So, I’m in a bit of a tough spot. I have a boat in Russia that is having some motor problems. It’s located in a fairly small town and the local mechanics, for whatever reason, can’t be bothered to look into it. Therefore, it looks like I’m on my own if I want to fix it.
The motor is a 2004 two-stroke 50HETO built for the Japanese market. The motor has probably been neglected for the past few years.
Initially, the motor started normally without any problems. After a few uses, it has been getting more and more difficult to use for two or three reasons:
https://imgur.com/a/a2nUs1k
The motor has had a basic service which included cleaning the carburetors. This did not seem to make any noticeable changes.
After that, the fuel canister, fuel line/bulb, and fuel pump were replaced. This might have improved the performance, but it’s hard to say. After this was done, the motor ran great until I hit the small wake of another boat, upon which the motor began making the same knocking noise as in the video posted above.
Can anyone listen to the video and give me any idea about what might be wrong? I’m not familiar with outboards, but I think the only way to fix the problem is if I do it myself. Normally, I’d have a mechanic diagnose and fix the problem, but it doesn’t seem to be an option for me. Anything that might reasonably narrow down the potential problems would be excellent to hear.
At this point, I’m ready to take the motor apart and replace gaskets and possibly piston rings. What else might create this knocking noise?
The motor is a 2004 two-stroke 50HETO built for the Japanese market. The motor has probably been neglected for the past few years.
Initially, the motor started normally without any problems. After a few uses, it has been getting more and more difficult to use for two or three reasons:
- The motor has become more and more difficult to start. At this point, it will only start if fuel is blown directly into the carbs/air intake. Even then, it’s not easy.
- The motor was bogging down under load. I neglected to get a good RPM reading. Essentially, it would not produce anything over mid-range RPMs. However, one one occasion, this problem gradually vanished after 15 minutes and the motor worked as it should. During the last time on the water, the motor was running well until it bogged down and began producing the following problem:
- The motor began emitting a knocking sound at mid to high RPMs. Here is a video which is better than anything I can describe:
https://imgur.com/a/a2nUs1k
The motor has had a basic service which included cleaning the carburetors. This did not seem to make any noticeable changes.
After that, the fuel canister, fuel line/bulb, and fuel pump were replaced. This might have improved the performance, but it’s hard to say. After this was done, the motor ran great until I hit the small wake of another boat, upon which the motor began making the same knocking noise as in the video posted above.
Can anyone listen to the video and give me any idea about what might be wrong? I’m not familiar with outboards, but I think the only way to fix the problem is if I do it myself. Normally, I’d have a mechanic diagnose and fix the problem, but it doesn’t seem to be an option for me. Anything that might reasonably narrow down the potential problems would be excellent to hear.
At this point, I’m ready to take the motor apart and replace gaskets and possibly piston rings. What else might create this knocking noise?