New/Old boat, attempting to revive

[bcass]

Hi all,
I've been browsing all of the forums on this site and i must say, I'm glad i found you guys! I have found some EXCELLENT information, but not exactly what I'm looking for. So i thought I'd post...

My granddad gave me a 1964 Glassmaster ski boat a few years ago. Now that I'm out of school (and making some real money), I thought I'd attempt to give this boat some lovin.

My granddad takes excellent care of all of his "toys", and this boat is no exception. Everything is original, including the upholstery which has zero cracks and is barely faded. It was purring like a kitten in '97. Since then it has not been run. I'd like to do whatever is necessary to make it safe and "waterworthy".

It's got a Chevy II 110hp I/O engine with a mercury out-drive. I attempted to start the engine 2 years ago, about this same time. After several attempts, it would not start. I took the distributer cap off and cleaned all the electrical connections. I then took the suppressor(?) off of the carb and sprayed some starter fluid directly in the carb. It cranked right up! But then it died a few seconds later. I guess as soon as the starter fluid was consumed... That's about as far as i got...

Like i said, this year I'm determined to make it run. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. I have a theory that old gas, combined with "gunky" build-up in the fuel lines may be the culprit. But i'm no mechanic...

I am a VERY experienced boater, but my knowledge about engines is limited. I can usually get them to run, so long as you don't have to take anything apart.

FYI...
I particularly found this thread useful, even though it's for outboards, and plan on trying some of these tips.

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=158086

Please help!

 

[Bondo]

Re: New/Old boat, attempting to revive

Like i said, this year I'm determined to make it run. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. I have a theory that old gas, combined with "gunky" build-up in the fuel lines may be the culprit.

Ayuh,...

I Agree,...
It could be Anything or Everything from the Fuel Tank to the Carb,.. Including both of Them....

Finding Parts for the motor shouldn't be too much of an Issue,....
But,...
I believe that most of the Parts for that Old outdrive are NLA....

btw,....
This is the factory Service Manual for both the drive,+ the motor...
It's a HUGE file, so give it tme to download....

 

[bcass]

Re: New/Old boat, attempting to revive

Wow! Thanks for the manual Bond-o. I was about to buy one of those Seloc manuals....

All of these questions may be answered in the manual, but it's downloading...

What is the best way to clean out the old fuel and gunk? There are 2 built in tanks with copper lines running to a selector valve which allows you to switch from one tank to the other. There is also a primer in-line from the selector valve to the engine.

Should i test to see if the fuel pump is working? Is that possible? If it's possible, is it fairly straight-forward?

I've had several people tell me i should take apart the Carb and clean it and then re-build it. Is that fairly straight-forward? I've looked for guides, but can't seem to find one that seems relevant.

Again, thanks for the quick advice!

 

[Wotknot]

Re: New/Old boat, attempting to revive

Just my 2 cents but.......since your grand dad took good care of it, let's "assume" he fogged his engine each year. The jets in my carb got stopped up from fogging once. That spring when de-winterizing it, no matter what I tried it would not start. Sprayed some Berryman's carb cleaner down into the throat and....WAL-LA, she fired right off afterwards.

Not saying you're not gonna have to get the carb rebuilt, but hey.......start with the simple stuff first. Never know, it might save ya some work. But I would definitly get the old gas out first. Good luck.

Wished you could post a pic of your boat, I bet it's sweet.

 

[tacconelli6]

Re: New/Old boat, attempting to revive

Hi all,
I've been browsing all of the forums on this site and i must say, I'm glad i found you guys! I have found some EXCELLENT information, but not exactly what I'm looking for. So i thought I'd post...

My granddad gave me a 1964 Glassmaster ski boat a few years ago. Now that I'm out of school (and making some real money), I thought I'd attempt to give this boat some lovin.

My granddad takes excellent care of all of his "toys", and this boat is no exception. Everything is original, including the upholstery which has zero cracks and is barely faded. It was purring like a kitten in '97. Since then it has not been run. I'd like to do whatever is necessary to make it safe and "waterworthy".

