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Ran out of gas, now the boat won't run ....

1stboat

1stboat

Regular Contributor
Yesterday my boat ran out of gas. After filling it up with about a quarter tank I attempted to get on plane and the engine surged a few times and then died. It did it a few times so I took the boat out of the water. A friend suggested the fuel filter may have sucked up something from the bottom of the tank. I changed the fuel filter and we headed out on the lake again. It started fine and idles without a problem. When I went to get on plane, it did the bucking thing again.

I know I have two throttle bodies. Does that mean I have a fuel injected engine or a carborated one?

Where should I start diagnosing the issue?
 
I've added a can of seafoam to try to clean the injectors out, but it didn't get any better.

I've also taken the injectors out to see if they're clogged, they don't appear to be. After that, I took the fuel line leading to the fuel filter out and put it in an external fuel can filled with fresh gas. I tried to start the engine and don't see the fuel injectors sqirting fuel. When I manually add gas to the throttle body, the engine starts them dies.

My conclusion is that something is clogged from the fuel filter to the injectors. I just hope it isn't one of the fuel pumps.

Will changing the fuel filter once or twice more help?
 
I've tried a couple other things ...

I bypassed the fuel filter by disconnecting the fuel hose leading into it from the bracket and removing the fuel filter. I then connected a fuel hose from and external tank directly into the nozzle the fuel filter screws into. Still no gas coming from the injectors.

After that I disconnected the metal fuel rail leading into the high pressure fuel pump from the low pressure fuel pump to see if gas would come out when cranking the engine. None did.

I can hear the fuel pump energize when I turn the key to the on position. However, I don't know if its the low or high pressure fuel pump energizing.
 
It looks like my low pressure fuel pump is the culprit. Following the steps in the selcoc manual, I applied 12 volts to the fuel pump and it does not energize. I called a couple of mechanics and told them all the steps I've done; they came to the same conclusion.

My VP fuel pump # is 3850810.
Sierra's corresponding fuel pump is 18-7331.
Mallory's is 9-35431.

... for those of you who also may need to replace your fuel pump in the future.
 
I replaced the fuel pump and it worked fine for about three hours. I went to put it up and I'll be damned if it didn't happen all over again. Grrr ....

I've taken the whole fuel system apart and can't see any restrictions. This is annoying.
 
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