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The Boat Doctor
Q&A
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xASK THE MASSES Go to boatingmag.com/forums to ask fellow boaters
your questions or to answer theirs.By Michael “Mick” Hannock
Cable Outage
[ Q ] Boat Doc, I have a 1986 Wellcraft
American 190 with a MerCruiser 170 Alpha
One. I had the drive and cables replaced last
year. I can run the boat at approximately
3,000 rpm for 20 to 40 minutes before coming
to a full stop. I put the transmission in neutral
and turn off the ignition. If I do this two or
three times when cruising between fishing
holes, nothing happens when I attempt to
restart the engine.
The gauge shows volts at approximately 12
to 13. I have a new deep-cycle battery with less
than 10 hours on it as well as a second battery
with less than 100 hours. When the engine is
running and the boat is running 3,000 rpm, the
volts show 14 to 16.
If I play with the shift/throttle, sometimes it
will restart. If it doesn’t, I turn off the battery
switches, wait 10 to 15 minutes, and it starts
right up. What is causing this and how can I fix
it? The battery connections have all been triple
checked. I have inspected the ignition wiring
and found no breaks or worn insulation.
CHRIS
Via email[ A ] There’s a momentary ignition pause
switch that basically shorts the coil and takes
the preload off the clutch so it can shift the
transmission. When the technicians replaced
the drive and the shift cable, they left too
much play in the cable. That’s why it starts
intermittently when the shift lever is wiggled. It
should be adjusted so that there is no more than(^3) / 8 inch of play in the cable, which is located on
top of the motor.
Reader’s Tip
[ Q ] Several months ago, you published a
question from a reader whose carpet backing in
his Chaparral boat was disintegrating (“Carpet
Bagged,” March 2015). You recommended that
the reader buy new carpet. I had the same issue
LED lights are
in use aboard
boats and trailers
more than ever.
If an LED light
fi xture fails, you
may not be able
to troubleshoot
it with your
multimeter using
the common
continuity test.
Remember, LED
stands for light-
emitting diode.
You may need a
meter that has
a diode function.
— Kevin Falvey
with my 2005 Chaparral 210 STi (which I
love, by the way). I sprayed two thick coats
of Flex Seal on the back of the carpet, and
it has worked beautifully. Total investment
was 20 minutes and $50.
CRAIG HARTLINE
Tucker, Georgia
[ A ] Thanks. Now if Flex Seal would just
work on its commercials ...
Too Cool
[ Q ] Dear Mick, I have a 2012 Sea Ray 210
SLX with a MerCruiser 5.0L MPI Bravo
Three that has about 50 hours on it. The
boat warms to operating temperatures
normally, and then the gauge drops to
below 100 degrees. This happens on the
analog and SmartCraft digital gauges. If
it idles or cruises at no-wake speed for
a while, it will slowly warm up to about
145 degrees, but as soon as I add rpm, the
temperature drops.
My initial thought was that it was
the thermostat, so I replaced it — twice
— just to make sure the new one wasn’t
bad. Next, I did the impeller, which I
would have done anyway for regular
maintenance. After speaking with a
marine tech, I replaced the sender in
the thermostat housing. No change. I
have used an infrared gun to check
the temperature of the intake, risers,
thermostat housing, hoses and engine
block. All seem to read in the 135- to
165-degree range. I did notice the water
in the exhaust was only lukewarm when
running on muffs in the driveway.
ROCKY DEHMLOW
Shakopee, Minnesota
[ A ] Believe it or not, I would check the
thermostat again but focus on the cork
circular gasket. If it’s in the wrong position,
the thermostat can’t touch the housing,
and it won’t get warm enough to close,
resulting in the engine always running
below temperature. PHOTO: COURTESY WEST MARINE
34 BOATINGMAG.COM APRIL 2016