Opener = Motor Troubles

[AaronM]

I have a 115 Evinrude (1996 I Believe), and when I put the boat in today, the motor had some troubles. When I'd start to plane out, the boat would start lurching and the RPM's would rise and fall from about 3,200 to 2,000 before the boat slowed down and quit. After that happened, the bulb would be a little flat and I'd need to pump it before starting out again. What would be the problem here??? It's a great day out and I can't believe I'm stuck inside. Thanks for any help!

[Cabela10]

Could be simple like bad gas or build up in the carbs or anything little like that.

[boatfixer]

Sounds like you have a bad fuel pump.

[AaronM]

I think that may be it. It runs fine when someone sits in back and constantly pumps the bulb. Is a new pump expensive or hard for a mechanic to replace?

[BarryG]

You might be sucking air somewhere! Check your fuel line!

[boatfixer]

A new VRO pump will run about $265.00 plus installation. there is however a rebuild kit for just the gas side, much less. Whether or not you could replace it depends on your mechanical abilities.

[united jigsticker]

K.I.S.S. it and replace your fuel hose first.

Getting carried away over a bad check valve in your primer bulb could be a real bummer.

[AaronM]

Thanks for the replies guys. I've never done it before, is it a tough thing to do? I'll try get it replaced tomorrow! Thanks again!

[1DIRTBALL]

The guy's telling you to check your fuel hose for air leaks first are giving you good advice. It doesn't take much of an air leak to cause the kind of problems you are having. Pay particular attention to where your line hooks into your motor. Then to kick it up a notch, BAM! Add some SeaFoam to your gas tank! Or you can call me since I don't live very far away from you. You've got my number, eh? 1DIRTBALL

[upnorth]

Quote:

---

K.I.S.S. it and replace your fuel hose first.

Getting carried away over a bad check valve in your primer bulb could be a real bummer

---

Very good advice. I would think that if your fuel pump was bad you wouldn't see the bulb go soft. Also make sure that the bulb is either level or slanted down so the check valve closes properly(found that out the hard way).

[AaronM]

I tried the hose and bulb-both good. Brought it in to the mechanic yesterday so hopefully I can get it back by Wednesday. Thanks again for the help, I'll post again when the problem is found.

[mnfishman]

Sounds like a bad bulb. Had that happen to me last year. Same issue except I couldn't get it above idle.

[AaronM]

Just got the boat back yesterday, it turns out that it had over 1/2 cup of sand inside the inner filter that wouldn't let gas get through. The pump couldn't pull the gas, and eventually tore some of the inner components. Over a $500 fix, how does a guy get sand in his gas?? He took a sample and the gas still has some sand particles in it. Another filter was installed so hopefully that can help. I'm the second owner, and I can't imagine I ever would let that happen. Has anyone ever seen this before?

[archerystud]

Do you have any neighbors who think that your boat is to loud?? Pardon the pun but it sounds a little fishy to me.

[rmrakt]

I agree. Inspect, drain and clean your tank. That new filter will only filter so much...my guess is you have some prankster tampering (adding sand) to your gas tank. Is the boat stored outside?

[AaronM]

That's what I was thinking, my boat is kept on a river outside of my house (About 50 yards away, at night or near dark situations it's tough to see) with a handy little sandy beach right next to it. It would be so easy for a couple of kids in a canoe to be paddling by and do something like that. It makes me burn to just think about it..If my gas tank is full with new gas, should I still drain it? The guy that worked on it just said to watch the filters and change as needed. Thanks again..

[rmrakt]

Yup....I bet there will be a match if you compare the two sand samples.

Tough call on the tank. Is this an internal tank? (I assume yes with a the size motor you have). External tank would be easier obviously.

I would check or change filters frequently to see how fast they build up with sand. That would give you a better idea of how much is left in the tank. Draining and cleaning a full tank is a pain.

Best of luck and hope you catch them varmints someday if this was the case!

[AaronM]

It is an internal tank, so it would be a little more difficult. I'll take it out in the next day or so and be able to tell how much is left in there. Is there any way to make a boat more secure? I'd hate to have this happen again: is there a gas cap that needs a key? The electronics and rods are definitely going to be locked up from now on. I'm not 100% that someone put the sand in there, but I don't want them to give them another opportunity..

[AaronM]

Any ideas?

[rmrakt]

They do have locking gas caps and I saw one for $29.95 at West Marine as an example. Your local boat shop should have one.

I would definitely lock stuff up or bring it in with you...Heard of some thefts in the Baudette area along the river.

[chris63]

So you know for sure drain as much of the tank as possible.Then flush the tank with water as you vaccum it out with a wet vac.Hope this helps some.Make sure you remove All sand,dirt and water b4 filling the tank again.Maybe some sort of "cheapie"silent car alarm would be a wise investment in your future?c63

[boatfixer]

I wouldnt use a wet dry vac. Do you know for sure ALL the fumes are gone, and how will you know they are gone? I personally know someone who was burned from doing the exact same thing. He thought he had all the fumes purged from the tank! KERBLAM!

[Valv]

Quote:

---

KERBLAM!

---

I thought it was KABOOM ! Or maybe KARABADAZOOM !!!

Sorry Boatfixer I couldn't resist

Anyway, your advise is EXCELLENT, don't use a vacuum cleaner to dry tank, a spark....... and you might not be there to reply to this post.

KUBALABABAMMM !!! BADABADABAM !!! ZZAPUNKTADOOM !!!!

[boatfixer]

No problem Valv, Just trying to make a point if thats what it takes. The sound, If he even hears it, would depend on the mixture. Just trying to save his life

[Valv]

Note the time, I had one too many Leinenkugels.....

[AaronM]

Thanks for the help guys. The locking gas cap was just installed a few days ago. If I were to replace the filter on my gas line, what kind or brand should I be looking for? Thanks again!

[Surface Tension]

Did you remove and drain the gas tank or at least siphon gas out of the lowest point and inspect. Do that by extending the tongue jack to its highest point and shake the boat to get the sand to travel to the lowest point.

Go to your Evinrude dealer and get a filter. Personally I wouldn't feel good about running the engine knowing there could be sand in the tank.