blongfishing Posted February 9, 2015 Posted February 9, 2015 I have been having problems with my boat running. its a 1987 glasstream and it wont idle. I crank it and it cranks up pretty good but wont idle for nothing. When I finally get it running it only goes about 5 mph and really slow. We have cleaned the carbs and changed sparkplugs and everything but just cant seem to get it running. I took it out over the weekend and took it to my grandparents store because they work on boats so we installed my new trolling motor and it ran good at the shop. I just cant figure this out. Quote
Super User BrianinMD Posted February 9, 2015 Super User Posted February 9, 2015 Have the fuel lines been checked? Quote
Super User slonezp Posted February 10, 2015 Super User Posted February 10, 2015 Have the fuel lines been checked? X2 Being a 1987 if the lines are original, the ethanol gas has eaten them up by now Quote
Super User Sam Posted February 10, 2015 Super User Posted February 10, 2015 Fuel lines plus fuel pump. Check 'em both out. Quote
FloridaFishinFool Posted February 10, 2015 Posted February 10, 2015 All of the above plus run non-ethanol fuel if possible, use fuel stabilizer always, and I use the Sea Foam fuel additive which will actually dissolve any gum buildups from the tank to the spark plug and burn it out with the fuel. I have been running my Yamaha 4-stroke this way for 3 years with zero running problems. A lot of people don't realize that gas being a natural product made from organic matter at one time, once it is refined it immediately begins to chemically breakdown and separate. Fuel is really only good for about 30 days unless treated with a chemical stabilizer that will give you up 12 months of fuel chemical stability. When I first bought my Yamaha used, it had a similar problem. It would not idle, and when I revved it up it would almost stall and sometimes just shut down. After two trips out like this, the Sea Foam had finally begun to work dissolving gummy buildup in the carburetor and on my third trip out she ran like a bat out of hell and has been running great since. Sea Foam does work. If you follow the instructions, a double dose for cleaning, and a single dose for regular maintenance which is where I am at with it now. The ethanol (alcohol) in the fuel could be causing problems... it also attracts water into the tank if left sitting for a while. You might try dumping old fuel and trying new fuel with Sea Foam additive and run it and see if it does not clear up soon. I forgot to mention, being here in central Florida I don't winterize my outboard motor. Some people let their motor sit unused for months at a time due to being in a colder climate, but here I run my outboard at a minimum at least every 2 weeks even if it is just backing it out of the garage and running it in the driveway for 5 or 10 minutes. One thing I can be sure of though doing it this way, she is ready to run when I can take her out. Quote
blongfishing Posted February 10, 2015 Author Posted February 10, 2015 Thanks guys just got a text and they said to bring it in and they are gonna check the fuel line and fuel pump. Quote
BaitMonkey1984 Posted February 10, 2015 Posted February 10, 2015 Ditto on the above. Sounds like a gummed up carb/intake/fuel line problem. One additional thing is to check the fuel lines for crack and all connection for a secure fit. I had a similar problem and the fuel line wasn't air tight and that caused the issues. Best of luck- boats can be a pain at time. Quote
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