Lost power suddenly

Ok, so after an electronics adventure that I'm not entirely sure what fixed the problem outside a new starter, something new popped up. We were on our maiden voyage after "fixing" my 2000 Air Nautique and about 20 minutes into a run around the lake, the boat suddenly lost power and died.

I was able to re-start it and it ran for about 20 seconds then died again with no re-start after multiple attempts. The engine turns over really well but doesn't catch. Two things caught my eye under the hood: 1) the manifolds seem really hot; 2) there doesn't seem to be much gas being squirted into the carbs when I attempt to start.

The gas was topped off on the way to the lake, and there was no extra smoke, coughing or gauges outside the normal range that I noticed. Is this a fuel pump problem or something else?

thanks for all your expertise, I learn more useful info from this forum than I ever did in college!

Here's a picture you took of your engine in a previous thread.

I think you have a throttle body masquerading as a carburetor under that plastic cover.

That will open you up to a whole new batch of possible problems if you're not getting gas when you're trying to start it

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I didn't specifically check the gauges during this, but I would have thought that there would be some warning before the engine shutting down. The pic above was from the water pump breaking last summer. I'm going to pull the impeller cover to check it in addition to the water strainer.

I've always wanted to make a driveway lake assembly. This may a good a time as any.

Ok, so I tried the engine again and it would turn over and start but only briefly before dying. I poked around underneath the engine and didn't see any obvious leaks from the water distribution. Is there a way to check that somehow? Dyed water maybe?

The cooling issue is separate from the non-running.

You need to figure out if it is a fuel or ignition failure. Could be both if the electrical system isn't getting power.

Squirt some gas down throttle body (put flame arrestor back on & have fire X ready) & then try to start it. It should run for about 10 seconds. If not, start testing the ignition system.

Filter is recommended to be replaced every year. That seems a little excessive but by the looks of that one,it's past due. That pump with that white line looks to have been sitting in water. Might be worth changing too. Changing out a pump is cheaper than a tow or getting yourself into a tight situation.

Is there a way to test the pump outside the boat? Or is it better to hook it back up to the engine and fire it up?

Ok, update number two?

Installed new fuel pump and filter. Attempted to start several times without success until I used starter fluid. Boat fired up great but did not continue to run. Looking at the carb jets, I'm not getting any gas squirting out when attempting to start. Now, I know the FCC is empty as I opened the drain plug at the bottom out of curiosity.

Whats next then? Where is the fuel relay and what about the small oil filter looking contraption attached to the FCC just off the block?

Frustration is mounting, but not fully realized yet!

Alright, I think I'm getting closer! I removed my low pressure fuel pump and took the plate off. There was some pretty rusty colored gas coming out, and the top looks pretty dirty, but I don't have anything to compare it to. What do you guys think?

The Low Pressure Pump is a Carter design. The corrosion you see is common when they sit a long time between uses.   Clean it, make sure the pump can rotate smoothly then put power to it. It will either work or not. If it works they are good.   These are a very durable and forgiving design.   This pump was used in Motorhomes for 25 years. Many Motorhome owners learned to take the pump apart and clean it to get them going again.
Old fuel drying up in the pump causes them to lock up.

I have used WD 40. All you need to do it get the dry hard particles out of the pump and housing. You want to avoid running any electric pump dry. These are fuel lubricated motors and they can burn up in 10 seconds if run dry.   Spray the parts with WD40 and wipe the parts clean spray them again and assemble. See if it works. In 5 minutes you will know if you need to order a new pump.
If id does not spin freely after cleaning it probably ran dry and the bushings are damaged. You can't fix that.

I realized I hadn't included very good pics. Looking inside my low pressure pump I can see some corrosion and rust and when I stuck a screwdriver inside it didn't seem to move in any way. I did get out the multimeter and stuck the prongs down inside the plug on the engine side and had good power when I hit the ignition. So there's that.

Looks like its time to talk to skidim again....

You guys are absolutely right. Thank you all for your expertise and experience. I'm not completely mechanically minded, but I do like to at least take a look and see if something can be fixed first. Sort of the "I can't get the VCR to work" syndrome when all it needs is to be plugged in!

Thanks for all the help, can't wait for my new pump!

I wonder if someone could cross the pump over to "off the shelf" Carter from Summit? Better than half the price from Skidim!!!

holy cow! You guys weren't kidding about the price difference! Thanks for finding that!

How do you know what cross references what? I don't see a number or anything on the pump itself. While we're at it how do I go about finding a cheaper thermostat then? It was listed at about $80 from the marine supply places, which is about $60 more than every other type of thermostat.

I won't hijack this thread, just taking advantage of free advice when presented!