208 Adventure Top end

DennisG01

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ok, so basically we can't tell if that motor ever made proper revs near WOT under load in the water.
Or, it could be that the previous owner just never opened her up. Low speed idling and cruising looks like how it was used. Just a bunch of guessing and inferences, though, at this point.
 

Doc Stressor

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Yeah, there is no way to know for sure. Maybe somebody reved the motor out of the water during a flush. But it looks like the motor was babied during break-in, which is not a good thing. Maybe the rings never got seated.

If I had the motor, I would pull the plugs and do a compression test.

Is there any indication that a compression test was done during the 20 hr service? Some places do that and others do not. But if they did one they needed to pull the plugs. Maybe they didn't tighten one of them or left a loose connector.

I love this stuff as long as it isn't happening on my boat. ;)
 
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jason808

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The system won't log a time at rpm range unless the engine was run for at least 0.1 hr.

The 5429 rpm at 3.8 hr was likely just a full-throttle burst for a minute or so. It would take 6 minutes (0.1 hr) at over 5000 rpm to register on the data logger.

Thanks, I was wondering this myself. I thought the reports conflicted, but this makes more sense.
Work and kids are insane, and going to have to wait for the weekend to work on it.



Yeah, there is no way to know for sure. Maybe somebody reved the motor out of the water during a flush. But it looks like the motor was babied during break-in, which is not a good thing. Maybe the rings never got seated.

If I had the motor, I would pull the plugs and do a compression test.

Is there any indication that a compression test was done during the 20 hr service? Some places do that and others do not. But if they did one they needed to pull the plugs. Maybe they didn't tighten one of them or left a loose connector.

To my knowledge no compression test was performed.
I love this stuff as long as it isn't happening on my boat. ;)

Haha, I hear you. I am still pretty stoked to have the boat. Engines and boats are hard to come by out here, still pretty thankful to have something that goes trolling speed, and doesn't sink :)
 

seasick

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If you have a fuel delivery issue and I don't know if you do, it is possible that the motor will run too lean if you try more throttle than a troll. The lean mix can cause motor damage. I am saying that you shouldn't ignore the problem and at a minimum should pull the spark plugs, note what cylinder each one came from and inspect them. If there is no spark, the plugs may be fouled or too wet. If all look similar bur brown of the electrodes seem to be eaten away or pitted, your mixture may be lean.
 

Doc Stressor

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That readout is the maximum rpm the engine ever attained. It occurred 3.8 hr after the engine was put in service.

The is recorded so a technician can determine if the engine was ever over-revved.
 
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jason808

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checked oil, looked good.

Replaced the spark plugs and onboard fuel filter tonight.

Old spark plugs looked like below,
and the first cylinder was a little over gap at 0.045”, where the range is supposed to be 0.039”-0.043”
@seasick how do these plugs look to you?
You were dead on with the carbon fouling, and fuel issue.

will check outside fuel filter tomorrow.

on a fun note,
6 boxes with Furuno on the side got delivered today:)
 

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seasick

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Plugs don't look bad at all. They look pretty new but I can't see the center ceramics all that well. Did you notice if any plugs wet wet, with raw gas perhaps?
Try that new filter and see what happens but I really think you need to have technician look at your boat.
 

Doc Stressor

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It's hard to tell from the angle of the photograph, but the 3rd plug from the top looks like it has a greyer color and less soot than the other ones. That cylinder might be running lean. Possibly a bad but not completely failed injector.

Injectors in engines that sit around without being run much can get gummed up from fuel oxidation.

Looking forward to learning how the engine runs with the new plugs and filter.
 
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jason808

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ahha, replaced outside fuel/water separator,
gas looked fine inside,

started her up and ran at idle
found the bulb losing pressure, and you can watch within the engine fuel filter, starting full then losing fuel, within 30 seconds.

i don think this is normal, so either fuel pump is bad/vst filters clogged or bad fuel line to engine.Any other recommendations to check?

Did my best to inspect it, but looks like it is off to west marine to pick up small fuel tank, and if that does not work wait until a shop has time which can be a month or so.
 

