Help me Boat Guru's......

[Skee]

My Buddy at work just bought this 1990 22' Warlock Tunnel...383 Stroker Motor,Alpha One outdrive with upgraded gears to match the standards of the Bravo 1....Has a prop with number's HC-CL24 0-IV I.......Anyway,whats happening is the boat has absolutely "normal" throttle response before putting in gear...I mean he can rev it to 5000/5500 RPM's.......Once he drops it in gear...he says the boat will not go fast at all (not sure what he means by that,I was not there) but he says....Full throttle he is only able to get about 2000 rpm"s outta the boat and obviously not alotta speed....I'm a Jet boater so I have no idea...Can you guy's help me out....I know you guys are the best So help me help him would ya?:skull

 

[stickman07]

Problem 1, small block. Problem 2, outdrive. He obviously needs a BIG BLOCK JET......

 

[Skee]

Problem 1, small block. Problem 2, outdrive. He obviously needs a BIG BLOCK JET......

Problem one...The boat was built with a small block.....Problem two.....I think the boat needs the "outdrive".......Problem 3.....I was hoping for some serious help here...But I guess maybe I'm not in the "clique" of RDP Peeps.. :headscratch:....Hopefully as more People read this I may get more help......

 

[Letzgo]

Sounds to me like something is to tight in his out drive. if the prop is a 24 pitch he should be able to turn it over 4500 easily. First thing to do is confirm prop size and maybe a hose test to see if it's resistence from prop in water or out drive grear. i would'nt reve it up on the hose too much but you'll know right away if there's a problem. Good luck

 

[Outnumbered]

I'm not sure if the Alpha has it but some OD's have a shift interrupter switch that retards the ignition when shifting into gear to slow the motor and ease the transition. It is likely that this switch needs adjusting or replacement. I believe you can also disable it. This is the first place I would look.

Of course, this assumes he is not way over propped. In that case, he needs a lower pitch prop.

 

[Outnumbered]

Apparently, the Alpha does use the switch...

http://www.sterndrives.com/shiftinteruptorswitchkits.html

 

[RiverDave]

Going to need more information Skee.. What is happening at 2000 RPM? Is it just overloaded? or is it sputtering? Stalling?

RD

 

[obnoxious001]

My Buddy at work just bought this 1990 22' Warlock Tunnel...383 Stroker Motor,Alpha One outdrive with upgraded gears to match the standards of the Bravo 1....Has a prop with number's HC-CL24 0-IV I.......Anyway,whats happening is the boat has absolutely "normal" throttle response before putting in gear...I mean he can rev it to 5000/5500 RPM's.......Once he drops it in gear...he says the boat will not go fast at all (not sure what he means by that,I was not there) but he says....Full throttle he is only able to get about 2000 rpm"s outta the boat and obviously not alotta speed....I'm a Jet boater so I have no idea...Can you guy's help me out....I know you guys are the best So help me help him would ya?:skull

Couple of ideas, but I have never personally dealt with an Alpha drive.

Drain some of the drive oil and look for debris?

Pull the spark plugs,, turn the engine over by hand,, then put the drive in gear and see how much the load increases on the wrench.

 

[bigmike58]

That prop is a hydromotive 4 blade 24p...which should work fine for that boat..it's not the prop that's bogging the boat..

 

[No Butt No Putt]

Sounds like the motor was not built for a boat. It can not handle the load that is being put on it.

 

[BajaMike]

That prop is a hydromotive 4 blade 24p...which should work fine for that boat..it's not the prop that's bogging the boat..

I think its the prop, he should try a 3 blade 22 or 20 prop. He will really damage the engine if he is that much over-propped and he's pushing it and only getting 2000 rpms.

He will also really damage the engine if he is reving it to 5000 rpms in neutral (no load) for more than a few seconds.

Try a smaller prop, it can't hurt and he could get an aluminum 20 or 22 for about $60.

 

[BajaMike]

It could also be the plug wires have been put on in the wrong order. I have had this happen twice after a 100 hour service.

The boat would appear to run fine on the hose and at idle, but under load it couldn't even get on plane.


:headscratch:

 

[Terminal Velocity]

I'd put a timing light on it. If not enough total timing it wont get out of it's own way under load.

 

[OCMerrill]

A small block with an Alpha, This thread will kick me in the balls several times before the day is over.


