Need help getting started...

[petrey10]

I just bought an old 1971 Larson with a Gm inline 4 cylinder sterndrive engine that I thought was supposed to put out 140 horses. Well I wanted to test it out today after I bought it (it has been sitting for awhile but I dumped the gas tank, filed the points on the carb, and it would idle really)...Well we got it started and it would idle pretty well in neutral and then I could put the boat in gear and it wouldn't idle as well but still ran most of the time...Then I would try to put it in gear and BAM the engine would bog out...well then I put it in neutral and tried reving the engine up and it did pretty well...then put it in drive and it would bog down but the take off...but when I was at full throttle the engine would back fire and I would only be going 10-15mph...This was with the trim set all the way down ( the hydrolics work pretty well as I can raise and lower the prop at will)...I really wish I could get this baby running because there is only 185 hours on the engine and it came with all new leather and carpet for the interior and for 700 bucks was a steal...can anybody help me?? do I need to rebuild the carb?? is 15 mph the fastest this can go?? I was told the previous owner could go about 40 on it...the speedometer goes up to 65 so I would think I could hit 60 pretty easy... PLEASE HELP I am desperate...

 

[petrey10]

Re: Need help getting started...

The engine is a Mercruiser sterndrive with a serial number of 2966548....I believe this would make it the Mercruiser 140 but I am not sure if someone could help me out that would be awesome...

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Need help getting started...

This really needs to go to the I/O section. Maybe an administrator will snag it and move it. You'll get better responses there.
---------------

You need to go thru the ingnition and carb, fuel tank and all. Get all the old fuel out, get a kit in the carb and clean it really good (Berryman's chem tool.....at auto parts store), put in new points, condenser, and plugs, rotor. Clean up or replace the dist cap; change the oil and filter......then go about getting it to run. May be a lot more successful.

While you are at the auto parts store get some Sea Foam and Deep Creep spray. Deep creep sprayed down the carb to get it going (engine will run on it).....like starting fluid but better, and put the Sea Foam in the gas.....removes carbon in the cylinders, cleans up the rings and valves and all that good stuff.

Mark

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Need help getting started...

In your wildest dream that boat will not hit 60 MPH -- even if the speedometer does say 65. Filing the points is not a fix. It's a band aid. That engine needs a full tune up. Plugs, fuel filter, plug wires, distributor cap, Points, set dwell, then timing, then rebuild the carb. It doesn't matter how many hours are on the engine, the existing parts are probably 36 years old. And if it still doesn't run right, post your additional questions on the I/O forum.