First Time out with the Zodiac, Major Problems with the Engine...

[Last Tango]

It looks like the priming bulb's collapsed on the video, your tank's not venting.

[Fenlander]

Kestrel something I notice is that you appear to be operating the fast idle knob every time you speed up/slow down from idle to max?? Once the engine is warm it should idle fine at the slow (fully anti-clockwise) setting... the fast position is only for keeping the engine from stalling when cold but you seem to be turning it to "fast" when you are going to go fast??

[95gstnj]

Yea, don't touch that fast idle knob while running the motor. It pushes down a valve/button under the cowl, leave it counter clockwise (disengaged) all the time.

Sounds like your tach is off to me as well. That's not 7k. And if you were revving to 7k it would blow up in short order...

Dying on idle sounds like your low speed jet on the carb.

I'd do all normal maintenance like: fully clean your carb, new plugs, lower unit fluid, put that Tstat in, compression test.


Motor sounds healthy to me, video looks like boat is performing like it should.

getting these small boats on plane is like an on/off switch. The bow will raise up like that, then once you hit a certain speed and also shift your weight as far forward as possible, it'll plane and accelerate fast.

[kestrel452]

Originally Posted by 95gstnj

Yea, don't touch that fast idle knob while running the motor. It pushes down a valve/button under the cowl, leave it counter clockwise (disengaged) all the time.

Sounds like your tach is off to me as well. That's not 7k. And if you were revving to 7k it would blow up in short order...

Dying on idle sounds like your low speed jet on the carb.

I'd do all normal maintenance like: fully clean your carb, new plugs, lower unit fluid, put that Tstat in, compression test.


Motor sounds healthy to me, video looks like boat is performing like it should.

getting these small boats on plane is like an on/off switch. The bow will raise up like that, then once you hit a certain speed and also shift your weight as far forward as possible, it'll plane and accelerate fast.

I had tried running the idle slower, but the motor was much more prone to cutting out. It had been running for a bit before i tried doing so, too.

I'll bring my tach with to the shop, maybe they'll know what's wrong. All of that regular maintenance stuff was just done too, actually.

[jyasaki]

On your speed thing, it's pretty normal for a boat to run at low speed off plane, a higher speed on plane, and almost nothing between those two. My SIB would plow up to about 12 MPH, then jump to close to 20. Between that, it was either coming up onto plane, or falling off.

I agree that's not 7K rpm. It also doesn't sound like half that though, which is what I would have expected with a mis-matched tach setting. Does your shop have access to water? If so, have them hop in and run it. If not, ask a tech to go for a ride with you. Nothing like a hands on experience over a verbal description.

For your trial period; try and get as much weight forward as possible; that will help alleviate the nose-up tendency during the hole shot. Once you get the thing working, you can adjust balance.

As Pikey said, there's a lot of things that *could* be wrong. Most likely it's just a couple, but you never know until you've solved them.

Luck;

jky

[office888]

I would suggest moving the fuel tank to the bow.

Also, if it is an Attwood tank, they sometimes have issues...A quick way to diagnose : Run the engine with the cap unscrewed most of the way. If this fixes it, contact Attwood for a new cap.

[kestrel452]

Just got everything back from the shop, they claimed it was a bad engine side fuel line connector. They took my Attwood line, and replaced everything forward of the bulb. Mercury fuel line and a Mercury OEM fitting are now in the engine side half of it. I have to say, it was a huge pain trying to get that original engine connector hooked up, really had to force it. This new fitting just slips and clicks right on like a glove. I don't know why the Attwood "Mercury" fitting sucked so much, but I'll never buy Attwood fuel lines again. The other shops that inspected my motor never had the tank and line before, but the first thing they said when I brought it in was "that's a Johnson connector on your fuel tank...". Little did I know after another shop yet again saying the engine itself was perfect, that the FUEL LINE was the problem. The shop is sure of themselves that the connectors on my tank and line are Johnson, though I think they're just crappy versions of Mercury fittings. Everything I bought is what Attwood calls Mercury compatible.

Entire Fuel Line Kit + Box....
http://i.imgur.com/TWa5bP1.jpg

"Real" Mercury engine side connector (left) and original Attwood "Mercury" fitting (right)
http://i.imgur.com/svKTNIP.jpg

Tank side connector (still original Attwood)
http://i.imgur.com/npuL7Sj.jpg

Tank outlet fitting...
http://i.imgur.com/QL4Y00n.jpg

I bought two brands of tank fittings, one Moeller and one Attwood. They look slightly different, but both fit in the tank side connector on the line. Not sure why the tank side stuff works but not the engine side. I don't know what to think anymore, at least the tank side connectors aren't failing me. Maybe next year I'll replace everything fuel related with Quicksliver/Mercury OEM gear.

Moeller (left) vs Attwood tank fittings
http://i.imgur.com/C7IEZkP.jpg

They also claim my tach was accurate to within 50-100rpm of their readings, though that my point of measurement may not be as accurate since I'm getting it off the rectifier and they're getting it off the spark plug which may have been causing the inaccuracy at speed. It was a weird and contradictory answer, but I just might have to accept the fact I can't trust the current tach setup I have.

[paintman]

Have you had it out & has it solved the running problem?

As an aside 'pattern parts' i.e. non-genuine are frequently a source of problems with cars - personal experience with some - so it may be that the same holds true here.

[Last Tango]

Your tacho is set-up to work off the rectifier feed. It's configuration is based on the number of phases your charging system uses and has no relation to the ignition/number of cylinders etc. You could try some of the other settings on the tacho to see if you get more realistic readings but getting part numbers of the charge stator assembly to identify it would involve pulling the flywheel and isn't worth it.......if it ain't broke, don't fix it

[blootac]

Surely a tinytach would suffice?

[Last Tango]

Originally Posted by blootac

Surely a tinytach would suffice?

I'd have though that's a fair solution. Probably not weatherproof but once you've established rev range is ok, you don't really need it anymore.

[blootac]

Easy enough to weatherproof it.
Mine turned up yesterday (albeit a £6 version from Hong Kong). Going to run epoxy around the edges of the screen and the back, as it's meant to be sealed for life anyway, and stuff some silicone sealant around where the sensing wire comes out the housing.

Plus in the above case it's only got to work for a few hours

[jyasaki]

Originally Posted by kestrel452

I don't know why the Attwood "Mercury" fitting sucked so much, but I'll never buy Attwood fuel lines again.

Well, add Perko to the list of brands to stay away from. I replaced the fuel line on my Honda 40, and the Perko bulb wouldn't even pump air, much less fuel. Had to trash the engine connector also, as it wouldn't depress the quick release check ball enough for fuel to flow.

Moeller seemed to work better (meaning it actually worked.)

Hope it works better;

jky

[office888]

I utilize Attwood Sprayless fittings and an Attwood fuel tank, but my fuel hose is Gates, and I utilize a Parker-Racor 490R-RAC-01 fuel/water separator which has a primer button on it.

[kestrel452]

Tank tested the engine myself with the new fuel line. I think it's working okay now :-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyHZ4AwAiws

Does anyone see the engine or tachometer doing something strange in the video that I might not have caught?