Thread: Boat setup - onboard necessities

Originally Posted by No.3

I didn't want to suggest that - might be misconstrued as calling a fellow weak haha. The other issue with the modern engines is simply getting to the crank shaft - the engine cover latch is at the back down low and it's a long way out there to get it off. Once you've undressed the thing, quite likely there is a safety cover over the flywheel anyway which means you either can't wrap rope around it or there is a fair bit of work to get to it! Luckily they are a LOT more reliable nowadays - if you give them power, feed them clean fuel and keep them serviced they are usually happy to play.

One thing I have run into with modern outboards, is they can play silly buggers with you if they get a bit of water in the works around a critical sensor. I would have a serious look at the tank, see if you can introduce a slim stiff hose right into the deepest part of the tank after it's been sitting for a while and suck out into a bucket. Have a good look at it, see if you can see a clear line after settling it that would show that water is in the tank. If you can't see anything, chuck a few ml of clean fresh 91 petrol into the bucket and see if it mixes or floats (been trapped before pulling dyed pink water off the bottom of a tank and thinking it was straight petrol!). Then, if all is good, pull the water separator system and give it a good service and even upgrade it to a bloody good one like a Racor unit. While on the subject of outboards, some have a vapour separator filter on the side of the block that will stop the engine at idle if it blocks up. It's not something that pops up on the service sheet that often depending on the engine type, and a lot of techs won't think to look for it if your engine starts dying when you throttle off and won't idle. Something to discuss with your tech at the next service anyway.

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