Starting problem the other day. Why?

[lazypp]

First boat, with about 10 outings so far with flawless engine performance. The boat is a 2004 Ebbtide 210 Campione deckboat, with the Volvo Penta 5.0 Gxi/SX 270 hp. The other day we unloaded the boat off the trailer, jumped in and the engine failed to start. It sputtered and farted, but wouldn't run. I would describe it as if it sounded like it was flooded. I cranked it for longer than I probably should have, but to no avail.
So being a weekend mechanic (the dangerous type, you know), I disconnected the linkage to the throttle body (?) and held it wide open while we cranked. It started almost immediately and ran great from that point on. We've now used the boat on 3 outings since then with no issues whatsoever.
So what happened? Why does it appear that it was flooded, how could an injected engine flood in the first place, and is that recovery an appropriate procedure if it ever happens again?
Thanks for reducing my confusion!

 

[skiNut]

Re: Starting problem the other day. Why?

I'm gathering from your description that you trailer the boat. Trailering the boat can cause a lot of things to go where they aren't supposed to, and especially fuel. Was the fuel tank completely full when the boat flooded? How long had the fuel been in the boat? How hot/cold had it been where the boat was stored and was there a sudden temperature change? Maybe the opposite was happening and you had a slug of water in the fuel. Did you buy the fuel at a marina on the water, or at an automobile filling station on the way to the dock? It doesn't take much water in the fuel to prevent an engine from starting. Opening the throttle body up and cranking may have done either, cleared out the flooded condition, or just allowed the engine to pump enough fuel into the cylinders to finally overcome the bad fuel that was there.

I don't think messing with the throttle body is a good idea. I am not certain about this, but for EFI engines to work properly, they must monitor the position of EVERYTHING in the fuel system. That is how they calculate and monitor the correct fuel to inject into the engine. I don't think that I would do it in the future, and would rather take a bit more time and try to let the engine clear itself out. Chances are that messing with the throttle body actually did nothing, and cranking the engine finally cleared out the problem.

 

[nate1220]

Re: Starting problem the other day. Why?

It could have been a number of things but bad gas would be my guess.

 

[lazypp]

Re: Starting problem the other day. Why?

The only thing that might have been different that day was that I did fuel up completely at the land gas station prior to boating (hot weather). Can topped off tanks somehow influence or create a flooded condition due to expansion, etc?
Should I add a fuel conditioner since I don't know the prior history of fueling for this boat? If so, what product do you recommend?
Thanks!

 

[nate1220]

Re: Starting problem the other day. Why?

I run marine STABIL all the time