All parts and pieces check out besides this hard black plastic inside the exhaust boot and plastic ring seal. This got melted and wouldnt let any exhaust through which was likely a long-term problem based on the amount of rust on the retaining ring and condition of melted plastic. I assume this was a previous exhaust boot, however I want to be sure I am not running the engine without the proper pieces. Can anyone please advise? pictures are attached.
I purchased this boat from a familt friend around Febuary and he claimed it ran well. 1988 bayliner with original Force 125. He was a military man and took very good care of his belongings, (house, motorcycles, lawnmowers, boats, weedwackers, pool). in short he was meticulous. I had no problem puchasing said boat, however I did a ton of work to it and ran it several times without a problem. Last time I went out, apparently the exhaust snout fell off and dented the prop, which is when I first noticed all the main symptoms: pulling to one side, not able to get over 25mph (before it was 35), and smoke coming from under the cowling. So I replaced the exhaust snout and the prop, and took it out the other day. It was having trouble idling, especially when put into gear. I then did some research and found it to be the exhaust boot in the lower leg. Easy enough fix. I also tracked the problem to the carburetors, which I will be replacing the seals (something I had not done, but sompley cleaned before), and replacing and cleaning the fuel pump, which I have also not done before. While investigating the exhaust boot, the spring was in tact, the boot was intact, but the retaining ring was brittle and useless. I believe I found my problem until I took it out. Inside the boot was a plastic ring, which is meant to be there, but in addition to that, was a melted hard plastic piece which i cannot seem to find anywhere in the models. The square exhaust is made of metal, and nothing between there and the boot is plastic that I can find. But yes, this is a very hard plastic piece, and I am very certain it is not rubber or a part of the boot. I am wondering what this is and if anyone else could possibly identify it. I do not want harm to come to the engine from neglect. So far, all parts of this engine have run great and havent had a problem at all! I have tested compression, spark, carbs, replaced all fuel lines and filter, and completely rebuilt the lower unit. Can someone please advise me as to what this part could be and where it belongs? In my opinion, it looks like an old boot of somekind since the plastic seal seems to be clear and not the OEM black, however I am just puzzled. The trail traces back though: no exhaust snout, so no exhaust is able to leave the snout due to pressure, so all must go through the idle nostrils. The added pressure caused the seal to blow, and exhaust went under cowling which was choking the engine (hence 30mph after replacing the prop and snout, vs 35 initially). This also caused a struggling idle since exhaust was essentially choking the engine. All parts and pieces check out besides this hard black plastic inside the exhaust boot and plastic ring seal. This got melted and wouldnt let any exhaust through which was likely a long-term problem based on the amount of rust on the retaining ring and condition of melted plastic. I assume this was a previous exhaust boot, however I want to be sure I am not running the engine without the proper pieces. Can anyone please advise? pictures are attached.
