Troubleshooting Issues with Starter and Burning Oil

[JBehrens]

Need some help on this one, had the boat out last week and had two issues that I am trying to figure out

1. While wakeboarding and surfing, I noticed some white smoke/almost looked like steam coming from the exhaust/pump area. It wasn't heavy and didn't remind me of anything like two stroke smoke or what a bad oil burning issue would look like but it was noticeable along with more noticeable exhausted smells when swimming while changing out riders. The smoke was worse when the boat was at full throttle getting on plane then subsided once at speed. I noticed in the engine box today on the oil filter side some fine dots of what appears to be oil but can't tell where they came from. Should I be concerned? Is it normal for a boat of about 250 hours to be burning a little bit of oil at WOT?

2. In between riders on the last day there was an issue where the boat did not crank over at all, you could here to starting relay click but nothing happened. After some troubleshooting, I tapped the starter with the back of a screwdriver and it fired right up with no further incident. Do you think this is a random issue? Does this warrant considering a starter replacement?

I am leaving for a 9 day Lake Powell trip in a few weeks so any advice on making sure the boat is running good would be appreciated.
Thanks!

 

[usmcgoose]

Video of the issue would help. However, the oil spatter you see could be a problem depending on where it's coming from. It could be anything from the oil filter not fully seated to a blown gasket. Some detective work is necessary to determine location. As far as seeing steam from the exhaust box... Do you have any overheating problems with the engine? There could be a leak near the exhaust, gasket blown leaking cooling water in the stroke cycle, or something less significant than either. Not to say that any of this is the problem. The troubleshooting to locate the problem areas is what's important.

As far as having to tap on the starter with no further issue. I've found when you have to tinker with them in this manner, failure is coming. Just bite the bullet and change it out. As simple as they are, starters are a bit finicky.

 

[zipper]

White smoke is not oil burning, it is usually accociated with water in the exhaust. Some white smoke is normal, a lot would indicate overheating.
The oil spray residue was airborne. What is the oil level? Is the air filter dry? I would wipe it up and see if it reappears. I can see it on the engine bay gelcoat, but not on the oil filter?
Maybe things got a little warm in the engine bay during wakeboarding and surfing with the outdoor temps being as high as they have been.
Did you have any temperature alarms?

 

[JBehrens]

I will check the oil level and air filter. Oil filter looked dry and I couldn't see anything coming from that side of the engine. It was about 115 out and I am running a high altitude impeller so the boat might be working a little harder then normal. No overheating, it never has had an overheating issue, no alarms.

Should I let the starter mess up one more time? This was the first time I have had this happen

 

[jetboater4life]

I am not seeing the same behavior as you but in my debug as to why my starter was continuing to turn over my engine after the key was turned off I found that the positive connection on my starter was very loose. In my case not loose enough to prevent the starter from starting the engine but I think I might see that happen in the future if I don't tighten the connection. It's extremely difficult to access without taking out the starter or taking off the exhaust manifold.

 

[JBehrens]

I am not seeing the same behavior as you but in my debug as to why my starter was continuing to turn over my engine after the key was turned off I found that the positive connection on my starter was very loose. In my case not loose enough to prevent the starter from starting the engine but I think I might see that happen in the future if I don't tighten the connection. It's extremely difficult to access without taking out the starter or taking off the exhaust manifold.

That's good info and something I can check, really is almost impossible to check without getting the manifold off. I'm dreading the replacement process if it needs it