b73 Evinrude Triumph 65 HP Problems running the engine after Stator replacement

" Hi,

This spring, I starte

" Hi,

This spring, I started getting the occasional shock from my boat anytime I touched any grounded metal. I found it was the stator, which was starting to arc against the flywheel. After replacing the stator and spark plugs this weekend (fowled, didn't know the last time they were changed), I was able to start the engine out of the water. I wasn't using mufflers, so shut down the engine very quickly, so wasn't able to test the idle.

Anyways, to make a long story short, when I relaunched the boat, the engine would cough, sometimes start, idle rough, but never keep running. Raising the prop out of the water allows me to start the engine, but as soon as I drop the prop back into the water, it starts idling rough again, then dies after a minute or two. One thing that I've noticed is that the engine seems to be going rich (The vent tube connected from the carb cover to the crankcase whizzes fuel like crazy).

Also, I am getting a trickle of water running down the sides of the engine, but not out of any port hole that I can see. There are two ports just below the powerhead at the back, but I've never seen anything come out of them. Is there something wrong with the cooling system? "

"Wayne... What you refer to as

"Wayne... What you refer to as a carb vent is actually a drain for excess fuel to be drained down into the lower main bearing area. The water you see trickling down the outside of the engine. If that trickle is coming from the forward section of the exhaust housing under the powerhead pan... it would be coming out of the driveshaft water relief hole. If that hole wasn't there, the water pump would force water up the driveshaft tube and up against the lower main bearing seal area (not a good idea).

The two ports in back just under the powerhead are also water relief holes. Notice when you slow the boat down, and the water comes rolling up to the boat... it is also rolling up beneath the surface, and into the exhaust hole in the prop, and up into the exhaust housing. If those two ports weren't there, the water would enter the lower cylinder (also not a good idea). I know that there are some engines whereas the water is flowing out those ports constantly, but that's just a matter of how good the inner portions of that housing are sealed. Don't be concerned about that.

The fact that you see a great deal of fuel flowing out of that carb face plate drain leads me to believe that you have a least one carburetor flooding out. Take the carburetor face plate off so that you can see what those carbs are doing.

Many boaters think that the engine is running fine on a flushette but not in the water. However, what is happening is that the engine is not running right under either circumstances. It just seems that way as there is absolutely no back pressure on the engine via a flushette.

Be sure to check the compression, and the igniton should be able to jump a 7/16" gap with the s/plugs out. Let us know what you find. Check your heat warning system... at the cyl head, there's a tan wire with a rubber boot insulator. Have the ignition key on and then slide back that rubber boot which exposes a metal knife connector. Ground that connector to the block. That will complete the overheat warning circuit which should engage your warning horn. If that horn doesn't sound off, find out why as that's the only overheat warning you have.

Joe "