How long since the boat was last run/fueled? Now that MTBE is fully phased out, p retty much all gasoline produced for the past few years has been E10 (10% ethanol). Ethanol is really nasty stuff. It has a shelf life of about 3 months and by the 1 year mark it can go through severe phase separation which makes it highly corrosive (this is why ethanol can't be piped through existing pipelines). It is also a water attractant so its going to absorb a lot of that condensate from being stored 1/2-full. I've seen first hand the effect this stuff has -- it completely destroyed the fuel system on my buddy's classic car when he couldn't get to it for a season and it sat for 1 1/2 years. His new steel tank looked worse than the original with deep rust and corrosion defining the separation layer . Stabil now makes a marine fuel stabilizer specifically formulated to help combat ethanol and I use it without fail on all engines (except the daily drivers). If they ever get E20 pushed through, run for the hills -- it can destroy a 2-cycle engine in < 20-hours of operation! Bottom line, always try to store with a full tank of fuel (to minimize breathing) and a quality fuel stabilizer.
Andy
----- Original Message -----
From: "Justin DeSantis" <duc1098desmo@...>
To: "Evinrude & Johnson Boats of the 1960's and 70's" <omc-boats@...mate.com>
Sent: Friday, August 28, 2009 11:21:58 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: Re: [OMC-Boats] So, I got a chance to look over the boat...
Thanks for all the advice Lee. I'm confident I can tackle any work
that needs done. I'm new to I/O boats, but not new to working on stuff
that's broken. I'm a laid off certified tech for 8 motorcycle lines,
state inspection license. Fully equipped shop. Yadda yadda. Once I can
get a few hours with no rain, I'll be able to get out there and really
look it over and track down the problem. Let me ask you this, with the
fast idle all the way on, how fast should the boat be idling? And
normal idle speed is 550?
Varnish doesn't appear to be my problem. Tank is clean and smooth, you
could eat off the interior of it. Fuel filter is new, and clean. Carb
is clean as well. I'm thinking the gas may just be a bit old and
possibly have some water in it. The mine in which the previous owner
stored the boat only allowed it to have a half tank of gas. So I think
maybe some condensation on the inside of the tank may have gotten
moisture in the fuel. I'm hoping anyhow. I will check the timing and
dwell though.
Table thing... I only have the one photo and it's too dark now to take
more. This is the only one I have for now.
http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee285/nitsujcbr/good%20ship%20lollypop/IMG_1458.jpg
I wasn't aware that there was a manual for download. My searching
didn't turn up with anything. Do you have a link by chance?
On Fri, Aug 28, 2009 at 10:43 PM, Lee Shuster<lks@...> wrote:
> BC pretty much took the words out of my mouth.
> 1) Engine: Simple in theory: It pretty much is all about delivery of
> perfectly timed spark with the proper amount of clean fuel. But in practice
> with 40+ year old parts it's another story, that even taken a step at a time
> can interfere with our basic need to "I just want go
> fishing/skiing/diving/wakeboarding/crusing, not spend a lifetime working on
> this old tub." You basically need to step back and commit to learning how
> to do basic engine tuning )setting points, dwell, timing, etc and performing
> some mechanical repairs such as carb cleaning, rebuilding, adjusting. Or
> find yourself a trusted mechanic.
> The single largest contributor to electric shift failures is that people
> don't know how to keep them running at their design idle speed properly.
> Your Buick should idle smooth as butter at 550 RPM, after a few minutes of
> warm up time (130 -140 deg F at thermostat.) when it's dialed in or properly
> tuned up to published spec. These are things you need experience, tools and
> manuals to accomplish or alternatively a trusted mechanic.
> 2) Fuel -- Fresh fuel "helps" (maybe) but the entire fuel system can "hide"
> varnish, rust and moisture and can take literally dozens of hours or even
> entire seasons to fully filter or flush out. I always start any vehicle
> restoration by pulling the tank and having it profession cleaned and
> re-lined, you really have to start all the way up the chain.. Do a google on
> the RENU tank process. Also installing a modern fuel separation filter is a
> good idea over the off-season. Replace the existing fuel filters as well.
