Boat bogs down and then fine

[MHorn0817]

2011 Sea Ray 260 Sundancer with 350 mag mpi.

Short version...
Ride around for a bit, boat randomly bogs down and dies, fires back up and is fine rest of the day.


Long version...
Boat ran great last season, did the normal winterization, filters and fluids and all that good stuff expect I did not top off the tank. It was only half full, but I run marine 360 in the tank. Got everything ready for the season a few weeks ago, ran the boat on the muffs and everything was fine. Took the boat out the following day and put it in the water and it wouldn't start, then would run and die, then would run for a bit and die. I finally went and changed the fuel filter and the boat fired up and ran great all day.

Took the boat out the following weekend and rode around for a few hours with no issues except on the way back in. Was cruising around 3500 RPMs and out of nowhere the boat just bogged down. I threw it in neutral and it idled fine. I waited a minute and then went off again and no problems whatsoever.

Took the boat out on the weekend after that and about 20 minutes into the ride at 3500rpms, the boat bogged down and just died in the middle of the bay. I cranked it twice and it fired back up and ran great the rest of the day.

Does this sound/seem like moisture in the fuel tank? Should I swap in another fuel filter again? We have probably gone through about 60 gallons of gas so far. Any tips or advice would be great.

 

[hottoddie]

Sure sounds like contaminated fuel. I'd suggest 2 things. #1 check the o-ring on your fuel fill cap. A bad or missing o-ring will allow a lot of water into the fuel tank when it rains. #2 install a Racor fuel/water separator. Make sure it's the one approved for inboard engine installations. The Racor is much more effective at separating the water from the fuel. The Racor has a drain plug you can remove to check for water after or before each use.

 

[Golfman25]

How was the boat stored for the winter? Does sound like a fuel issue. Check what is in the filter when you change again.

 

[MHorn0817]

I'll double check the o ring. Is it a replaceable seal or do I have to buy a whole new gas cap?

I'll look into the racor as well, sounds like a good setup. Don't know why they don't have the normal water separation filter. Would there be anything besides narine360 I should add to the tank?

Boat was stored on my trailer, in my driveway, covered.

When I checked/changed the filter last time, it was dark but I didn't see anything abnormal in it.

 

[mrsrobinson]

If it's me I'm carrying a couple spare fuel filters and running the tank empty and starting from scratch with a fresh tank.

 

[MHorn0817]

The tank has been ran empty and added 1/2 of a tank and ran empty again and then had 1/3 of a a tank and ran close to empty currently.

 

[Wanderer 290]

Fuel pump may be sucking air. Check all fuel line connections between the pump and tank and verify the fuel filter is seated correctly snd tight.

 

[MHorn0817]

I'll be sure to double-check all the lines and I'll probably replace the fuel filter again.

I was going to purchase another fuel filter and then I also noticed online that they have a fuel filter disc. I don't remember seeing a disc in my housing but also don't think I looked that hard. Is there a disc at the bottom of the housing?

 

[spikedaddy99]

Throw some HEET in the gas for a first round try.

 

[Scott215]

I never let my boat get that low on fuel or run out of fuel Ever

 

[MHorn0817]

I thought I read somewhere that using Heet in our tanks wasn't a good idea, this was weeks ago and I'd have to go back and try to find it on Google again.

Usually try not to run the boat tank that low either, it was burning more fuel than I realized but it was because I realized the RPM gauge was reading about 700 RPMs less than what I was actually doing.

 

[MHorn0817]

I installed another new filter, including the bottom circle filter and it was worse today then it had been. Bogged down multiple times, as well as died multiple times. 1.5 hour ride and then sat for 3 hours and then 1 hour ride back with NO problems on the way back.

 

[MHorn0817]

I know I got a recommendation on adding a Racor fuel/water separator. I see there are many different kinds. I know I need a metal bowl for inboard and not a plastic. There are still a lot of options and I'm not sure which one to get.

I have also read adding a external filter might cause problems because it's adding a "restriction". Not sure how true, or if it's the case. I just need to figure this issue out. I added 50 gallons of fresh fuel with stabilizer and it was the worst it has ever been.

 

[scoflaw]

Instead of adding you should of been subtracting. Drain that tank and start fresh, water settles. eliminate that as the cause

 

[MHorn0817]

Okay, thank you.

 

[MHorn0817]

I'm going to have the tank drained and pumped out. Is gas station 87 or 89 okay to add back in the tank? Should I do anything beforehand?

 

[Nater Potater]

I'm going to have the tank drained and pumped out. Is gas station 87 or 89 okay to add back in the tank? Should I do anything beforehand?

Most pump gas contains some corn squeezings, so try to avoid that. 87 might be too low; check the owner's manual.