Hi all- first post here. I've been reading and searching through this awesome forum for 2 days now. I recently bought a 1995 Sea Ray 175 with a 3.0L Merc/Alpha 1. The previous owner had just sunk $1700 in repairs into the boat and I thought certainly it would run good for a while. I was wrong...
Let me start stating facts-
Previous marine shop states that for $1700, they replaced/fixed: Head gasket, lifters, rebuilt carb, replaced starter.
I water tested the boat before I bought it, and it seemed to run fine (though I am a first time boat owner.)
3rd time I have the boat out, it starts running poorly. Same symptons as what it was doing to the previous owner. I call the shop that worked on it last, and they get real defensive and telling me the warranty on their 2-week old work is non-transferrable. So I take it to another mechanic and for $500 he says he adjusts the carb (said too rich) and replaces the valve cover gasket (showed me old one, it was split in half from previous mechanic over-tightening).
Take the boat out again, still running poorly - 2/3 throttle and up there is stuttering, hesitation, and pinging/knocking sounds at WOT. Also the tach never indicates over 3200 RPM ever, and i've tried everything from a 21 to a 15 pitch prop. I have a 17 on there now.
Took it back to mechanic again, he makes some more adjustments and puts in "hotter plugs", saying the plugs had fouled again. Take the boat again, problem is even worse, limp the boat back to trailer and here I am.
Now I've decided to try and fix as much myself as I can. I am definitely a DIYer, having worked on many motorcycles and cars over the years, including re-jetting carbs. I checked the plugs and their gaps, and from the 15 min test last time, I cant see any indication of anything on these new plugs. I ran a compression test, and the readings came back 160, 135, 160, 175.
I was going to replace the water/fuel sperator canister, but there doesn't seem to be one on this boat that I can find. Good idea to add this on? I checked the fuel pump sight tube, no fuel in there. After reading this forum, I figured I should check the timing, which is a process I am familiar with, but many people say to check the points and dwell first. This is something I have NO idea about. Any ideas???
To recap, here is the symptoms:
2/3 throttle and up, hesitation, stuttering, missing engine.
WOT = pinging/knocking sound, about 2-3 times every 15 seconds, engine runs even worse.
Engine never gets over 3200 rpm - related to engine problem or possibly faulty tach?
Any help is much appreciated!!! I want to be out on the water, not wrenching on an engine!!
Let me start stating facts-
Previous marine shop states that for $1700, they replaced/fixed: Head gasket, lifters, rebuilt carb, replaced starter.
I water tested the boat before I bought it, and it seemed to run fine (though I am a first time boat owner.)
3rd time I have the boat out, it starts running poorly. Same symptons as what it was doing to the previous owner. I call the shop that worked on it last, and they get real defensive and telling me the warranty on their 2-week old work is non-transferrable. So I take it to another mechanic and for $500 he says he adjusts the carb (said too rich) and replaces the valve cover gasket (showed me old one, it was split in half from previous mechanic over-tightening).
Take the boat out again, still running poorly - 2/3 throttle and up there is stuttering, hesitation, and pinging/knocking sounds at WOT. Also the tach never indicates over 3200 RPM ever, and i've tried everything from a 21 to a 15 pitch prop. I have a 17 on there now.
Took it back to mechanic again, he makes some more adjustments and puts in "hotter plugs", saying the plugs had fouled again. Take the boat again, problem is even worse, limp the boat back to trailer and here I am.
Now I've decided to try and fix as much myself as I can. I am definitely a DIYer, having worked on many motorcycles and cars over the years, including re-jetting carbs. I checked the plugs and their gaps, and from the 15 min test last time, I cant see any indication of anything on these new plugs. I ran a compression test, and the readings came back 160, 135, 160, 175.
I was going to replace the water/fuel sperator canister, but there doesn't seem to be one on this boat that I can find. Good idea to add this on? I checked the fuel pump sight tube, no fuel in there. After reading this forum, I figured I should check the timing, which is a process I am familiar with, but many people say to check the points and dwell first. This is something I have NO idea about. Any ideas???
To recap, here is the symptoms:
2/3 throttle and up, hesitation, stuttering, missing engine.
WOT = pinging/knocking sound, about 2-3 times every 15 seconds, engine runs even worse.
Engine never gets over 3200 rpm - related to engine problem or possibly faulty tach?
Any help is much appreciated!!! I want to be out on the water, not wrenching on an engine!!
