This is what happens: take boat out, run for a while (runs great), then cut off engine and anchor for 30 minutes or so to swim. Try to crank back up, engine fires immediately but sputters out. Repeated attempts to crank, same result. Let boat sit for 30 more minutes, cranks up and runs fine. This scenario has happened repeatedly. It seems as though the engine is flooding, then recovering after a sit. Sometimes also get “lost engine communication” message from idiot computer. Took the boat to dealership with this problem last year. After being charged an arm and a leg for test runs, diagnostics, etc…nothing has been fixed. Is this engine flooding, and if so, why?
If you have an EFI motor, you likely aren’t going to be flooding it like you can with a carb’ed motor. It could be an issue with wiring or a sensor module being affected by temperatures. It could be something very simple causing this issue that cannot be detected by running dianostics at the shop. I would unsnap any exposed engine wiring harness connections and clean them with electrical cleaner/protector. If you have a late model engine, you’ll have all sorts of sensors all over your engine with wiring harnesses running back and forth from sensor to control module to and fro. Also check any exposed wires for wear and corrosion. If it isn’t any of that stuff, you may want to get a second opinion from somewhere.
What engine and year model do you have?
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Luke 8:22-25
It’s an 05 or 06 MerCruiser engine. Thanks for the input Phin. Some friends have suggested that it might be overheating when we stop and the water stops flowing.
Does anyone know a local inboard/outboard service business that they believe to be good and fair?