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Author Topic:   New 40hp Merc died

phochief posted 09-01-2002 12:53 AM ET (US)
Picked up our new 2003 13' Sport this morning and took her for a spin. This is my first BW and it rides really nice. With 3 kids and two adults onboard, it took about 10 seconds to get on plane. Everything went fine for about two hours and then the engine suddenly died. We had been cruising along and then I slowed down for a no wake zone. and 15 seconds later it died. It would crank fine, but wouldn't start. I checked everything I could (gas, kill switch, fuel line) but no luck. Had to hail SeaTow to pull us back to the dock. We immediately took it back to the dealer so now we'll be without our new boat the rest of Labor Day weekend (darn it). Any ideas what might have made this new 40hp Mercury engine die like that?
David
Steve Leone posted 09-01-2002 12:31 PM ET (US)
is it a two or four stroke outboard? steve
pglein posted 09-01-2002 02:30 PM ET (US)
poor quality control.
boxers posted 09-01-2002 09:05 PM ET (US)
plugs? ...if a 2 stroke. The break in mixture is usually much richer than the normal gas oil mix. It is not unusual to foul plugs due to to added oil content.
Clark Roberts posted 09-02-2002 06:51 AM ET (US)
Check the fuel line connector at engine (may not have been properly "clicked" into plage) and check the under cowling electrical harness connection. Happy Whalin'... clark..SCN
phochief posted 09-02-2002 11:51 PM ET (US)
1) It's a 2 stroke.
2) Yes, it was running on a high oil break-in mixture.
3) The fuel lines were clicked tightly in place. Didn't check the electrical harness.
I left the boat at the dealer to have a mechanic check it out. Please tell me the new Mercury 40hp's are normally dependable?
AnthonyT posted 09-03-2002 12:00 AM ET (US)
I had a similiar experience on my new 90 HP 2 stroke. It was the fisrt time running on my second tank. Brought the kids fishing for fluke doing the usual drift.
Went to restart the engine and nothing... To make a long story short, the fuel line clip didn't engage fully on the second tank.. Thank god for duel tanks... I dealt with the second tank when I got home....

AnthonyT
Bigshot posted 09-03-2002 09:37 AM ET (US)
Could be about anything....literally.
crashq posted 09-09-2002 05:22 PM ET (US)
It is likely to be either a lack of fuel or spark, but probably lack of fuel. In addition to the most likely causes (already noted in other posts), it could be the fuel tank vent being closed, or an improperly mounted primer bulb in the fuel line (check the archives for the lengthy posts on this subject). It would be really hard to diagnose without additional info.
Bigshot posted 09-10-2002 09:26 AM ET (US)
It is under warranty.....why diagnose. If he touches it he will screw himself out of the warranty.
SunnySouthFloridaWhaler posted 09-10-2002 12:16 PM ET (US)
This is yet another reason why God truly meant for oil to stay in the crankcase and out of the combustion chamber ...
SSFW
ledfoot posted 09-10-2002 01:19 PM ET (US)
like the old adage says
"black on the back means tow back"
jbtaz posted 09-10-2002 08:28 PM ET (US)
[L]et me guess ledfoot, you have a [Japanese motor] on the back of your boat.
ledfoot posted 09-11-2002 09:20 AM ET (US)
nice assumption;
I work for GM & have an Evinrude
T Party posted 09-11-2002 11:06 AM ET (US)
Some of the words used in the previous two posts will not be appreciated, for sure. [Since edited out--jimh.]
It's a family site, you see...
Let's keep out host happy by not resorting to crude or vulgar language in our discussions. Thanks.
jbtaz posted 09-11-2002 02:02 PM ET (US)
Oh, I see ledfoot, so let me get this correct, when my "black on back means tow back" Mercruiser (4.3LTR GM engine) has trouble I have you to thank??