Like Terminal Velocity said I would check for timing advance and a good strong acceleratror pump in the carb 1st. Adjustable timing light and look for at least 30* all in by around 3500 RPM or so. A look in the carb as the throttle is pumped (engine off) and just make sure you get a good squirt of fuel and your basics are covered.

If so then prop down to a 21 and see how she goes. Also hammering hole shots with that Alpha will give it a short life.

 

[OCMerrill]

It could also be the plug wires have been put on in the wrong order. I have had this happen twice after a 100 hour service.

The boat would appear to run fine on the hose and at idle, but under load it couldn't even get on plane.


:headscratch:

:thumbsup Yep 1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2

 

[460]

A small block with an Alpha, This thread will kick me in the balls several times before the day is over.


Like Terminal Velocity said I would check for timing advance and a good strong acceleratror pump in the carb 1st. Adjustable timing light and look for at least 30* all in by around 3500 RPM or so. A look in the carb as the throttle is pumped (engine off) and just make sure you get a good squirt of fuel and your basics are covered.

If so then prop down to a 21 and see how she goes. Also hammering hole shots with that Alpha will give it a short life.

Mic check one two one two. What makes it even worse is he is running. Has to sting a bit eh?

 

[OCMerrill]

Mic check one two one two. What makes it even worse is he is running. Has to sting a bit eh?

I see you made it to work this morning.

 

[460]

I see you made it to work this morning.

arty2:arty2:

 

[DaveC]

Lets not get all carried away buying shit just yet.

Make sure the motor is running OK. Just because something is idling doesn't mean its gonna run under a load.

Start with the basics first, Fuel and ignition.

Is the fuel bad? How old is it? did he just buy this boat and was the fuel sitting around for years? Pull a sample of fuel before doing anything. Fuel goes bad sitting around and makes the boat run like shit when under a load but still have a decent idle. If the fuel is old don't expect the boat to run under a load. Get rid of the old buy some new.

If fuel is good check spark, plugs, firing order and ignition.

Then start poking around carb.

 

[rivermobster]

Problem one...The boat was built with a small block.....Problem two.....I think the boat needs the "outdrive".......Problem 3.....I was hoping for some serious help here...But I guess maybe I'm not in the "clique" of RDP Peeps.. :headscratch:....Hopefully as more People read this I may get more help......

dude, your a tech! you know its almost impossible to diagnoise this way.

could be all kinna stuff. have you even been in the boat yet?? you'll prolly figure it out in 5min. :thumbsup

 

[DaveC]

Serious help here. LOL

Problem one...The boat was built with a small block.....Problem two.....I think the boat needs the "outdrive".......Problem 3.....I was hoping for some serious help here...But I guess maybe I'm not in the "clique" of RDP Peeps.. :headscratch:....Hopefully as more People read this I may get more help......

BTW, O/D's have gears n shiat so that part is easy. The good thing is they either work or they don't. None of this horse shit half broken stuff. The problem is when they don't work, the gears n shiat are broken and require tons of $$.

Was the drive changed? Then there are only two issues, correct gear and correct prop pitch. Either way they boat should run if both are close, just have either too much or not enough RPM but within somewhat an acceptable RPM range. If the gears and prop are way off then there could be a problem.

It sounds like motors issues. But who knows?:headscratch:

 

[Caydens Cat]

Check for vacuum leak? I had a bad gasket under the carb and it had a similar symptom. Under load it pulled air and sputtered.

 

[stickman07]

Problem one...The boat was built with a small block.....Problem two.....I think the boat needs the "outdrive".......Problem 3.....I was hoping for some serious help here...But I guess maybe I'm not in the "clique" of RDP Peeps.. :headscratch:....Hopefully as more People read this I may get more help......

SKEE, my appologies. Just saw to opprotunity for a Jet guy to poke back a little at the whacker, outdrive & v-drive crowd for all the crap we get about jets. All in fun & everyone on here is in the clique I thought. That's why were all here. No offense meant, and hope none was taken. Good luck figuring out the issue.

 

[Skee]

SKEE, my appologies. Just saw to opprotunity for a Jet guy to poke back a little at the whacker, outdrive & v-drive crowd for all the crap we get about jets. All in fun & everyone on here is in the clique I thought. That's why were all here. No offense meant, and hope none was taken. Good luck figuring out the issue.

