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   This weekend I winterized for the first time.  I have an '86 Martinique that we purchased this summer and it has the PCM 351 and Holley 4 bbl .  I haven't used the boat for about a month and when I tried to crank it to warm it up and spray the fogging oil it was extremely hard to crank.  I had pumped the throttle alot and never saw gas spray in the carb.  I evetually had to hook up the battery charger and pour a little gas in the carb.  Once I did that it cranked and ran like a top.  Could this mean that I need to rebuild the carb over the winter?  Maybe the seals are dry and it's allowing the fuel to drain back down too much?  Any other suggestions?

Also, I tightened up the packing nut this weekend too as it was leaking pretty heavy this summer.  After tightening I turned the prop and it seems much more firm than it was before.  I can still turn it relatively easy but it is firm. I made two rounds on the packing nut when I tightened it.  One and a half seemed to be firm but I had to complete the turn to get the tie wire back in.  Does this all sound normal or should I have only needed one turn of the nut?  

Thanks for all of your input!

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Rglover Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: October-21-2008 Location: Canton, GA Status: Offline Points: 111	Post Options Post Reply Quote Rglover Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Starting Issues Posted: November-03-2008 at 3:29pm
	This weekend I winterized for the first time. I have an '86 Martinique that we purchased this summer and it has the PCM 351 and Holley 4 bbl . I haven't used the boat for about a month and when I tried to crank it to warm it up and spray the fogging oil it was extremely hard to crank. I had pumped the throttle alot and never saw gas spray in the carb. I evetually had to hook up the battery charger and pour a little gas in the carb. Once I did that it cranked and ran like a top. Could this mean that I need to rebuild the carb over the winter? Maybe the seals are dry and it's allowing the fuel to drain back down too much? Any other suggestions? Also, I tightened up the packing nut this weekend too as it was leaking pretty heavy this summer. After tightening I turned the prop and it seems much more firm than it was before. I can still turn it relatively easy but it is firm. I made two rounds on the packing nut when I tightened it. One and a half seemed to be firm but I had to complete the turn to get the tie wire back in. Does this all sound normal or should I have only needed one turn of the nut? Thanks for all of your input!

bill1 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: May-27-2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 151	Post Options Post Reply Quote bill1 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: November-03-2008 at 10:38pm
	how old is the battery? when you first started turning it over, did it spin fast or slow?
	bill

Rglover Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: October-21-2008 Location: Canton, GA Status: Offline Points: 111	Post Options Post Reply Quote Rglover Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: November-03-2008 at 10:56pm
	The battery was fresh. I cranked a good while when it started to slow down. That's when I hooked up the battery charger and resorted to the gas in the carb to get it started.

Brktracer Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: December-20-2007 Location: South Carolina Status: Offline Points: 387	Post Options Post Reply Quote Brktracer Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: November-05-2008 at 12:43am
	Sounds like you might be ready for a carb rebuild. After you got the engine to start, does the carb spray gas or not? Matt
	1976 Nautique

Rglover Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: October-21-2008 Location: Canton, GA Status: Offline Points: 111	Post Options Post Reply Quote Rglover Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: November-05-2008 at 12:40pm
	Thanks Matt, Yes, after the engine started it ran like a top as far as idling and revving a little to warm up to operating temperature. Of course there was no way to test it under load, but I have been thinking I may need a carb rebuild since I bought the boat. No major issues, just some hard starting now and then and some missing on acceleration now and then.

SNobsessed Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Grand Poobah Joined: October-21-2007 Location: IA Status: Offline Points: 7102	Post Options Post Reply Quote SNobsessed Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: November-05-2008 at 10:34pm
	Rg - Make sure & check your timing before the carb rebuild. I played with different timing settings & resulted in noticeably harder starting.
	“Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” Ben Franklin

Rglover Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: October-21-2008 Location: Canton, GA Status: Offline Points: 111	Post Options Post Reply Quote Rglover Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: November-06-2008 at 11:09am
	I will do that SN. Thanks. By the way, does anyone have thoughts about the second part of my post regarding the shaft packing nut?

Randy_in_Ohio Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Platinum Member Joined: September-13-2006 Location: N. Canton, OH. Status: Offline Points: 1891	Post Options Post Reply Quote Randy_in_Ohio Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: November-06-2008 at 6:11pm
	I don't think you will be able to really tell where the packing nut should be until you put it in the water. I replaced mine with the Gortex stuff, I took it out after replacing it and the shaft got kind of hot at first so I backed it off a turn or two and it has been fine since. You need to have a few drops a minute to keep it cool.
	1993 Sport Nautique

SNobsessed Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Grand Poobah Joined: October-21-2007 Location: IA Status: Offline Points: 7102	Post Options Post Reply Quote SNobsessed Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: November-06-2008 at 8:36pm
	I second Randy's position -- I found that the packing nut adjustment to be rather sensitive, only 1 hex flat difference between running hot & leaking too much. I found the sweet spot & haven't had to touch it all summer.
	“Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” Ben Franklin

Rglover Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: October-21-2008 Location: Canton, GA Status: Offline Points: 111	Post Options Post Reply Quote Rglover Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: November-07-2008 at 10:26am
	Do you not worry about the two positions for the safety wire being lined up?

BuffaloBFN Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Grand Poobah Joined: June-24-2007 Location: Gainesville,GA Status: Offline Points: 6094	Post Options Post Reply Quote BuffaloBFN Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: November-07-2008 at 10:49am
	The wire isn't really to keep it in a given place; it's to save catastophic failure.
	1988 BFN-sold "It's a Livin' Thing...What a Terrible Thing to Lose" ELO

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