Whaler Central - Boston Whaler Boat Information and Photos

Posted by gacto on 07/14/10 - 4:06 AM

'92 70hp Merc. Seems EVERY time I use the boat, the engine well looks like the Gulf at the end of the trip! Grease here, black oily runs there. When I shut down and tie up anywhere, I have a sheen behind the boat. Have to srub the well with degreaser as well as the transom after every trip. My brother says a friend with a Merc on his whaler had the same problem. I never ran a Merc before, always OMC products and NEVER had this. Thing is like an oil slinging dump truck engine!

Last weekend I tilted it up slightly to motor out through some shallow water, and had gas not running, but way more than a drip leaking from the front of the engine into the well. When I tilted the engine down all they way, it stopped. Is it the carb overflowing from the tilted engine? Do I live with it until I can swing new power? I plan to have the engine checked out, but have a 4 week wait with our area mechanic!

Posted by moose on 07/14/10 - 6:20 AM

Sounds like you definitely have either a loose connection or a carb that needs some work. Neither is even close to needing a repower in my opinion. That engine should last a long time. Pull the cowl and tilt it to see where the excess is coming from. It might be just a loose fitting. If it is the carb then a stuck float could be the culprit but probably a carb rebuild would be the best choice. Keep us posted.
Mike

Posted by DWinter on 07/14/10 - 7:31 AM

Sounds like a carb job is in order. Unfortunately, this time of year we are all stacked up with work. I'm backed up about 3 weeks also and I have 4 great techs working overtime.

Posted by gacto on 07/14/10 - 9:29 AM

Any ball park on what a car rebuild costs? Duane, I see your from Hampton, Va? I bought my boat from a guy in Gloucester/Hampton Road...is that near you? Beautiful area, long drive home though to NJ.

Posted by DWinter on 07/14/10 - 1:25 PM

gacto wrote:
Any ball park on what a car rebuild costs? Duane, I see your from Hampton, Va? I bought my boat from a guy in Gloucester/Hampton Road...is that near you? Beautiful area, long drive home though to NJ.

It's normally about 1.5 hours for first carb, and 1 hr per carb after that. Carb kits run anwhere for $30-90 per kit and most repair shops are around $100 per hour.

I actually live in Va Beach and commute to Hampton Bass Pro shops daily so you weren't too far from us. And thanks, It's a great area to live other than traffic. My parts mgr is from Glouchester, all her family have been watermen for a couple of generations.

Posted by gacto on 07/15/10 - 5:15 AM

My only questions about the cards is, the engine starts and runs great! Wouldn't I be having problems idling starting and such if it was the carbs? Just wondering...when they can get me in (at least a month or end of season) I plan to have the engine gone over completely.

Posted by DWinter on 07/15/10 - 10:28 AM

gacto wrote:
My only questions about the cards is, the engine starts and runs great! Wouldn't I be having problems idling starting and such if it was the carbs? Just wondering...when they can get me in (at least a month or end of season) I plan to have the engine gone over completely.

Normally yes, a rough idle is one of the earliest indications you'll see with carb issues. What rpm is the idle set at? Do the plugs show evidence that it's running too rich thereby leaving unburnt fuel/oil in the exhaust? Without having a chance to see the problem first hand, diagnosis is a little difficult