We arrived at the lake yesterday. The 65hp Merc fired right up and we spent the afternoon tubing.
This morning, after tubing for 10 minutes or so, I ran out of gas in tank #1. I switched to tank 2, which I had filled yesterday with oil & gas. We started out again. After 5 minutes or so, at full throttle and load, I felt a vibration through the hull. About 15 seconds later, I heard a rattle, or some sort of metallic (I think) sound coming from the motor, and my spotter heard it too. (No loss of power, though.) Right then, smoke began coming out from under the engine cover, on the (boat's) left side. I shut down immediately. The smoking stopped. While I couldn't be sure, the smell seemed more "synthetic" than exhaust-like.
We brought the tubers in and I attempted to remove the engine cover from inside the boat, but felt a knife-like pain in my back. Tore that muscle, once again. After getting into a position where I could sit without pain, I re-attached the cover (never got it off) and restarted the engine. Ran fine. As I gave it more gas, though, the smoking began again. I shut down, let it cool, then restarted and "putted" in. At 5mph, we could get about 150yds before the smoking started. Stop, cool down, restart and putt. Didn't hear any more funny sounds or feel vibration again, though we were traveling at much lower RPM's.
I figured that maybe a wire had fallen out of a bundle and was resting against a hot part of the engine; thus the smoke, and the smell.
The only other thing I ought to mention is that we were having terrible weed problems (on the way back in from tubing, despite- or maybe because of- the slow speed.)The tell-tale was always going full blast, so I don't think the weeds were clogging the intake. But we did have to stop several times to pull weeds from the outdrive and, once, from a prop blade.
This afternoon my nephew and I got the boat turned around to the dock. Took the cover off. No wires like that, anywhere. No sign of anything burned. Started the motor and, after a minute or so, some smoke began to appear. I couldn't determine from where it comes, but it smells like exhaust.
Any ideas on where I should begin looking? HELP, please!
Dave
This morning, after tubing for 10 minutes or so, I ran out of gas in tank #1. I switched to tank 2, which I had filled yesterday with oil & gas. We started out again. After 5 minutes or so, at full throttle and load, I felt a vibration through the hull. About 15 seconds later, I heard a rattle, or some sort of metallic (I think) sound coming from the motor, and my spotter heard it too. (No loss of power, though.) Right then, smoke began coming out from under the engine cover, on the (boat's) left side. I shut down immediately. The smoking stopped. While I couldn't be sure, the smell seemed more "synthetic" than exhaust-like.
We brought the tubers in and I attempted to remove the engine cover from inside the boat, but felt a knife-like pain in my back. Tore that muscle, once again. After getting into a position where I could sit without pain, I re-attached the cover (never got it off) and restarted the engine. Ran fine. As I gave it more gas, though, the smoking began again. I shut down, let it cool, then restarted and "putted" in. At 5mph, we could get about 150yds before the smoking started. Stop, cool down, restart and putt. Didn't hear any more funny sounds or feel vibration again, though we were traveling at much lower RPM's.
I figured that maybe a wire had fallen out of a bundle and was resting against a hot part of the engine; thus the smoke, and the smell.
The only other thing I ought to mention is that we were having terrible weed problems (on the way back in from tubing, despite- or maybe because of- the slow speed.)The tell-tale was always going full blast, so I don't think the weeds were clogging the intake. But we did have to stop several times to pull weeds from the outdrive and, once, from a prop blade.
This afternoon my nephew and I got the boat turned around to the dock. Took the cover off. No wires like that, anywhere. No sign of anything burned. Started the motor and, after a minute or so, some smoke began to appear. I couldn't determine from where it comes, but it smells like exhaust.
Any ideas on where I should begin looking? HELP, please!
Dave
