RandallLeeHall
New member
I have a 1990 Brave GW Invader with a 4.3L 6 Alpha One with a 4bbl carb...bought last year. 2 weeks ago, it would not start after an afternoon on the water. The only thing I could see that was different was that the choke plate was flapping open...seemed that the spring mechanism that is supposed to hold it closed was not doing it's job so it was wide open. BTW, I am a motorcycle guy - not a boat guy - so please be patient 
Anyway, after I let it cool down (24 hours) it started fine so I pulled it out of the water. The carbs were nasty anyway so I cleaned em' and adjusted the spring so that it left the choke open a hair...seemed to run better that way. I ran it for a long time in the driveway...turn on and off a bunch of times. Thought it had it licked...put it back in the water and it was hard to start again and eventually died and will not idle. Seems to idle really really slow too. I've included a photo. You can see that the choke sits kind of open/loose. I'm not sure why it loosened up again. Should I adjust it tighter? Did I screw something up? Adjust mixture? Think I'm really dealing with vapor lock? Help please - I'm stuck.
Anyway, after I let it cool down (24 hours) it started fine so I pulled it out of the water. The carbs were nasty anyway so I cleaned em' and adjusted the spring so that it left the choke open a hair...seemed to run better that way. I ran it for a long time in the driveway...turn on and off a bunch of times. Thought it had it licked...put it back in the water and it was hard to start again and eventually died and will not idle. Seems to idle really really slow too. I've included a photo. You can see that the choke sits kind of open/loose. I'm not sure why it loosened up again. Should I adjust it tighter? Did I screw something up? Adjust mixture? Think I'm really dealing with vapor lock? Help please - I'm stuck.