It's got a Chevy II 110hp I/O engine with a mercury out-drive. I attempted to start the engine 2 years ago, about this same time. After several attempts, it would not start. I took the distributer cap off and cleaned all the electrical connections. I then took the suppressor(?) off of the carb and sprayed some starter fluid directly in the carb. It cranked right up! But then it died a few seconds later. I guess as soon as the starter fluid was consumed... That's about as far as i got...

Like i said, this year I'm determined to make it run. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. I have a theory that old gas, combined with "gunky" build-up in the fuel lines may be the culprit. But i'm no mechanic...

I am a VERY experienced boater, but my knowledge about engines is limited. I can usually get them to run, so long as you don't have to take anything apart.

FYI...
I particularly found this thread useful, even though it's for outboards, and plan on trying some of these tips.

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=158086

Please help!

I just revived an old boat and was having trouble w/ idle speed. My marina told me that these old boats aren't made to run on todays 10% ethanol fuel, so by running it I essentially ate off all the years of tarnish out of the tank and in the carb, I went throught the whole fuel system and carb and filters. My idle speed and hgh speed needles were so gummed up I was starving my engine. when I cleaned the carb and reset the screws it ran good.

 

[bcass]

Re: New/Old boat, attempting to revive

Thanks for the replies guys. Here is an update.

My grandad and i spent all day today doing the following:



We started to drain the tanks, but our siphon hose was not long enough to drain it all out. There are two tanks. We were a bit skeptical that fuel was even leaving the tanks in the first place. There is an inline tank selector valve with a push-button primer between the valve and the fuel pump. It appeared that the primer was not working. I took it out of the boat and took it apart. It seems like it was working. It just has a very small bladder and seems to move very little air (and i assume fuel). After replacing the primer, it seemed like we weren't making very much progress. So we did the following:

Replaced points, condensor, rotor, distributer cap, and spark plugs.

After spraying some start fluid in the carb, it cranked!! And then died... So at least we know we are in the same position as before.

I took the fuel line off the carb and it looks dry. It doesn't appear gas is even getting to the carb.

So i have a few questions:

Fuel Pump:
Is there a way to test to see if the fuel pump is working? Is the fuel pump easy to replace? If so, should i just replace it?

Carb:
Since it cranked and ran for a few seconds, does that mean the carb is working? Should i still try to rebuild the carb? I couldn't find a rebuild kit in stock anywhere. They can specially order and it will be here by Tuesday.

Tomorrow i think we are going to focus 100% on getting the fuel system to work.

 

[Surfdancer]

Re: New/Old boat, attempting to revive

If it has sat 11 years, I bet the fuel line and fuel pump are dry. Use a brake bleeder pump and pull some gas through.

Also, Seafoam is your friend. It will help clear up the effects of old fuel, after gasohol loosens up the crud. Be prepared to run rough, then clean or replace the fuel filter. Don't those older Mercruisers use a stone filter in the fuel pump?

 

[bcass]

Re: New/Old boat, attempting to revive

Update:

- We took out the old tanks and drained all the old fuel
- Ran new gas and conditioner in the tanks
- Removed ALL old fuel lines, including the fill hose and tank vent pipes.
- Purchased a new fuel pump
- Special Ordered a new fuel filter
- Took apart the in-line primer from the tank selector valve to the fuel pump and cleaned it out. It appears to be working (although it seems very weak).

Unfortunately we ran out of day light on Sunday, so we'll have to wait until next Sunday to put all the new parts on. The Carb seemed pretty clean, so we're going to attempt to start it before rebuilding the carb.

I'm still not sure if the fact that it cranked on starter fluid, means that the carb works or not.

Would you all recommend replacing the in-line primer? It seems like you'd have to pump it 100 times to bring the fuel up to the fuel pump. Maybe i'm wrong... Do they make better primers? Maybe an outboard primer?

Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

 

[Eggkr8]

Re: New/Old boat, attempting to revive

Hi Bcass,

I also have a 1964 16" glassmaster with the 110 HP I/O Engine. Mine is a full restoration (slowed incredibly by my duaghter being born). I love how yours is still intact and is a great reference. In fact, I have never seen another Glass master like ours!

Sorry, I don't have any advise on your current problem. But you would help me greatly if you could post some pictures of your gas tank set up and your Bilge area? My floor was rebuilt (aka HACKED) once and I want to re-do it correctly. The gas tank.. well you really don't want to know the set up that was on it when I purchased it!

Thanks,

Eggkr8

 

[bcass]

Re: New/Old boat, attempting to revive

Wow, that's great to hear Eggkr8! I know what you mean. I have searched all over for pictures of our boats. It would be great if I could bounce some ideas off of ya. Feel free to do the same. I'm sure we can learn a lot from each other's experiences going forward.

I'd be happy to take some more shots this weekend. The boat is at my mother's house (which is on Lake Murray) while I'm doing the initial steps to make it "water worthy". From the pictures I've posted, there are 2 tanks. One on each side of the engine. There are copper/brass (not sure which) lines running from the tank to the selector valve, shown in the top-left portion of the engine picture. In-line from the selector valve to the engine, is a primer. I'm replacing everything from the primer up to the carburetor. I'll post some pics on all of that.

I will say that the floor directly under the tanks has rotted significantly. So i'm going to have to do some floor surgery to stop the problem from continuing , and to strengthen the area under the tanks. I'm not sure what the best solution is to that problem...

 

[liqhx2]

Re: New/Old boat, attempting to revive

One really big word of advice do not use starting fluid on your motor use regular gas in a spray bottle and just cause you can get the engine running for a few seconds on starting fluid does not mean the carburetor is functioning correctly as you are bypassing the carb. If i where you I would take a 5 gal. gas can and run a hose from the fuel pump to the gas can take the hose from the carb and run it back to the fuel tank and crank the motor and you should see fuel pumping back into the tank if the fuel pump is working. If the pump is working then I would connect it to the carb with the gas can and start the motor up and see how it run's. If it doesn't start or runs terrible then it would be time to look into rebuilding the carb.

 

[Limited-Time]

Re: New/Old boat, attempting to revive

You may be better served starting with a remote fuel tank...................just to get her running..................and I'd prime the carb with gas (dump a bit down the carb opening) before I tried to fire it.................just make sure you replace the spark arrestor before attempting to start it.............good luck.

 

[chiefalen]

Re: New/Old boat, attempting to revive

Is there a fuel filter in the fitting going into the carb. Is there one in the fuel pickup.

Starting it with a remote tank is the best move right now.

That carb has to be rebuilt. Has to be all gummed up. No spray like carb cleaner gonna help. Float has to be looked at, has to hold air, all the holes gummed up. Needle probably not seating correctly.

I don't know if you have a fiberglassed tank in the hull. Hope not.

You have a ant-siphon valve on the tank? Would prevent the gas from going back in the tank. Fuel pump should draw the gas hmmmmm where is the tank in relation to the fuel pump how far?

Hows the oil in the outdrive? It seized? Hope not. The impeller in the outdrive? You check it? That prop on the outdrive it turn when in neutral? It turn when in gear?

Throttle cable move freely? Gear selector moving freely?

Good luck

 

[Eggkr8]

Re: New/Old boat, attempting to revive

Hey BCass,

Sounds good to me. I have already replaced most of the floor in Mine. I made a mistake by trying to put woven roving directly on the PT plywood (yes, it was dried for weeks) and it didn't adhere with time. I need to strip it and re-do it correctly. I also need to pull the engine, do the transom and the rest of the floor / bilge area.

the gas tank that was in the boat was an old metal jug with a fuel line in it going to the fuel pump.

The one thing about mine that is odd, I don't have a walk-through windshield and my dash is smooth across (never designed for a walk through). Looking at old ads on ebay, I still haven't found one that looks exactly like mine