Bigshot posted 09-11-2002 03:28 PM ET (US)
No.....you have yourself, your mechanic, and the wonderful engineers at Brunswick corp to thank. The engineers at GM did their job right. Up to the above to keep it going:)
jbtaz posted 09-11-2002 05:57 PM ET (US)
I'm tired of arguing about it and tired of smart comments about Mercury. Continue bashing Brunswick, Mercury and whomever else you hate, and keep boating in your "reliable" BW powered Fichts. It hurts being number 2 or number 3 and not number 1..I understand.
David Jenkins posted 09-11-2002 08:07 PM ET (US)
I'm glad that you are tired of arguing about it, jbtaz. I don't think that the comment that offended you was made because the poster "hated" Mercury or was envious of Mercury's number one position in outboard sales or because it "hurt" that the outboard on his boat was made by a company that was number two or three in sales. You did not offend him with you comment about Japanese motors (although that may have offended other readers). I think that that the poster was simply saying that although Mercury has historically had blazingly fast motors that are relatively inexpensive, the engines have had a reputation for needing repairs more than some of the other brands. That reputation may or may not be true, but we don't need to start acting like children or putting down the other fellow's engine to dispute it.
ledfoot posted 09-12-2002 12:44 PM ET (US)
Thanks for your insight, David. You are entirely correct. The comment was intended as a lighthearted stab at Merc, nothing more. I first heard the phrase "black on the back means tow back" from a 70 yr old Coast Gaurd Auxilliary volunteer, who had been boating in salt water for over 30 years, helping those in need out on the water in Sarasota, FL. I assume his comment was based on years of experience, watching who got towed in. By the way, this all-American guy, originally from Springfield, Ohio, bought a brand new 22 Revenge with a Saltwater 225 Yamaha back in 1989 and proceeded to put over 1600 trouble-free SALT water hours on the FIRST motor, which he then sold to a friend and bought another Yammer, which now has over 1000 hours on it.
Having worked in the R&D departments of both Honda and GM, I can assure you that the "japanese way" of meticulous engineering, while maybe not as emotional, CLEARLY results in a more refined, reliable product.
-Jeff
sorry about the "bad word"
jimh posted 09-12-2002 08:10 PM ET (US)
[Some posts in this thread have been edited to preserve our usual gentility--jimh]

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Author	Topic: New 40hp Merc died
phochief	posted 09-01-2002 12:53 AM ET (US) Picked up our new 2003 13' Sport this morning and took her for a spin. This is my first BW and it rides really nice. With 3 kids and two adults onboard, it took about 10 seconds to get on plane. Everything went fine for about two hours and then the engine suddenly died. We had been cruising along and then I slowed down for a no wake zone. and 15 seconds later it died. It would crank fine, but wouldn't start. I checked everything I could (gas, kill switch, fuel line) but no luck. Had to hail SeaTow to pull us back to the dock. We immediately took it back to the dealer so now we'll be without our new boat the rest of Labor Day weekend (darn it). Any ideas what might have made this new 40hp Mercury engine die like that? David
Steve Leone	posted 09-01-2002 12:31 PM ET (US) is it a two or four stroke outboard? steve
pglein	posted 09-01-2002 02:30 PM ET (US) poor quality control.
boxers	posted 09-01-2002 09:05 PM ET (US) plugs? ...if a 2 stroke. The break in mixture is usually much richer than the normal gas oil mix. It is not unusual to foul plugs due to to added oil content.
Clark Roberts	posted 09-02-2002 06:51 AM ET (US) Check the fuel line connector at engine (may not have been properly "clicked" into plage) and check the under cowling electrical harness connection. Happy Whalin'... clark..SCN
phochief	posted 09-02-2002 11:51 PM ET (US) 1) It's a 2 stroke. 2) Yes, it was running on a high oil break-in mixture. 3) The fuel lines were clicked tightly in place. Didn't check the electrical harness. I left the boat at the dealer to have a mechanic check it out. Please tell me the new Mercury 40hp's are normally dependable?