> Drop the carb bowls and check float levels and valve seating. If you decide
> to go the rebuilt carb roue (and I'm not saying you need too -- be sure and
> get a MARINE-rated replacement. Trust me, taking short cuts rarely pays off.
> She wants and needs the TLC treatment, skip it and she'll embarrass you at
> the worst possible time!
> 3) Steering -- 99.9% of the OMC built boats use the aircraft style
> rope-over-pulley (I believe I am one of the few who converted to TruCourse,
> a OMC push-push type steering). Is it perfect no? Can you avoid issues YES!
> Never raise the power tilt unless the drive is pointer straight ahead.
> Don't turn the drive while it is in the up position. Try to resist extremely
> fast lock-to-lock helm wheelspins ) you know, Cowboy turns to show off your
> OMC stringer's wonderful sharp turning ability? . (Don't install a "necker"
> knob on your steering wheel.) If you follow this advice you probably won't
> encounter steering problems.
> 4) Table/windshield thing? You'll need to provide more detailed photos.
> Perhaps another 67 Surfer owner can chime in? Nothing like that on my
> Sportsman. Have you downloaded the free. available Surfer owners manual? It
> usually explains these model-specific features. BRP/OMC may still carry your
> owners manual as well. Grab one while you can if they still have your
> specific model.
> Lee
>
>
> On Aug 28, 2009, at 6:22 PM, BC Howk wrote:
>
> Justin,
>
> Not much experience with the Buick V-8....
>
> Some new Gas certainly won't hurt. Are you adjusting just the idle speed?
> have you messed with the idle mixture yet? Did you check the timing? Did you
> let it get good and warm? Sounds like you have some mechanical experience
> so sure you got most of this covered but have to double check.... My
> experience with the V6 nailhead has been.... Fresh oil, fresh plugs, warm it
> up, check/ adjust the timing (if you havent put on a pertronix kit yet check
> your points and dwell and consider the kit), adjust the mixture (with a
> vacuum guage) adjust the idle speed, then repeat, timing, mixture, idle
> until I can get no further improvement, and she runs great. Once it's dialed
> in the seasonal tune up isn't so bad.
>
> I think it is just about universaly accepted that the cable and pulley set
> up is......"sub-optimal" particularly compared to the tru course
> system...that being said.. I still run the cable and pulley system and it
> works pretty well. Just check the cable for any fraying in the vynil jackets
> as this can cause you to slip a pulley , then you have to crawl under the
> dash and take apart the pulley get the cable back on, yadda, yadda,
> yadda....
>
> If you have the time, run across a good deal on a true course set up and
> feel you want a project, convert!! Otherwise, if you take care of your
> cables/pulleys they will serve you fairly well. I restrung mine a couple
> years ago and think it may not have been the first time, but I detected some
> less than desirable methodology on the set of cables I replaced (missing
> shock springs ect.) If your set up is in good shape, just take it easy with
> the wild manuvers and you'll be fine,.
>
> Knowing what I have under there I actually find the steering suprisingly
> crisp and easy at speed (remember, judging on a curve, I know whats behind
> that steering...amazing)
>
> Cheers,
> B.C.
>
> On Aug 28, 2009, Justin DeSantis <duc1098desmo@...> wrote:
>
> I found a few things. It fired right up, but the fast idle level seems
> to make it idle way faster than I'd like. I had to turn it almost all
> the way down to get it in to what I felt comfortable with. And no
> amount of warming up seemed to let it want to run without the lever.
> If I tried to get it to 1000rpm on the tach it would die. I'm thinking
> (hoping) that filling it with fresh gas and running it a bit will cure
> that. Not other major problems found. Horn has resumed normal
> operation, I'm thinking the battery was just low.
>
> Let me ask this, how reliable is the steering system? That cable
> running back the length of the boat and changing direction a few times
> seems like a good place for a failure to happen. Anything to worry
> about there?
>
> Still haven't figured out the table windshield holder thing, but
> didn't really put any time in to it.
>
> Looked at the transom. Sort of hard to read. It's maybe a little soft,
> but not rotten. It pretty much looks and feels like 42 year old wood.
> Anything I can put on it to strengthen it or keep it from getting
> worse?
>
> I think that was all the questions I came up with today.
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Received on Saturday, 29 August 2009
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