What do I check next????

[Cactus52]

Hey all:

I have posted this problem before but I am now gonna give a detailed history and see if it jogs out some other responses....

I have a 85 Bayliner 2550 Ciera. I have had it two months or so and do not know the previous owner or history. For the first month I had no issues, I went out daily and cruised around for an hour or so no problems. Then I had friends coming up so I went across the marina and got gas and a pumpout and overheated. I changed the impeller and thermostat so call it fixed. The next day I went out with friends and ran it for a couple of hours, tubing etc. Thats when it all started. Cruising at 3500 rpm's or so it started coughing and running rough and I had to throttle it back to keep it smooth. This continued till I was at idle and it died. I took it out of the water and to a trustworthy shop and they gave it a complete tune up. The base timing was set at 8 degrees PTDC and it was changed to 8 BTDC (I do not know the advanced). I got it back and it ran better than it ever has, for about two hours then the same bogging down as described above. Tow number 2. I then had the same mechanic come out and he checked for water and found none and added a water separator. I took it out again and it ran great for a bit then the same issues. Tow number 3 I pulled it out again and had the carb rebuilt. Got it back in the water and same story, it ran great then the same but had a fuel smell at cruise then it bogged down again. We looked at everything then. Pulled all filters, nothing. Pulled the feed tube out and siphoned gas out of the bottom and it was water free with little junk. We pulled the distributer cap and found the rotor metal tab was broken so I replaced it along with the cap. I took it to Kelly's Island last night with no issues (about 4 miles) and about halfway back it started again and I was able to limp it back in, but I could not get it passed 3700 rpm unless I was in neutral, then it was fine. but I was in the no wake zone.

Sorry for the long winded speel..............

I am going over to Kelly's today and see what happens. If you are nearby and see a stranded blue and white bayliner out there stop and say hi. I hope my tow insurance hasn't dropped me

Any Advice?????

 

[BAproject]

Re: What do I check next????

re-time it.

You took the cap off and replaced the rotor...maybe it was off when you timed it with the almost broken tab...regardless you should check timing after doing that.

what type of engine?

Fuel pump issues?

 

[Cactus52]

Re: What do I check next????

Oops I guess some info might be good

Volvo AQ260A
Volvo 280 outdrive

 

[chaparall villain 2]

Re: What do I check next????

i have been going thru the same scenario with a AQ131A i am working on and have done many of the same things this time i am going to try the fuel pump and hope it works but as of yet i am not convinced ... a friend told me that manual fuel pumps have inlet and outlet check valves and maybe they were malfunctioning so as not to feed the engine the amount of fuel it needs for long so i guess it is worth a shot ... if it works and i dont know when we willl take it out i will post and let you know

 

[Cactus52]

Re: What do I check next????

I am having it timed on Monday, and I will probably change the fuel pump. I took it out today since it was smoother and I was actually able to get past 3000 rpm and found that the boat is not producing power. I could not get the boat on plane and the engine (under a load) would not go past 3700 rpm. Could this be timing or a fuel pump??? I was always under the impression that if a fuel pump was working it was working or it didn't and the engine would not run. Am I right on this???

Thanks for the input

Cactus52

 

[BAproject]

Re: What do I check next????

Still sounds like a fuel or timing problem to me. Is your throttle adjusted correctly? The pump may work but if any of the seals are starting to fail you can lose vacuum, also is your carb clean, float adjusted, idle set correctly, accelerator pump good (super important). These are all fairly easy things to check (if you have the manual).....

What kind fo gas tank do you have (x-linked polyethylene or fiberglass), fiberglass tanks do not handl the ethanol int he gas very well and will clog your carb quickly....I believe Bayliners use the x-linked poly, but not sure about that year.

-BAproject

 

[Cactus52]

Re: What do I check next????

Well I had the carb rebuilt last week so I hope all thats good. And the tank appears to be aluminum.

I am changing out the fuel pump and the coil and having it re timed tomorrow or the next day and will post the results

Thanks
Cactus52

 

[NHGuy]

Re: What do I check next????

Remind them to verify the distributor can't move once the timing is set, if the hold down is bent it can be hammered back to shape. Get them to let you know the before and after timing values. What kind of engine is in your boat? If it's a Mercruiser with Thunderbolt IV ignition there's a chance that heat buildup on the ignition amplifier can give bad behavior that disappears once the engine cools. Also you could be getting heat issues in the fuel supply, although those usually don't cause a loss of power, more often they prevent hot starts.

 

[airdvr1227]

Re: What do I check next????

Way off in a different direction but the charging system can make your rig run badly.

 

[bluecollerboater]

Re: What do I check next????

I have the same setup(AQ260A and a 280 outdrive) on a 1985 23.5' ciera. I was having the same problem. I have finally fixed it. There were actually multiple things wrong. First off the fuel filter on the carb was clogged(big nut at the end of the fuel line going into the carb). And secondly and much harder to track down was under the dist cap are timing weights attached by springs. As the dist spins faster these weights go out from the center and advance the throttle. turns out one of the springs was broken and the weights were stuck in place(rust, dirt and muck). So my timing would never advance. The boat would run great at idle and up to about 2500rpm. Anything over that and it would bog down and hesitate. So I cleaned out all the muck and replaced the springs and now she runs like a champ. Sorry i was so long winded and hope this helps.