AnthonyT	posted 09-03-2002 12:00 AM ET (US) I had a similiar experience on my new 90 HP 2 stroke. It was the fisrt time running on my second tank. Brought the kids fishing for fluke doing the usual drift. Went to restart the engine and nothing... To make a long story short, the fuel line clip didn't engage fully on the second tank.. Thank god for duel tanks... I dealt with the second tank when I got home.... AnthonyT
Bigshot	posted 09-03-2002 09:37 AM ET (US) Could be about anything....literally.
crashq	posted 09-09-2002 05:22 PM ET (US) It is likely to be either a lack of fuel or spark, but probably lack of fuel. In addition to the most likely causes (already noted in other posts), it could be the fuel tank vent being closed, or an improperly mounted primer bulb in the fuel line (check the archives for the lengthy posts on this subject). It would be really hard to diagnose without additional info.
Bigshot	posted 09-10-2002 09:26 AM ET (US) It is under warranty.....why diagnose. If he touches it he will screw himself out of the warranty.
SunnySouthFloridaWhaler	posted 09-10-2002 12:16 PM ET (US) This is yet another reason why God truly meant for oil to stay in the crankcase and out of the combustion chamber ... SSFW
ledfoot	posted 09-10-2002 01:19 PM ET (US) like the old adage says "black on the back means tow back"
jbtaz	posted 09-10-2002 08:28 PM ET (US) [L]et me guess ledfoot, you have a [Japanese motor] on the back of your boat.
ledfoot	posted 09-11-2002 09:20 AM ET (US) nice assumption; I work for GM & have an Evinrude
T Party	posted 09-11-2002 11:06 AM ET (US) Some of the words used in the previous two posts will not be appreciated, for sure. [Since edited out--jimh.] It's a family site, you see... Let's keep out host happy by not resorting to crude or vulgar language in our discussions. Thanks.
jbtaz	posted 09-11-2002 02:02 PM ET (US) Oh, I see ledfoot, so let me get this correct, when my "black on back means tow back" Mercruiser (4.3LTR GM engine) has trouble I have you to thank??
Bigshot	posted 09-11-2002 03:28 PM ET (US) No.....you have yourself, your mechanic, and the wonderful engineers at Brunswick corp to thank. The engineers at GM did their job right. Up to the above to keep it going:)
jbtaz	posted 09-11-2002 05:57 PM ET (US) I'm tired of arguing about it and tired of smart comments about Mercury. Continue bashing Brunswick, Mercury and whomever else you hate, and keep boating in your "reliable" BW powered Fichts. It hurts being number 2 or number 3 and not number 1..I understand.
David Jenkins	posted 09-11-2002 08:07 PM ET (US) I'm glad that you are tired of arguing about it, jbtaz. I don't think that the comment that offended you was made because the poster "hated" Mercury or was envious of Mercury's number one position in outboard sales or because it "hurt" that the outboard on his boat was made by a company that was number two or three in sales. You did not offend him with you comment about Japanese motors (although that may have offended other readers). I think that that the poster was simply saying that although Mercury has historically had blazingly fast motors that are relatively inexpensive, the engines have had a reputation for needing repairs more than some of the other brands. That reputation may or may not be true, but we don't need to start acting like children or putting down the other fellow's engine to dispute it.
ledfoot	posted 09-12-2002 12:44 PM ET (US) Thanks for your insight, David. You are entirely correct. The comment was intended as a lighthearted stab at Merc, nothing more. I first heard the phrase "black on the back means tow back" from a 70 yr old Coast Gaurd Auxilliary volunteer, who had been boating in salt water for over 30 years, helping those in need out on the water in Sarasota, FL. I assume his comment was based on years of experience, watching who got towed in. By the way, this all-American guy, originally from Springfield, Ohio, bought a brand new 22 Revenge with a Saltwater 225 Yamaha back in 1989 and proceeded to put over 1600 trouble-free SALT water hours on the FIRST motor, which he then sold to a friend and bought another Yammer, which now has over 1000 hours on it. Having worked in the R&D departments of both Honda and GM, I can assure you that the "japanese way" of meticulous engineering, while maybe not as emotional, CLEARLY results in a more refined, reliable product. -Jeff sorry about the "bad word"
jimh	posted 09-12-2002 08:10 PM ET (US) [Some posts in this thread have been edited to preserve our usual gentility--jimh]