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DennisG01

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It's not abnormal to see the on-engine fuel/water separator only be about 2/3 full - in fact, that's quite normal. But, I would further question what you mean by the "bulb losing pressure"? Also, have you checked/experimented with the venting stuff I had mentioned? Not all of it requires you to buy anything.
 
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jason808

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It's not abnormal to see the on-engine fuel/water separator only be about 2/3 full - in fact, that's quite normal. But, I would further question what you mean by the "bulb losing pressure"? Also, have you checked/experimented with the venting stuff I had mentioned? Not all of it requires you to buy anything.
I ran it without the gas cap on, and did the same, if that is what you meant by the venting stuff.
I dont know anyone with a gas tank i can borrow, so am off to west marine for that.

The fuel bulb did not suck in,
but it was still able to be squeezed easily.
On previous engines, i always thought the fuel bulb would maintain the same pressure and stay full.
 

PointedRose

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I ran it without the gas cap on, and did the same, if that is what you meant by the venting stuff.
I dont know anyone with a gas tank i can borrow, so am off to west marine for that.

The fuel bulb did not suck in,
but it was still able to be squeezed easily.
On previous engines, i always thought the fuel bulb would maintain the same pressure and stay full.
Walmart would be cheaper than west marine for a gas tank. Probably only need 3 gal rather than 6.
 

DennisG01

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I ran it without the gas cap on, and did the same, if that is what you meant by the venting stuff.
I dont know anyone with a gas tank i can borrow, so am off to west marine for that.

The fuel bulb did not suck in,
but it was still able to be squeezed easily.
On previous engines, i always thought the fuel bulb would maintain the same pressure and stay full.
Yes. OK, so venting is not the issue.

Bulbs get "less hard" as the engine runs - meaning, they don't stay as full as when you first pump it up - sounds like that part is normal, too.

Before you buy a tank... and I'm not necessarily recommending this, just offering it as an idea... tanks aren't cheap anymore. Do you have a jerry can (gas jug)? You can stick a fuel hose into it and use that. Just ensure that you're using a good fuel line - what you have on the boat should be good - just give it a good looksie and "feel" for soft spots. Can't imagine it would be bad being so new, but you just want to make sure you're eliminating variables as you go.
 
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jason808

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took it on the water today, and was a little nicer.
This time got the throttle all the way down and hit 5400 rpm and 40mph,
Grady White has the boat max out
at 5800 rpm at 44 mph, with probably 700-1000 lbs less. So either I did something different with trim, winds were down, or fixed something inadvertently.
Once again thanks for everyone’s help!

On to electronics installs.
 
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jason808

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User error. As I said above, at least this was a "free" fix :)

You can call it what you want.

I drove the boat in the same location all times and the same run direction.
The first time the winds were blowing 20+ with a rough chop, and full throttle down the boat would not go over 30 mph at 4000rpm.

the last time the winds were blowing 15 max and I changed spark plugs and gapped them to spec, fuel filters, tightened throttle cable, and full throttle got me to 40 mph at 5400rpm.
The engine was not as loud the last time I took it out. The first time even my wife commented it seemed significantly louder.

emailed Ken at prop gods, and going to give a 4 blade 15 1/4” 15 pitch a try. Still going to have the engine checked out.

Once again thank you all for the recommendations
 

DennisG01

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Jason, you may have misinterpreted what I wrote. I meant it as a POSITIVE thing. No money involved.

But, to be honest, expecting a small boat to be able to go WOT in rough conditions IS "user error". And, with lesser chop, you'd be able to use more up trim. Remember, you did mention that you initially didn't adjust the trim much.

If it was only windy, with little chop, you should have been able to turn 180* and go faster. Unless the plug gaps were WAY out - which they didn't look to be - a small "out of gap" measurement would only have a minsule effect. I'm not sure what you mean by "tighten throttle cable". Was there an issue?

It doesn't sound like you need a different prop - you mentioned you had a pretty heavy load in the boat and still got almost what the Grady specs are. But that brings up another point... have you always had a heavy load in the boat? That's something to have mentioned early on since that can have a dramatic effect on WOT speed/RPM... again, user error, if you did ;) However, if you're going to be running with a heavy load most of the time - then, yes, go ahead and drop a couple inches. When you have a light load, just control throttle/trim so you don't over-rev.