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Is my boat junk now?

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vintagejr

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Boat was out on the lake tonight and we were cruising wide open and went to adjust the trim on my alpha one drive. Bad news is, it wasn't the trim switch but the outdrive switch that was raised. Needless to say the boat stalled and wouldn't start and we needed a tow back to shore. Its out of the water now and won't start at all. It turns over but doesn't fire. What could the problem be? Am I totally screwed now? :(
 
kimcrwbr1 said:
Sounds like a tilt safety switch it shuts the ignition off when the drive is up too high the black gearbox guys will know what you need to do. Year and model number allways help for motor and drive.
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This is a 1987 Chris Craft Cavalier with the 140hp motor and alpha one drive. Where would this switch be located and does it need to be replaced or just reset?
 
trim switch raises and lowers the drive, trailer button raises it all the way.Neither one will affect the running or starting of the motor.
 
vintagejr said:
Boat was out on the lake tonight and we were cruising wide open and went to adjust the trim on my alpha one drive. Bad news is, it wasn't the trim switch but the outdrive switch that was raised. Needless to say the boat stalled and wouldn't start and we needed a tow back to shore. Its out of the water now and won't start at all. It turns over but doesn't fire. What could the problem be? Am I totally screwed now? :(
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vintagejr said:
This is a 1987 Chris Craft Cavalier with the 140hp motor and alpha one drive. Where would this switch be located and does it need to be replaced or just reset?
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Ayuh,..... None of this, makes a lick of sense,.... looks more like a troll post, than a boat problem,.....
 
bondo said:
Ayuh,..... None of this, makes a lick of sense,.... looks more like a troll post, than a boat problem,.....
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Nope. Not trolling. I have a powerboat, not a fishing boat. I've checked all the fuses and they all are good. I'm going to replace the plugs to see what that might do. The engine does crank, it just won't fire. Too much of this smells like an electrical issue. I'll keep working on it.
 
from the ign switch, the power might go thru the lanyard safety switch, then thru the harness to the coil on the purple wire.
Check for 12v at the coil first before you go replacing anything
 
I think I found the problem. After changing the spark plugs that looked a bit worn, I tried to start the motor again with no luck. So going down the list of electrical issues, I decided to check the condition of the distributor. Lo and behold, when I took the cap off I found the rotor broken in two pieces. I don't know what this would possibly have to do with raising the outdrive while roaring down the lake. But, I believe a rebuild kit is on its way to me now so I can swap out the old for new and get back on the water. Thanks everyone for the advice. This one really had me stumped. I've never heard of a rotor just breaking in pieces.
 
vintagejr said:
Nope. Not trolling. I have a powerboat, not a fishing boat. I've checked all the fuses and they all are good. I'm going to replace the plugs to see what that might do. The engine does crank, it just won't fire. Too much of this smells like an electrical issue. I'll keep working on it.
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Replace the plugs? NO!!...first, check for spark. Then work backwards.....the plugs didn't suddenly all go bad. Diagnose, then replace. Don't be a parts replacer....
 
vintagejr said:
Boat was out on the lake tonight and we were cruising wide open and went to adjust the trim on my alpha one drive. Bad news is, it wasn't the trim switch but the outdrive switch that was raised. Needless to say the boat stalled and wouldn't start and we needed a tow back to shore. Its out of the water now and won't start at all. It turns over but doesn't fire. What could the problem be? Am I totally screwed now? :(
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re: "and we were cruising wide open...."

Engine life at wide open throttle is measured in tens of hours... cruising @ 75% to 80% of WOT extends engine life into the thousands of hours.
 
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