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Crusader Engine Sputters and Misfire

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Luce5050

New member
So I have a remanufactured 2003 crusader small block engine and it has 15 hrs on it. For a year now the engine when hitting a wave or turning left or right sputters and back fires.

So I have a great mechanic and we have done the following.
- cleaned all the grounds
- ran on external tank
- giggled all the ignition wires
- giggled all the harness wires
- checked wires for conductivity
- changed plugs and wires
-changed distributor and cap
- replaced high pressure fuel pump
- changed fuel filters, both
- replaced fuel vent

I got the boat back this week and took it for a spin it ran great gong straight. If I turn left or right the engine sputters and backfires. My mechanic went for an hour ride with the engine cover off, wiggling every wire, checking all ground, and we are stumped.. So I am looking for any help. This seems so odd that you turn and this happens we are just both stumped especially the mechanic.
 
Assuming the engine is fine mechanically, you need to determine what goes intermittent when the sputter/backfire occurs. it could be as simple as the power connector to the fuel pump being corroded...the turn induces force on the connector and the current is impeded - straighten out and the force goes away and the connector performs like normal...

when you "changed distributor and cap", were they replaced with "new" items? quality parts or economical parts?

Could also be one of the component grounds is not tight.

I'd expect the fix to be simple...the challenge will be to find and isolate the root cause.
 
The distributor and cap were replaced with OEM parts, so that checks out. Thats what weve been looking at. It's rhe oddest thing. Has to be something that is intermittent under load
 
I had one issue years ago that drove me nuts...

Had a gear overhauled during the winter haulout....put it all together and, once wet, the new gear had no forward or reverse...called the overhauler and said you need to fix this...he was down the next day and said he had a good idea what was wrong....I went to get lunch and he was all done when I returned...great, i was thinking...

took it out and got 5 miles from the dock and the same engine drops RPM....sporadically....after the third time, dropped it back to idle and popped the engine cover....running smooth as silk...scratched head and headed back. Halfway back, it does it again...back to the dock at 8 knots...

next day, got a couple extra hands and left the slip...about four miles out same sporadic RPM drop...had one set of hands take over the helm and popped engine box...and the RPM dropped again. Gent on the helms pulls the throttles back and I said no, put them back and keep going....next time it happened, I witnessed a tiny stream of coolant exit the heat exchanger at one of top fittings...the rpm dropped, the stream stopped and everything went back to normal. the stream hit the coil wire and dribbled down killing the spark. slowed the boat to idle and got a piece of cardboard, a knife and the gaffing tape...a few minutes later, the engine box was down and we ran back to the dock.

Turns out, the gear guy had put the gear's oil pump in upside down and just had to reverse it...my hunch is somewhere in the process, his 'slacker' son had stepped on the heat exchanger and cracked the joint....
 
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