Re: [omc-boats] Seasport Issues: fuel - ignition problems

Didn't the original fuel pump for the seasport 155 have a bowl and filter
for trapping water and particulates?

If your new fuel pump does not have a bowl, I'd add one - a large one in the
fuel line before the pump.

You can get a large plastic one with a drain in the bottom at "Tru Value
Hardware" or a similar farm supply store that sells tractor accessories.

It will seperate a lot of water from the fuel and you can quickly see if water
is in the fuel and drain the water out the bottom of the bowl. These old
boats are close to 40 years old and water condensation constantly takes
place when the temp drops below the dew point. Those water droplets add
up over time and settle in the bottom of your tank.

On the 155, I've removed the fuel filler hose from the tank, then fished a
siphon hose down into a low corner of the tank. You'll have to have someone
sit on one side of the boat if in the water so the water will run to that
corner.

If on a trailer, put a few boards or blocks under one wheel so the water will
run to one side. Siphon into a glass jar so you can see what comes out of
the tank. You may be surprised at how much water comes out. If the jar
fills, empty it and keep filling until nothing but fuel comes out. Then,
the tank will be free of water. It's a good idea to do this every year or two
especially if you store the boat with the tank almost empty. A full tank
will not have air in it from which condensation can take place. An empty one
will produce a lot of moisture from the air inside.

Have you removed the fuel shutoff valve? If not, have you cleaned it?

If you have not purged the system of water, you may have water in the float
bowl. This can often cause the fuel to be blocked when the nose of the boat
rises when getting up on plane - the engine looses power and the cycle
repeats itself. If you remove the top of the carburator, use a turkey
baster
to suck the water out of the float bowl. Dry the bowl, and put the top
back on and try again.

Get the water out of the tank, fuel lines, fuel pump and carburator in that
order
to eliminate water from the fuel system.

Another thing I discovered with my Seasport 155's and other engines with
points in the distributor.

IF you experience power loss as you INCREASE the throttle - your points
may need to be cleaned or replaced. A weak spark can imitate all sorts
of fuel system problems and drive you nuts in the process.

I recently experienced this when working on a neighbor's IH Cub 184 garden
tractor. It had little power and kept stalling. Once I cleaned the points,
it
ran like a new tractor.

If you have a points tester - great ! If not, use an ohm meter to measure the
resistance of the closed points. You should get a "O" ohms reading -
a perfect connection. Anything higher than "O" indicates fouled points.

Good luck and happy boating !

Lee Hazen
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Received on Saturday, 6 August 2005