B!@#$% Plastic Bag

[Luc]

This morning while traveling to my favorite Redcliffe reef, on one of my regular glance at the telltale, I notice is was spluttering (appeared to include steam).:o

So emergency stop, lift leg up and plastic bag (large bait bag) wrapped around the leg covering the water intakes. Would just looove to find the grub.>:(

As the overheat alarm/auto rev reduction had not activated, after a few minutes I hit the starter button. Engine started straight away & following a few seconds of spluttering from the exhaust & telltale, everything settled down.:P

I let it idle for around ten minutes, put into forward and slowly build up the revs. There was a bit of missing and surging then the revs came on smoothly to max speed.

Had no problems for the rest of the morning other than some missing when I hit the revs to get on the plane and a bit of rough idling. Engine is a 25/4 yamaha 5 years old with the most recent service about 3 weeks ago. Other than the first 2 years under warranty, I do the annual service myself.

I will fit a new impeller as I feel it got some damage. The flow from the telltale does not seem as strong as before the plastic wrapup.

Should I also change the plugs
check the fuel system
get an outboard mech to look at it

Luc

PS other than a couple of bullies (bonito as bait) I skunked out.:-[

[maxwellson]

bloody plastic !!!
if it were me mate id be getting it checked just to put my mind at ease....

Max

[trueblue]

I absolutely hate plastic. My mrs gets the sh!ts because I often stop in the bay and ask her to fish plastic out of the water with the gaff.

I'd agree that you need to pull the impellor, and you may also have to change the housing. Often when the pump gets starved it 'burns' the tips of the impellor and this damages the housing as well. Change them both.

As far as the spluttering goes, not sure why it would do that. If you trust your engine temperature alarm then you shouldn't have any problem with the engine.

Cheers

Mick

[Roughasguts]

Yeah change the water pump housing Etc.

But the sputtering Hmmm, maybe she's done a head gaskett. Check the plugs, see if there nice and clean, the one that's been spluttering will possibly be cleaner from the water getting through the head gaskett and steam cleaning the plug.
If unsure pull the plugs and look for the piston with the cleanest top do that with a torch, if you see a piston with less carbon build up then Ouch, that be the one.

Might just pay to get a new head gaskett anyway.

[Luc]

Hi all,

Thanks for the advice.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to have a look at the water pump until the weekend.
Have got impeller/impeller housing/water pump kit lined up depending on what I find.

Roughasgust, other than the little bit of spluttering when I first restarted the engine, it hasn't happened again. There was only the occasional missing at idle and when I powered up to get on the plane.

I'll do the spark plug/top of cylinder inspection but it may not be of any use. I've always used a fuel supplement and carbon built up is virtually non-existant.

Luc

[trueblue]

The spluttering may have just been from just the hot engine. If your engine alarms are working properly, and they didn't go to alarm, you would have to assume that it was just slightly overheated, but not to the damage level. If that was the case, it would be expected that it would have settled back to normal as soon as it cooled down properly.

Cheers

Mick

[finga]

I hate plastic bags. That happened to us when I was a little kid in my dads boat and have never forgotten. Every bit of crap we see in the water we pick up. The cooks pretty good on the gaff and handy with the landing net now though :)

[bigjimg]

Hi Luc
Mate all good advice there,the plugs may have overheated cathode,can't tell by looking at them just replace without question. Jim

[Shanoss]

The good news is: When we have all run out of oil, then we can all say goodbye to the placcy bags.

[FNQCairns]

Luc, IMO if your horn does work, I would consider plugs also as the cause for the stumble, look forward to hearing about what you find.

Shanoss I noticed on Futurama that when Fry needed fossil fuel to get the Combi running they were able to use a (then) common renewable oil substitiute. :)

Suspect plastic bags could also be made from it!

I think Futurama is a great insight into what the world is to become, pretty much if futurama cannot backup what the nightlynews tells me I find it hard to believe.

snoo snoo

cheers fnq

[Luc]

Have finally had some time to look at the water pump.

Impeller looks fine, no funny marks or distortions.

The rest of the water pump assembly looks fine, no wear marks distortions etc.

In any case, I'll replace the impeller and keep the old one as a spre.

I'll also replace the spark plugs ready for the Easter break.

Any recommendation on particular spark plugs?

Luc

[Phoenix]

I hate plastic bags....

[SgBFish]

Luc was that you with the centre consol off Margate?

I also had plastic bags. Someone come up with a better way to package bait.

Scott

[Luc]

Hi Scott,

No mate, I've got a tiller steer and have not been on the water in it for 3 weeks or so.

There are biodegradable plastic bags but using them is not compulsory.

That plastic costs somewhat more than regular plastic so anyone using it has a price disadvantage.

Luc

[Scalem]

Plastic bags!! I went past one last trip and turned around to try find it again, but couldn't, it had been floating for so long it was covered in algae so it was difficult to see. I hope it wasn't that bag that you found:-[

Whenever that happens, I would wait for a while till the motor cools down a fair bit before starting again. I imagine it is similar to an overheating car. Too many people fill the radiator with cold water without the motor running, which causes a rapid cooling of metal in the motor. But I guess there's preventions in a Marine engine, so you SHOULD be fine.

Scalem

[Dignity]

luc, fishing the pin bar a couple of weeks ago on an incoming tide and caught a few plastic bags on the line. It sure is becoming a problem. As for your other problem have you checked the alarm to make sure it works, have done it once, needed to short it out to make sure it was working. If you have reduced water pressure and the impeller is fine there could be build up of salt and corrosion in other places. Check your thermostat as it probably is full of crud.