2001 43 Volvo SX stern drive rough idle or no run

"Hello everyone, I just found

"Hello everyone, I just found the forum today. I'm hoping someone will shed some insight into my recent problem. I have a 2001 4.3 GL/SX Volvo/Penta motor that will not run at idle or runs extremely rough before dying. At 1/2 throttle or more, in neutral, it runs fine, but as soon as I back it off it runs rough or dies. The engine ran great last week, but I had it sit for a few days before taking it out again. It was dieseling a little, but I thought it was bad fuel. Now- When the engine runs there is a ton of black smoke, but it sounds fine at highter RPM. Any advice would be appreciated.

I did:
- replace fuel filter
- clean and reconnect air filter
- verify distributor is tight
- use Heet to suck up any water in fuel

Thanks!"

"To elaborate more, the thrott

"To elaborate more, the throttle body looks as though it's stuck about midway open. It does not fully close when the shifter is in neutral. Also, even after cutting off engine fuel continues to dump into the carb for a couple of seconds."

"First method of procedure wou

"First method of procedure would be to disconnect the throttle linkage so you can ensure that the throttle works "as it should".

Adjust the idle screws (both mechanical and fuel mixture if you have both, do not know your carb).

Check your oil level. Is the smoke black or blue(ish)? It could be leaky rings, but on such a new engine...
Or just an excessive amounts of oil in engine.

Also check the crankcase ventilation. If too much oil, it'll dump it into the carb..

OK, just a few off the cuff things I can think of late at night. Morten will liley have more."

"I need to get Your engine typ

"I need to get Your engine type correct as You mention both 'throtle body' which is GI (injection), and state You have a GL which is a carbed engine. Which one do You have?"

"Hey guys- yeah I screwed up o

"Hey guys- yeah I screwed up on the throttle body thing. It's the GL (carb engine) with the 2 barrel. The smoke is a blackish grey (much more black). The dip stick reads on the top of safe, but not over for oil.
As stated the butterfly is not closing all of the way when throttle is in neutral position. Do you think the choke may be sticking? Also, fuel seems to pour into the carb, for about 2 seconds, when I shut off the engine. There was some minor gunk in the way of the throttle linkage, but I've cleaned it up with WD40 sprayed on a cloth. I'm not sure where the idle adjust is. Should it be left (throttle linkage side) or right?
Thanks."

"I think You should start by o

"I think You should start by ordering a manual that gives a good description of Your carb. While waiting for that to arrive, take it completely appart! Note on a piece of paper ALL screw settings.mix:no of turns from bottom and out, etc. When cleaning, just do not blow away, but see if You may find something on Your way! You will probably need a new gasket kit,so order one before You start.
To me it sounds like Your carb is severly floding."

"Thanks guys. I'm in the p

"Thanks guys. I'm in the process of getting a repair manual. Being more of an electronics guy I'm a little nervous to tear into the thing, but we'll see what happens. I'll update when I either fix it or get it back from the shop."

Rebuild the carb 'cause th

Rebuild the carb 'cause the season's going fast (darn it).

Jeff

"I cleaned out the throttle li

"I cleaned out the throttle linkage again and all is well. I think there was enough water in the fuel to add to the dilemma. The butterfly is closing well again and boat is running fine. I also cleaned the spark arrestor pretty good, even though it wasn't in bad shape. I'm not very mechanical so the repair manual should be invaluable. Thanks guys!"

Glad it all worked out and you

Glad it all worked out and you did provide an update to the forum. Invaluable for those who run in to similar problems later on.

"I agree. With the very low nu

"I agree. With the very low number of hours (maybe 40) on the boat I couldn't believe a problem could arise so quickly. I've done basic maintenance over the last 5 years like oil, oil filter, fuel filter, spark plugs, and clean spark arrestor- but I don't know enough to adjust choke float, mess with idle much, or things like that. I will say that Channel Marine, which is my local shop, was nice and helpful over the phone when I called. Very pleasing. Thanks again."

"When you get your manual in h

"When you get your manual in hand, you'll realize that it is not rocket-science and with some basic skills, patience, and knowledge when to ask for help, you'll be able to do most of your work/maintenance yourself.
But, then it also come to time. Some people rather do other stuff and pay to have the work done, so they can focus on more interesting topic than boat maintenance."