If you have outboard mechanical trouble at sea-some tips
Here is some simple tips that may help get you out of trouble at sea if you have mechanical issues.
Theres alot of variables as to EFI, carby etc but your EFI will likely flash a code of 2 digits, google what it means
First rule-check the simple cheap and obvious stuff first!
IT WONT START or crank at all
- Check kill lanyard, jiggle it and refit
- Jiggle gear lever for "start in gear lockout"
- Check battery, swap to other battery, check electronics for power/voltage
- Get the pull start lanyard out
It wont start but cranks normally
- Check fuel bulb, if sucked flat filter or supply blocked, if flacid
out of fuel (check sight glass?) - Pump up bulb until firm
- Carby outboard-may be flooded, full throttle out of gear and crank for 20 seconds til it fires (maybe take cover off outboard)
- Take a spark plug lead out and get your simple mate to hold onto it while you crank (maybe not but stick a spare plug into it and watch for spark)
- Chuck in your spare spark plugs as a last resort (tilt outboard up for this)
If it loses power then dies
- Smell the outboard-fuel, hot, burnt wiring?
- A carby will rarely just go full tit to stop instantly from a fuel issue, it will lose power and die as the bowl empties
- grab the fuel bulb, if its sucked flat you have a blockage or filter blockage
- If its flacid you are either out of fuel or have a hole in your fuel line between tank/bulb
- Check site glass for water/dirt
- Swap to other batteries
- If its hot, check for a bag or weed on leg, let it cool down. Watch telltail, impellor may be cooked.
If it just stops dead with no alarms
- Kill switch?
- Check if other equip is working, check voltages and when you crank (if it has 13 volts but drops way down when trying to crank battery may be dying)
- Earth or power wire (some like Suzi have a seperate white? wire straight to supply for ECU)
- Some other electrical prob
If your outboard overheats and impellor is shot
- If you have a deckwash and your muffs, put muffs on and ducktape, connect up deckwash and idle in (with care of course)
- Connect deckwash to flushing port instead (Im not 100% that all outboards get full cooling from this so "caveat emptor")
If your hydraulic steering is knackered
- Try and block reduce the leak if on a hose
- at a pinch you can put anything in it, cooking oil, engine oil, even water.
- lash the outboard central and make a rope bridle from each aft mooring bits and drag something in the water to steer. There are many variations of this but I have seen crayboats drag a craypot for this.
If your leg drops its oil but you have to drive it
- Fill it with grease and go easy
Most electronics have a battery power feature so you can see what your battery charge state is, check the menu/manual
TOOLS AND SPARES-minimum
- Plug spanner
- Pliers, small shifters
- Philips and flat screwdriver
- Duct tape
- Cable ties (good ones)
- Spare plugs and fuel filter
- Torch
- Fuses as required (tin foil twisted up can substitute also)
- Random pieces of electrical wire
This is just some ideas, and I may have overlooked some stuff so feel free to comment constructively (or PM and I'll add to keep it all in one place)
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
JohnF
Posts: 2836
Date Joined: 07/07/10
iF ITS SINKING, START
iF ITS SINKING, START SWIMMING...... :)
Boston Whaler 235 Conquest......getting the flogging it was built for.
Swompa
Posts: 3887
Date Joined: 14/10/12
Great share Rob. Could get
Great share Rob. Could get someone back to the beach one day.
Rob H
Posts: 5801
Date Joined: 18/01/12
Just some tricks Ive had to
Just some tricks Ive had to use in years gone by to get home, but handy to know.
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
Walfootrot
Posts: 1385
Date Joined: 23/07/12
Great advice, but there is no
Great advice, but there is no way I am pull starting a 8V 92 Detroit....
Process of elimination.
More drum lines, kill the bloody sharks!
Rob H
Posts: 5801
Date Joined: 18/01/12
Start ya Barstard, Aerostart
Start ya Barstard, Aerostart or Hairspray is your friend!
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
The Saint
Posts: 473
Date Joined: 30/01/13
Some usefull info there,
Some usefull info there, Rob. The one I had never thought of and will keep in mind - using the deckwash pump to push water through the motor. Brilliantl idea !
