Starting/Fuel Issue???

I had that occasional turning over problem and it turned out to be the connection between the battery wire and the battery clamps. The terminal and clamps were free of corrosion but the wires connecting to the clamps needed cleaned.

cam89 wrote: Sorry for the stupid question, but what is a PO?

PO = Previous Owner

They could be the problem but you'd hate to take the time and expense to source other gauges only to find out that it was a PO messing with the wiring and all it needed was to be reconnected or something else simple. Much like measuring twice and cutting once

Cameron,
What are you using for testing the gauge problem? One of those test lights? I suggest a VOM so you can get voltage and as Gary mentions Ohms (resistance) at the senders. Check to make sure the oil and temp senders do not have any type of thread sealant such as Teflon tape on their pipe threads since they are the ground source for the gauges and must have continuity to the engine block.

cam89 wrote: . Here is the issue. Neither of the sensor/sender wires (for either one) going into the back of the gauge are showing power (I tried it with the engine on, and engine off with the key in the run position). I checked the terminals at both sensors to see if they were putting out any electrical current...neither one showed power being sent from the sensor..

They don't and never do have any power on them,they vary resistance to ground. That is why you disconnect the wire from the sensor and connect that wire end to ground with the key on . the needle of the gauge should peg. If it does the sender could be bad,or has a bad ground-another reason a sender does not use sealant or teflon tape on,it needs to make a good ground on it's case. If the needle of the gauge does not move when the wire is connected to ground,either that wire has no continuity to the gauge or no power to the gauge.

Thanks Duane

Another thought (since this is a new purchase for you): The boat may have really old gas, possibly with water in it.

You might want to siphon some out & evaluate it, or better yet siphon it all out & eliminate it as a cause.

There also is a water separator (next to the fuel pump) that should be cleaned out once a year. Just unscrew the bottom plug to empty the water out. It is best to replace the filter inside, but getting the canister unscrewed can be a bugger!

Very nice engine Gary.   Good attention to detail. Would love to see and hear it run

Thank you for your insight. I had the battery checked today. It was good. When I hooked it back up, I made sure to clean the terminals. Same thing today. I got it to turn over and start up after about 3-4 turns of the key. Not sure what the deal is.

I was also working on getting some of my gauges to work tonight. Particularly temperature, oil pressure, and fuel. None of the respective wires were getting juice at gauge. I traced the brown wire from the temperature gauge all the way to where it goes into the engine. It looks similar to a spark plug. Is this the water temperature sensor?

Also, any idea where the oil pressure wire runs to on the motor? I couldn't find it...I probably just overlooked it.

Thanks again for your help. I'm definitely learning a lot.

I just bought a 1990 Sport Nautique (351w carbureted) a few weeks ago. This weekend was the first time that I've had it in the water since I bought it. It ran great the first day until the very end of the day. As I was on my way back to the dock, the temperature and oil alarm lights came on. (My oil and temperature gauges currently don't work...hope to get that resolved soon). I got it home, let it cool down and started investigating. I noticed that the oil light would still come on even after the engine had cooled. I found that the thermostat housing was leaking water. So I bought some gasket maker at the auto store, and re-sealed the entire thermostat housing. Problem solved...no water leak. However, the oil light was still on. By this time I had checked the oil multiple times...oil level and color looked were fine. I eventually got it to start up a couple of times with the oil light on (I guess the alarm prevents it from starting sometimes). Once started, the oil light would go off. However, every time I would go back to start it, the oil light would come on...not allowing me to start it right away. I did some research and figured that it was probably an electrical or sensor issue since things seemed normal when it was actually running. So I disconnected the oil alarm to allow me to start the boat freely. Boat ran great for most of the day.

***Towards the end of the day, I went to take it out one more time. I started it up and it was idling as people were loading the boat. Right as we were pushing off the dock, the engine cut off. I figured it had run out of gas (the gas gauge currently doesn't work either). So I put a few gallons of gas in it. When I went to start it up, the engine would turn over but wouldn't fully "catch"/start. I tried multiple times...no luck. It eventually got to the point where I would turn the key and just hear a click from the engine bay (I'm guessing the starter or solenoid)...the engine wouldn't even turn over. I would say once every 3-4 times the engine would actually try to turn over. After letting it sit, I eventually got the engine to turn over and start. It seemed to idle just fine. But I'm still having the issue with it not turning over every time I turn the key (still only once every 3-4 times). And to be honest, I'm a little hesitant to take it back out on the main part of the lake in fear that I might have issues with starting the boat, and have to get towed back. I have VERY limited knowledge when it comes to mechanical stuff and how engines operate. I definitely don't know much about carbureted engines.***

So my questions are:

1.) If the boat did run out of gas, why did it take so long for it to start back up? Is that normal for carbureted engines (maybe to get gas back in the lines)?

2.) Why will it only turn over every 3-4 times I turn the key?

3.) Could it be something fuel related? It almost sounds like it's not getting enough/any fuel when it doesn't want to fully start (fuel pump maybe?). Could it be the gasoline that I put in it (normal 87 octane)? I've heard that these engines prefer 100% pure gasoline.

Sorry for the long post. Just trying to get some answers/insight on some of the issues that I've had this weekend. Thank you in advance!