Boat won't start, sometimes...
Ok I'm having a strange issue. My boat fired up no problem this year. I put it in the water last weekend and went surfing, then parked at my neighbor's dock. The boat sat for maybe an hour, with the fat sacs full (1100 left rear, 400 locker). When I came back out, the boat wouldn't start. I emptied the fat sacs and let it sit for a while, then it started and ran perfectly fine.
Yesterday, I went surfing and the boat fired up perfectly fine. After, I parked the boat on my hoist with the fat sacs full but with the hoist down (so the boat was level) and it sat for probably 2 hours. I came back and it wouldn't start. I emptied the fat sacs and came back about a half hour later, it fired up no problem.
So it starts fine at first, I fill ballast and surf, then it doesn't start again until I empty ballast (even if it's sat for a bit) and it sits for a little while without the ballast full...but it's regardless if the boat has been sitting level, that's why I tried it on my hoist yesterday.
Any ideas? I think maybe fuel filter or fuel pump, but the crazy thing is it starts and runs perfect at first. It's so strange how it's doing it, and the only common denominator I've found is the ballast being full from surfing, but I've never had an issue before.
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Boat won't start, sometimes...
I have now experienced Vapor Lock twice mow while out. First time it happened a few weeks ago I had my boat towed back as I thought it was the batteries. Come to find out it happened again yesterday and by some miracle a real nice guy on a paddle board stopped over who had a malibu who experiences the same problems and told me it might be vapor lock. He showed me the fuel pump and put some ice on it to cool it down and it started right up. Friggin weird! I have never had to deal with this problem for the last three years until recently. I had seen many posts and discussions on it but had never taken the time to find out the symptons. Well now I know!.
Re: Boat won't start, sometimes...
Replace the fuel pump.. It's probably the original one..
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Boat won't start, sometimes...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Lori Moomba
So I've never heard of vapor lock, what is it? I just bought a 2005 Outback and love it, but it won't start after its been warmed up (getting embarrassing to be stranded on my new boat). The marina I bought it from is two hours away, but he thinks its a choke issue. Any other comments or helpful suggestions?
Vapor lock is essentially what it sounds like. It happens after you've ran the boat for a while, then let it sit while rafted or docked or whatever where the heat inside the motor box actually gets to the fuel in the fuel pump and from the heat of the oil lines just "vaporizes" the fuel. So when you go to start up the boat it won't start. The boat "sounds" like it wants to start but you will be able to tell that it is starving for fuel. The tricks I've read are to open your motor box hatch, turn the blower on, wrap a cold wet towel around your fuel pump for a bit, or just do like I did and put a chunk of ice to melt on top of the fuel pump. After "cooling" down you should be able to start the motor and be off. Usually happens when the air temp is hot and I've also heard and read that the ethanol in the fuel you use plays a part.
I had my boat for 4 yrs and never had this problem until just recently but now I know what it is.