![]() ![]() On any boat equipped with a kill-switch and lanyard, make sure the lanyard key hasn’t come loose. Solution: Start with the simple scenarios. It could be a blown fuse or tripped breaker, a loose connection or corrosion. If neither of these checks out, this usually represents some type of electrical failure. If you’re lucky, someone simply bumped the kill switch. Boating Magazine Boat Motor Stopped Suddenly Beyond ensuring that the coolant reservoir is full, periodic maintenance is the key.Ĭarry Onboard: Soft wire or rod to snake intake clogs.Ĭlean the connections on your marine battery with a wire brush. Engines with closed-loop cooling systems (essentially a radiator cooled by raw water) have additional issues such as internal clogging of the heat exchanger. Every so often, have the exhaust risers and associated components opened up for inspection. Make sure you or your mechanic checks for corrosion or blockage in the exhaust system. Scarring or pitting of the metal housing can cause even a good impeller to lose pumping power. Also look at the condition of its housing. Prevention: Regularly service and replace the impeller. A loose hose clamp or a split or burst hose can also slow water flow, and it can spray damaging moisture around the engine. In a vast majority of cases, the problem is an obstruction in the raw water intake – like weeds, mud or a plastic bag. If that water stops flowing, the engine heats up and can ultimately fail. Outboards, most small inboards and I/Os don’t have radiators like your car, and instead use the water they are floating on to cool the engine. This almost always means you have a lack of water flow in the cooling loop. The needle on the temperature gauge is rising. Boating Magazine Boat Engine Is Overheating Keep an eye on your boat’s gauges for possible engine and overheating problems. A battery charger is also good to have on hand. If your crew habitually drains the battery by cranking the tunes while at anchor, consider installing a secondary battery bank or one of those metering devices that monitors supply and saves enough reserve to ensure a restart.Ĭarry Onboard: Screwdrivers with insulated handles wrench set or crescent wrench Allen wrenches. Prevention: We’ll say it again - inspect, clean and, if necessary, replace your wiring periodically. If the starter groans but won’t engage, it could be a low battery, but it also might be a loose or poor connection. Fixing this can be as simple as getting behind the dash and tightening up a retaining nut or mounting screws. Sometimes, a dash-mounted ignition switch will simply become loose in its fitting, allowing the entire switch mechanism to turn with the key. Then pay special attention to the starter switch itself. Again, this is most likely an electrical issue - a low or dead battery, or a break somewhere in the ignition circuit. Boating Magazine Engine Won’t StartĪnyone who has ever turned an ignition key knows the frustration of hearing nothing. ![]() We surveyed a group of respected boat mechanics to come up with the 10 most common boat engine problems, and then compiled a consensus on what it would take to save the day - and how to prevent future outings from premature endings.Īlways check your batteries before a day of boating. If you are somewhat handy and comfortable troubleshooting engine problems, you’ve come to the right place. However, not every fix is easy and not every boater is handy, and your only option might be to ask for help - either from a professional towing company or a fellow boater. Your first move might be to Google what causes a boat motor to lose power? If you’re lucky, you’ll find a list of reasons why your engine won’t start, and the solution to your problem will be one of the easy ones to fix. But would you really feel that way if you were adrift 10 miles from the ramp, with a boatload of tired, cranky passengers and an engine that won’t start? Or an outboard motor not running at full power? At that point, you need a plan. You’ve seen the bumper sticker: A bad day of boating is better than a good day at work. When your engine stops working properly, you should have a good idea what the problem is, even if you’re not able to fix it on the water. ![]()
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