Help! Port engine troubleshooting.

[Zarrella]

Wow!!! with all of this great advice my money is on you to find the problem. Thats what so great about this place....you will solve the problem just checking everything that has been suggested. Good Luck and let us know what you find out!

 

[MOA_Chaser]

OK I was able to get out there over lunch for a bit and at least looked at the air filter. There seems to be a LITTLE oil spray on it but not much at all. The filter is dry.

Underneath, there is a thin coat of oil on the parts. There was also a little spray on the ceiling of the air filter cover.

Unfortunately it was hard to start for about 10 seconds, and now it fires up right away, each time. That doesn't make it easy for further troubleshooting.

When checking the oil level, where exactly do you place the level to ensure the boat is level in the driveway?

 

[txav8r]

That oil filter is TOAST! EDIT...I said oil, I mean the AIR FILTER! Check your oil, it is overfilled or was. Get the oil right before you change the filter, or you will ruin another...they cost $100!

 

[Zarrella]

That oil filter is TOAST! Check your oil, it is overfilled or was. Get the oil right before you change the filter, or you will ruin another...they cost $100!

I think Mel means the air filter

 

[txav8r]

The oil check on an MR-1 is a bear. I would caution you against changing the oil level in the driveway, and just making sure you have enough in the engine to start it and warm it up. Only change the oil level in the engine after reaching normal operating temperature, and allowing it to idle an additional 2 to 3 minutes for stabilize. Then read the oil level, determine if any is needed, and adjust. Keep in mind that adding some, then rereading results in nothing accurate. The oil stick only measures oil tank, not engine capacity. So if your down, just get it between the lines and go with it. If it is below the bottom line at temp, add a pint, not a qt. Then do the process of running and idling again, then read again. These are extremely temperamental, and the reason we don't add any more than what we take out.

 

[txav8r]

YES YES...AIR FILTER! DOH!

 

[txav8r]

Thank you @Zarrella !

 

[txav8r]

 

[Boat Crazy]

Level your boat/ trailer the best you can . Then check oil cold. If your oil level is above the low level mark by much, it is most likely over full.

 

[MOA_Chaser]

Wow, so that little bit of dirt/oil makes that big of a difference?? I'd bet that over 95% of the filter surface area is absolutely fine! That's crazy, my car would never run if that were the case with automobiles! LOL

Here's a 360 degree air filter photo montage...

Would it be a good approximation to allow all the oil to settle for several hours, then match the oil level in the problem engine with the oil level in the engine I'm not having trouble with? (The problem engine does show a higher level than the other engine.)

 

[MOA_Chaser]

Level your boat/ trailer the best you can . Then check oil cold. If your oil level is above the low level mark by much, it is most likely over full.

Where would you place the level? What part of the engine would be considered "horizontal", so when it's level, the boat is level?

 

[Boat Crazy]

Once you know the oil levels are correct, run engine without air filter, than try it with air filter. I would double check the other engine oil level also. You could also switch air filters from one engine to the other, but only once you get the oil levels correct.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

That filter looks fine to me. If there is any question, run without filters.

Do you have an onboard charger or have you charged your batteries since you were out?

 

[MOA_Chaser]

I have the Guest 16202 onboard charger. I plug it in after every outing and leave it plugged in until we're leaving for the river.

The oil in the troublesome (port) engine was higher than the starboard engine. It was almost to the "F" mark, but I didn't level the boat today. The starboard was just a tad above "L". I sucked out enough oil so that the port engine now has the same amount as the starboard engine.

I'm also missing one of the long screws that holds the air filter cover on. I'm hoping to find a replacement for it locally, I'm sure it will be a $1 part that will cost me $8.95 to ship or something like that, hahaha...

 

[Murf'n'surf]

How old are your batteries?

I'm still betting on a voltage issue. Your batts are "full" on the trailer but a bad battery will quickly lose charge with the stereo and other items running. Y'all had a record cold winter and your batteries could have suffered also.

I have seen too much oil drag down RPM levels/top speed in jetskis but not cause a running issue like you state.

 

[MOA_Chaser]

The dual purpose one, the smaller one, is at least four years old. I use it every so often to discharge/charge it, but the big DieHard AGM is only 2 years old. I don't leave them in the cold, they're brought into my basement in September where I put a trickle charger on them about once a month to make sure they're topped off, then they go back on the boat whenever it's boating season. We run tunes on the boat through the JL amp for 6 or more hours on the AGM, and it's still going strong. Both engines don't struggle to turn over at all. The starter would burn out LONG before the battery would weaken.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

I would take that smaller battery to Sears or auto store and have it checked. There have been numerous boats with the problem you stated and the issue was battery/connection related.

 

[MOA_Chaser]

I agree, it's gotta be almost at the end of its life. I don't have a VSR, though, and I have a 1-2-OFF-ALL switch on it, and the behavior happened regardless of what battery was selected. You don't think having too much oil in it would possibly cause starting issues? I haven't had a lot of free time to really dive into the electrical connections yet. Unfortunately it's working fine right now.

 

[MOA_Chaser]

I am still having sporadic trouble with this engine.

It started right up in the driveway, we took it to the river, rode around for a half hour then shut it off at anchor for about three hours. It cranked and cranked without starting; then several minutes later it fired up again.

Here's what I've done so far:

• Oil level checked and is fine now
  
• Pulled the spark plugs on the port engine.
• Verified gap
• Verified spark (this rules out the lanyard safety as well as other spark issues)
• Spark plug color/etc good
  
• Verified it's not the cleanout port switches; had someone push the buttons down completely while attempting to start
• Attempted to swap fuel lines between engines; unfortunately the starboard fuel line was too short to reach the port engine fuel line attachment
• Batteries are good and ALWAYS fully charged
• Removed air filter during troubled starting; no difference

I'm almost out of ideas. Sometimes it starts right up, sometimes it doesn't. I'm really afraid that I'm going to end up burning out the starter.

I'm thinking of putting a bunch of fuel injector cleaner in the tank and see if that helps at all. What's the best stuff to use?

There was mention of a fuel filter. I can't find a fuel filter on the boat?

Anything else I can check?

 

[Boat Crazy]

I am still having sporadic trouble with this engine.

It started right up in the driveway, we took it to the river, rode around for a half hour then shut it off at anchor for about three hours. It cranked and cranked without starting; then several minutes later it fired up again.

Here's what I've done so far:

• Oil level checked and is fine now
  
• Pulled the spark plugs on the port engine.
• Verified gap
• Verified spark (this rules out the lanyard safety as well as other spark issues)
• Spark plug color/etc good
  
• Verified it's not the cleanout port switches; had someone push the buttons down completely while attempting to start
• Attempted to swap fuel lines between engines; unfortunately the starboard fuel line was too short to reach the port engine fuel line attachment
• Batteries are good and ALWAYS fully charged
• Removed air filter during troubled starting; no difference

I'm almost out of ideas. Sometimes it starts right up, sometimes it doesn't. I'm really afraid that I'm going to end up burning out the starter.

I'm thinking of putting a bunch of fuel injector cleaner in the tank and see if that helps at all. What's the best stuff to use?

There was mention of a fuel filter. I can't find a fuel filter on the boat?

Anything else I can check?

I believe the fuel filter is actually inside your fuel tank and since the other engine runs/starts fine that would not be the cause. Fuel injector additive sounds like a good idea. Sea foam is a good additive and can be purchased at most automotive stores. How does the boat/ engine run once started. Other than thinking it may be an injector problem, if you haven't changed out all four spark plugs in that engine, I would do so.