NEW TO BOATING, NEED HELP!!

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middletnboating

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So I just bought a 2011 Bayliner 185 with a 4.3L TKS engine and alpha 1 gen 2 dr. I noticed while out on the lake this weekend that once out of the no wake zone my engine would bog down and wouldnt get up on plane. however if i slow rolled on the throttle i could eventually get up to 6000rpm and run wide open. i assume this is probably a fuel pump issue more than likely. My question is about aftermarket vs. oem. a fuel pump oem is running around 600-700 dollars, sierra has one for around 240 and then a company called GWA(USA company out of florida) boasts their pump is an improvement to the factory pump but its only $50 on amazon. I've worked on cars my whole life and I've never had an issue buying aftermarket parts from oriellys, autozone etc. Is the same true in the boating world or am i going to have to pony up and spend the big bucks.
 

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Scott06

Scott06

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middletnboating said:
So I just bought a 2011 Bayliner 185 with a 4.3L TKS engine and alpha 1 gen 2 dr. I noticed while out on the lake this weekend that once out of the no wake zone my engine would bog down and wouldnt get up on plane. however if i slow rolled on the throttle i could eventually get up to 6000rpm and run wide open. i assume this is probably a fuel pump issue more than likely. My question is about aftermarket vs. oem. a fuel pump oem is running around 600-700 dollars, sierra has one for around 240 and then a company called GWA(USA company out of florida) boasts their pump is an improvement to the factory pump but its only $50 on amazon. I've worked on cars my whole life and I've never had an issue buying aftermarket parts from oriellys, autozone etc. Is the same true in the boating world or am i going to have to pony up and spend the big bucks.
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I would more suspect carb than fuel pump based on what details you gave.

thinkin more accelerator pump or fuel level in bowl issues since you can roll into It. did you verify when stabbing the throttle you get two good stream of fuel out of the accelerator pump nozzles?

The Thunderbolt 5 has a rev limiter that would kick in some where around 5 k rpm so your tach is not accurate.

I would take off the fuel filter and empty the contents into a clear container and look for anything but clean fresh gas. Was any other maintenance done like ignition system components?

I would measure the fuel pressure to verify the fuel pump is the issue before replacing the pump which is made by airtex and you can find them on line relatively reasonably priced.
 
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middletnboating

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Scott06 said:
I would more suspect carb than fuel pump based on what details you gave.

thinkin more accelerator pump or fuel level in bowl issues since you can roll into It. did you verify when stabbing the throttle you get two good stream of fuel out of the accelerator pump nozzles?

The Thunderbolt 5 has a rev limiter that would kick in some where around 5 k rpm so your tach is not accurate.

I would take off the fuel filter and empty the contents into a clear container and look for anything but clean fresh gas. Was any other maintenance done like ignition system components?

I would measure the fuel pressure to verify the fuel pump is the issue before replacing the pump which is made by airtex and you can find them on line relatively reasonably priced.
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I didnt think about the carburetor since out of water and connected to a hose I had no issues, straight up on the throttle, it was only once the boat was under load
 
Scott06

Scott06

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middletnboating said:
I didnt think about the carburetor since out of water and connected to a hose I had no issues, straight up on the throttle, it was only once the boat was under load
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On the muffs you have no load so it doesnt take anything to rev up. Boat is much different its like a loaded truck going up a steep hill all the time. Always do a water test when buying a boat.

It probably isn't a big deal since it sounds like you have mechanical aptitude. I prefer OEM merc parts but some aftermarket ones like sierra are ok. Certain parts like bellows and water pump impellers I have found the OEM to last longer. In the case of airtex fuel pumps if you can find the oem manufacturer and buy it with out the mercruiser box you have the best o both worlds

Also since boats do sit the fuel can get water and or debris in it. Sludge gets built up in the carb clogs passages and you get a bog.

You can take off the fuel line and carefully run it to a container while you crank to see if fuel is coming out.

What do the spark plugs look like if you google spark plug reading you can find examples of rich or lean plugs and go from there . Would laso look at the distributor cap. I was surprised how much corrosion I got in mine after 5 years.
 
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middletnboating

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Scott06 said:
On the muffs you have no load so it doesnt take anything to rev up. Boat is much different its like a loaded truck going up a steep hill all the time. Always do a water test when buying a boat.

It probably isn't a big deal since it sounds like you have mechanical aptitude. I prefer OEM merc parts but some aftermarket ones like sierra are ok. Certain parts like bellows and water pump impellers I have found the OEM to last longer. In the case of airtex fuel pumps if you can find the oem manufacturer and buy it with out the mercruiser box you have the best o both worlds

Also since boats do sit the fuel can get water and or debris in it. Sludge gets built up in the carb clogs passages and you get a bog.

You can take off the fuel line and carefully run it to a container while you crank to see if fuel is coming out.

What do the spark plugs look like if you google spark plug reading you can find examples of rich or lean plugs and go from there . Would laso look at the distributor cap. I was surprised how much corrosion I got in mine after 5 years.
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do i have to purchase spark plugs from a marine company or can they be found at an autoparts store. the part number i found for my engine is 33-862029
 
nola mike

nola mike

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middletnboating said:
do i have to purchase spark plugs from a marine company or can they be found at an autoparts store. the part number i found for my engine is 33-862029
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no, buy the plugs anywhere. After breaking off a horribly rusted NGK, I've started using the AC delco MR43LTS, since they have some sort of rust proof alloy.
 
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