Meeuwissen
Posts: 755
Date Joined: 29/03/13
Just got some PVC
And put 2 ends on it and put in most those tools you mention. About using a deck wash to push water through the engine I wouldn't recommend as the pressure is to great and can end up in the heads a company I was working this happened to and ended up costing them 50k
Down the Line
Catch the Experience
Rob H
Posts: 5801
Date Joined: 18/01/12
not sure how you mean but
Sorry but I doubt that very much, and if your deck wash hose will do it so would your flushing at home.
And, if 30-40PSI will blow water through your heads it was long past its use by date before you even head out to sea!
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
Meeuwissen
Posts: 755
Date Joined: 29/03/13
My bad it wasn't a deck hose pump
They used a spa pump
Down the Line
Catch the Experience
Trailcraft570
Posts: 124
Date Joined: 06/11/13
Awesome advice
im saving this advice. Thanks Rob
scano
Posts: 1247
Date Joined: 31/05/07
Also another good addition
An insulated wire coat hanger. Can be used as an emergency electrical joiner, emergency fuse replacement (not ideal I know). Also for things like rigging to the throttle of your outboard, in the event the throttle cable snaps. Manual throttle control via a rigged up coat hanger is better than having to turn the butterflies by hand right at the point of the outboard.
Can also be used as a emergency replacement aerial on a radio / 2 way in the even everything really turns to shi*t.
at worst you have a hanger to dry your fishing shirt on when you get back to camp.
Rob H
Posts: 5801
Date Joined: 18/01/12
True, and I left out fuses
True, and I left out fuses from above so added
Ive used fishing line as a throttle before and also seen a craypot towed on a bridle that could be shortened/lengthened on one side to steer
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
hellmansam
Posts: 25
Date Joined: 29/01/15
Prevention - take all
Prevention - take all precautions to keep water out of your fuel, especially if you have EFI
take the road less travelled, for there are fewer dickheads on it...
Wannafish
Posts: 158
Date Joined: 20/05/12
Also, keep an ear out for
Also, keep an ear out for abnormal engine noises. A few years back I was across the other side of Exmouth Gulf with the family and on the last occasion that I started the outboard it made a ‘different’ noise to what it normally does. As it was getting on in the day I decided not to turn it off again, and headed straight back to the marina. Once back and tied up at the ramp I turned the outboard off and then tried to start it again - it wouldn’t turn over... Back in the caravan park I found that one of the starter motor bolts had come loose and fallen out, causing the starter to kick sideways a bit - just enough to not engage.... I would have found the issue out on the water, but it isn’t a stress that I want with little kids on board...
Rob H
Posts: 5801
Date Joined: 18/01/12
Definitely, sound or smell
Definitely, sound or smell is usually your first indication of a problem.
In our enginerooms where I work at sea smell is the first thing we will usually notice if there is oil coolant or fuel leaks or electrical issues
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
sonofdarryl
Posts: 35
Date Joined: 20/08/16
Great list.One thing that
Great list.
One thing that stumped me that could help others:
On our Yamy 115 4st,
Had the motor cranking but not firing.
Thought must have been fuel / spark related like you said, couldnt find anything.
Had 12+ volts on initial battery, but lower (cant remmeber the figure) on the second.
The second battery was stuffed and stealing volts from the first when it tried to fire. It was giving it enough volts to crank but not enough to fire.
Took the second battery out of the system and it started fine.
Rob H
Posts: 5801
Date Joined: 18/01/12
This is the reason why if
This is the reason why if you have a dual battery system, the ONLY time you should ever run it on both is if you need to start on both.
Any other time it should be on one or the other and only turned thru "both" when running.
Turning thru off can blow the diodes in your alternator.
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
Septimus
Posts: 146
Date Joined: 14/11/10
THANKS MATE
Very handy - will keep it on boat - hopefully won't ever have to refer to it!!
Rob H
Posts: 5801
Date Joined: 18/01/12
Just a bump on this
Bumping this up for reference as I think its still relevant
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
Faulkner Family
Posts: 18029
Date Joined: 11/03/08
Some great advice and tips
Some great advice and tips there. It's not like you can call the rac or push it .
When the boat has been sitting for a while I usually give it a start up the day before. One time I didn't and the damn battery was flat. Luckily a jumper pack was at hand.
RUSS and SANDY. A family that fishes together stays together
wrasse magnet
Posts: 126
Date Joined: 16/10/10
Great post! Good tip there
Great post! Good tip there about the bridle, that's how VMR got us back to Denham from Steep Point. That with perhaps the sea anchor on the bridle would have been a lot less pain on the hands than pulling on the ropes like reigns.