6 replies to this topic

[AlabamaScott]

Alright, my first posting was regarding what to do about my engine not starting.... well i hit another brick wall... after the assumption that my starter was bad, you guys told me to pull the spark plugs and clear out the pistons... tried it.. after dumping hellacious amounts of green slime... ( guessing it was old oil and fuel ) my engine time and time again tried to start, making me realize my starter is fine... with the plugs pulled, my engine would turn over and over and over.. but never start ( of course cause the plugs were out) but as soon as i bolted them back in, the engine would revert back to the original problem, with one turn and then NOTHING.... it just wont turn over... it'll try for maybe two pumps of the pistons.. then NOTHING.... my new assumption is that the fuel injector??? might be bad, causing little or no gas to be sprayed in the mixture thereby making the spark not ignite causing the engine not to start??? plus when it was dumping tons of green goo out of the engine when the plugs were pulled, i noticed absolutley NO aroma of gasoline... I dont know if the scent is strong or not, but on the good engine, no green goo was deposited, and it smelled like gas... but on the bad one, tons of slime, and no gas??? Do you guys think its the injector?? Im dieing to know what could be wrong, because the closest shop to work on my boat is out of state, and the lake is perfect and calling my name, and i HAVE to get out on the water, and would love to jsut fix it myself.... but im turning to you guys for help, because the response time last time was excellent, and seems to me there are some pretty handy people apart of the website... so anyways just give me some ideas!!! scott

[tiggerman]

Alright, my first posting was regarding what to do about my engine not starting.... well i hit another brick wall... after the assumption that my starter was bad, you guys told me to pull the spark plugs and clear out the pistons... tried it.. after dumping hellacious amounts of green slime... ( guessing it was old oil and fuel ) my engine time and time again tried to start, making me realize my starter is fine... with the plugs pulled, my engine would turn over and over and over.. but never start ( of course cause the plugs were out) but as soon as i bolted them back in, the engine would revert back to the original problem, with one turn and then NOTHING.... it just wont turn over... it'll try for maybe two pumps of the pistons.. then NOTHING.... my new assumption is that the fuel injector??? might be bad, causing little or no gas to be sprayed in the mixture thereby making the spark not ignite causing the engine not to start??? plus when it was dumping tons of green goo out of the engine when the plugs were pulled, i noticed absolutley NO aroma of gasoline... I dont know if the scent is strong or not, but on the good engine, no green goo was deposited, and it smelled like gas... but on the bad one, tons of slime, and no gas??? Do you guys think its the injector?? Im dieing to know what could be wrong, because the closest shop to work on my boat is out of state, and the lake is perfect and calling my name, and i HAVE to get out on the water, and would love to jsut fix it myself.... but im turning to you guys for help, because the response time last time was excellent, and seems to me there are some pretty handy people apart of the website... so anyways just give me some ideas!!! scott

Green slime=old old =hydrolock. Sounds like you still didn't get all the oil out if it locks again when you put the plugs back in. Doo it again, and get a set of new plugs to put back once you are positive all the oil is out. With new plugs, empty cylinders, and some fresh gas, it ought to start. Don't give up yet.

[Aussie]

after dumping hellacious amounts of green slime...

Pore petrol into the cylinder and really flush it out, put some rags around cause it will spray everywhere, make sure it is well flushed before putting the plugs back in. Earth the plugs out on the special bracket or keep them well away, you dont want a spark and fire.
You could use maxsolve or wd40 or similar spray instead of fuel if your worried about it going everywhere. I usually spray half a can all over the engine bay and down the cylinders after each time i take her out.
Make sure your battery is charged, its a lot easier to crank without plugs in.........
Tiggerman is right dont give up.....

[tiggerman]

Really, nothing has to be used to clean this out, except the method described earlier. I don't recommend using gasoline for this just because it isn't safe and could result in fire. The oil willl eventually all come out- and once the engine does crank, the excess that may still be there will end up burning out through normal combustion..
What has happened is the contents of your oil tank have slowly run out into the crankcase. While you may have gotten the cylinders cleared once, the excess in the crankcase may have filled them back enough to lock the engine again (oil doesn't compress very well if at all). Worn crankshaft seals cause this on many 717 Rotax engines.
Aussie is correct- make sure you have a charged battery.

[Aussie]

Really, nothing has to be used to clean this out, except the method described earlier. I don't recommend using gasoline for this just because it isn't safe and could result in fire. The oil willl eventually all come out- and once the engine does crank, the excess that may still be there will end up burning out through normal combustion..
What has happened is the contents of your oil tank have slowly run out into the crankcase. While you may have gotten the cylinders cleared once, the excess in the crankcase may have filled them back enough to lock the engine again (oil doesn't compress very well if at all). Worn crankshaft seals cause this on many 717 Rotax engines.
Aussie is correct- make sure you have a charged battery.

Happy Cranking

[AlabamaScott]

Alright, sounds great, im glad that its as simple as yall make it sound, because its impossible to find a good mechanic around here... but ill take yalls advice, and see if i cant get this beast runnin... yall will hear back from me on sunday, because thats my only day off and im sure ill be out there fixing it that morning... but until then thanks for the prompt feedback... this website and its members kicks : !!!

thanks again guys,
scott

[AlabamaScott]

Oh yeh guys one more thing... i just htought about it... Is it OK for me to just sit there and hammer down on the start button letting it constantly try to turn over and over like that??? i mean wont the engine heat up?? or like wear out the starter or somthing?? should i hook the hose to keep it cool or what??

just curious, i dont want to fix one problem by causeing another..
scott