It's all good Brother...No apology needed! I to am Jet Boat owner and proud of it! Anyway..First of all to Rivermobster...I'm a tech but I know nothing about outdrives..never had one So...I have not been in the boat nor have I even seen it...But he SAY'S the boat runs fine,no rough idle,the fuel and filters are new,he just told me that it'll run up to about 2 grand full throttle when put in gear,but when not in gear in the water it'll have normal throttle response....seems it's only when it's under a load it has this issue...I think I will have him check interrupter switch? or whatever it was called earlier in the thread( I gotta go back and read it) Anyway...Thank's to all of you for your Idea's and responses...I will get back to this thread when He/We get it figured out...Lotta good idea's...now it's time for him to take me for a ride so I can get a better idea of what's really happening....Thank's Guy! :thumbsup

 

[Outdrive1]

All Alphas use the shift interupter, problem is when they stick they usually stall. Not saying it isn't possible, just not probable.

If the drive is creating so much resistance because it's bad, you will probably brake the coupler. Drives usually brake and lock up all together, not create resistance. Rusty gimbal bearings do however. Pull the drive and inspect it.

Check timing, most Mercruiser stuff starts at 8, and does not exceed 28 degrees total advance. I wont set anything up to exceed 28 unless a motor builder recommends it for a specific motor. Timing will break a motor, burn a hole in a piston.

Does the ignition use points? The are notorious for making a motor run shitty.

Do you have the correct hub and thrust washer on the prop? If the prop is rubbing on the housing, there's your problem.

Just some ideas for you. Let us know what you find.


Sent from my fucking iPhone without the use of Flash

 

[Skee]

All Alphas use the shift interupter, problem is when they stick they usually stall. Not saying it isn't possible, just not probable.

If the drive is creating so much resistance because it's bad, you will probably brake the coupler. Drives usually brake and lock up all together, not create resistance. Rusty gimbal bearings do however. Pull the drive and inspect it.

Check timing, most Mercruiser stuff starts at 8, and does not exceed 28 degrees total advance. I wont set anything up to exceed 28 unless a motor builder recommends it for a specific motor. Timing will break a motor, burn a hole in a piston.

Does the ignition use points? The are notorious for making a motor run shitty.

Do you have the correct hub and thrust washer on the prop? If the prop is rubbing on the housing, there's your problem.

Just some ideas for you. Let us know what you find.


Sent from my fucking iPhone without the use of Flash

Apperantly he just had the outdrive serviced at a shop (don't know which one yet) and they didn't tell him about anything that may be bad...They serviced it,replaced the Impeller and said the outdrive was Ok...Also it has an MSD Ignition,no point's....Thank's Outdrive1....I guess I'm gonna have to go for a ride with him...this is his first boat....So I guess I need to go with him to find out a bit more exactly what is goin' on....I do know that he says the engine run's fine (no sputtering) in or out of gear,just loses it once he puts it in gear.....

 

[Outdrive1]

Apperantly he just had the outdrive serviced at a shop (don't know which one yet) and they didn't tell him about anything that may be bad...They serviced it,replaced the Impeller and said the outdrive was Ok...Also it has an MSD Ignition,no point's....Thank's Outdrive1....I guess I'm gonna have to go for a ride with him...this is his first boat....So I guess I need to go with him to find out a bit more exactly what is goin' on....I do know that he says the engine run's fine (no sputtering) in or out of gear,just loses it once he puts it in gear.....

Have him spin the prop by hand in neutral. Maybe they forgot the thrust washer in the service. It should spin freely.


Sent from my fucking iPhone without the use of Flash

 

[Fuel]

Sounds to me like a fuel delivery problem, fuel filter, pump or clogged line.

 

[Skee]

Have him spin the prop by hand in neutral. Maybe they forgot the thrust washer in the service. It should spin freely.


Sent from my fucking iPhone without the use of Flash

Will do,Thank's!:thumbsup As I said earlier in the thread,I have never owned an outdrive boat (well,I have and it was New,but it's long story,Voluntary repo:skull)..Anyway,I have never had to work on one so I don't know alot about them.....

 

[Yellowboat]

sounds like fuel to me too.

 

[Skee]

sounds like fuel to me too.

I will talk to him more on fuel issues....I know he said the boat sat for awhile (about a year,I think) but apparently the fuel was drained before sitting,so the fuel is new and he said he also put new sender's in the tanks and replaced,I believe 2 filter's.....I will find out more,cuz now my curiosity is gettin' me...Some Great Advice here...:thumbsup