Help please, boat wont run

Hey,
I am having problems getting my boat to run. I took it to the lake today and could not get it to work. It wont turn on. It turns over just fine. I found out that if I give it some throttle when I start it, it will turn on and run but as soon as I go to put it back into neutral, the rpms drop to about 400, much lower than they normally do, the battery voltage drops down to about 11, and the boat sputters and dies. I thought that it might be a non-charged battery but I charged it with a charger and although it ran and started a little better, it still did not work right. If you have any ideas on what could be causing this, I am all ears and would really appreciate it. I thought it might be bad fuel but I am not sure. I had it winterized last fall before I put it away, and I think fuel stabilizer was put in it? Please help, I hope to get out to the lake tomorrow afternoon, so I am hoping to get it fixed fast. Sorry for the long post.
Thanks for all your help,
Jimmy Dager

Sorry, I am an idiot. My boat is a 97 bayliner with a 90 horse mercury engine. Hopefully that will help some. Also, this is the first time on the water and I am getting a lot of black smoke, it was fogged so I know some came from that but this is a ton. Hope this helps.
thanks,
Jimmy Dager

maybe old crappy gas. Wrong gas/oil mix? Might need a carb adjustment. Fouled, rusty or bad plugs

(Message edited by colorider on May 03, 2005)

If your rpm's are dropping too low, try adjusting the fast idle cam screw. Turning the screw in will increase the throttle during idling- might be a quick fix. Also, check to make sure your choke is operating properly. A long winter may have gummed something up and could be starving your carb. If none of this helps then I'd start checking your electrical system.

Hey,
I am dumb founded working on these engines. could you please explain how to adjust the screw and how to check the choke?
Thanks,
Jimmy Dager

anyone else?

If it ran good before you put it away last year, then I would think it could be the fuel, if you are not sure if stabilizer was added. If not then it could be the carb out of adjustment or just needs a good cleaning which is a pretty easy fix, I suggest a engine manual for that engine it will cover pretty much anything you would like to know.

Jimmy. I would invest the 24 buck in a Clymer manual for your boat.

It will show, step by step, maintenance and tuning.

One other thing to check is the bulb. If the bulb is not soft enough, you will have a restricted fuel flow.

Your engine is running too rich, Possibly the choke needs adjusted but more than likely The carb needs to be cleaned and possible rebuilt depending on its condition. I had this same problem last year, however my boat had fuel injection. It endded up being the electronic fuel pressure assembly, the float in it was stuck and was pouring gas into the throttle bodies as if the boat were being ran wide open.(Too much fuel pressure) Had the exact same symtoms as your boat though. Aslo I wouldn't recommend to start adjusting the carb, unless you fully understand how they work. It will end up completely out of tune, and will be more expensive to fix later. For what its worth hope this helps.