I've got a 2001 3-cyl 90 hp 2-stroke on a little bowrider. Boat has been running fine all summer. Started right up today (having sat for 3 days since last use), let it warm up, and it ran well on a 10 min trip down the lake to the kids favorite swimming cove. Sat in the cove for 20 min or so, then started right back up, and we cruised at very low speed out of the cove and back out into the lake. Turned engine off, setup tube for the kids (maybe 5 minutes), and it started right back up again. Couldn't get past 14 mph now however, even at full-forward throttle position. (It'll usually pull the tube a good bit faster than I'm willing to go w/ the kids back there - easily well into the mid/upper 20's). Stopped the boat, turned off the engine, and pulled the engine cover, to see if something had come loose (throttle cable? plug wire?). Nothing obvious, though I did jiggle the plug wires and the fuel line, just to make sure all was secure. One thing of note, is that the middle-cylinder intake (I assume its the intake - the middle of 3 square vents along the forward part of the port side of the engine) had some smoke coming out of it. Not pouring out, but wispy kind of smoke - like maybe hot, unburned fuel or oil. Not sure if this is significant, or perhaps just the position of that cylinder was such that the cylinder was open to the intake?
Anyway, replaced the cover, and the engine started right back up, and ran fine again, with full power. Ran fine the remainder of the time we were out there (another hour or so), most of the time pulling the tube.
Like any 'inadvertent' problem, this concerns me, as its likely to happen again, and likely at the least opportune time.
It almost seemed like it wasn't firing on one cylinder at the time of the problem - was running a little rough, and very underpowered. Fuel might be a suspicion, but given that it ran fine before and after, with no change to the fuel, I've sort of ruled that out. Its possible that my jiggling of the spark plug wires had some effect, but I didn't really move them significantly, and it was running fine immediately before and after the problem, so plug wire doesn't really seem very likely. Similarly, a carb problem doesn't seem very likely, given that it ran fine before and after the problem. Seems to maybe be an electrical problem - coil? trigger coil? (I'm just guessing here, and seeking advice from those who have way more clue than I do!
Thanks for any info!
Anyway, replaced the cover, and the engine started right back up, and ran fine again, with full power. Ran fine the remainder of the time we were out there (another hour or so), most of the time pulling the tube.
Like any 'inadvertent' problem, this concerns me, as its likely to happen again, and likely at the least opportune time.
It almost seemed like it wasn't firing on one cylinder at the time of the problem - was running a little rough, and very underpowered. Fuel might be a suspicion, but given that it ran fine before and after, with no change to the fuel, I've sort of ruled that out. Its possible that my jiggling of the spark plug wires had some effect, but I didn't really move them significantly, and it was running fine immediately before and after the problem, so plug wire doesn't really seem very likely. Similarly, a carb problem doesn't seem very likely, given that it ran fine before and after the problem. Seems to maybe be an electrical problem - coil? trigger coil? (I'm just guessing here, and seeking advice from those who have way more clue than I do!
Thanks for any info!