stabilizer in fuel
 

Winterizing my boat today. I have a 496ho. I put some stabilizer in my fuel tank. Not sure if I put the exact recomended amout based on my fuel gage not giving my an accurate reading. I put the muffs on and started the motor to heat the oil up for the oil change. The motor ran great for about 4 minutes. Then it started sputtering and eventually would shut off. I tried reving the motor and it would just stall it. Evenually it would not turn over at all. Is it possible I put to much stabil in the tank? Just trying to figure out what I might be getting into here.

I have never had trouble with it. I know I put atleast twice what was needed in my tank last year. The motors ran great in the srping, but I have never run the boat right after putting the stabil in.

I may be wrong, but I'd find it hard to believe you started having these problems due to stabilizer. Let's say even if you doubled the amount that was required, I cannot see it causing these issues. Anytime you add stabilizer to any vehicle, you should run it so it makes it's way through the whole system.

Boat on the trailer???you might not have enough gas in the tank...

I even went over and put 20 gallons of gas in it just incase and it still would not fire. The only time I had something simmilar to this happening before I had to replace the air idler regulator. The motor is still under warranty so I may have to drop it off at the dealer.

May have had some water in your fuel from condensation.

That would be my guess as well. I had this same problem a couple of months ago. Ethanol gas attracts water and it can also mess up your fuel lines, clog injectors, and your fuel pumps if left in there long enough. How old was the gas before you put the stabilizer in it? They say that ethanol starts to separate from the gas after 30 days. Once it separates there is no fixing it, you have to drain it. I put the stabilizer in my tank right before I put fuel in.

I'd drain your tank, change your fuel filter, and put premium fuel in it the next a few times just incase there's a little sludge in there from the bad gas. Hopefully that will fix your problem. It worked for me.

IDK about gas going bad that fast. I have not run my boat since the middle of July. Both motors fired up and ran no problems. Ran them both for about 1/2 hour to get them warm so I could run antifreeze through them.

I think it's coincidental timing. These boats hold enough fuel that I doubt even a few gallons of stabilizer would cause that.

Try to use one of the stabilizers that treats ethanol issues also, like Startron.

The fuel in the boat was in there from about 2 weeks ago so I dont think it would be to old, plus it had a little stabil in then and ran fine. I looked at the 496 manual and the symptoms seemed to have narrowed it down to the air idler control sensor. It seems like a simple fix since its just under the motor cover. I had this problem on my old baja and it was acting the same way. The good news is the motor is under warranty. I guess well have to see when I drop it off this week.

Before the motor stalled where you getting any alarms? Does your alarm sound when you turn the key? Do you have any way to get the motor scanned?

I don't think the IAC would stop the motor from starting. It will idle rough but it will start.

I doubt your problem is the stabilizer either. This time of year, I never know when my last boat ride will be. So, around mid - October I add stabil to any gas I add till the end of the season. Which is usually mid November.

BTW, you will get more traffic on your thread in the tech section. This is really sounds like a Merc issue, not specific to Baja.

Is the boat flat when you are trying to do this??

Try pitching the nose up and see if maybe the angle is causing the fuel to be away from the pickup

The boat is flat, but I have about 20 gallons of fuel still in the boat so it should be fine. There are no alarms going off at all when I turn the key. The boat only has 20 hours on it so for parts like the Air idler to go bad already seems strange. Its going over to the dealer on November 7th they do have that computer to scan it. Its under warranty still and the boating season is over here so I dont feel to bad. At what rpm should the boat idle at with throttle all the way down. My 202 with a 305 used to idle around 1k where this 496ho idles less than that around 500 rpms.

It should idle around 700-750 RPMs. A few other simple things to check, make sure your shifter is precisely in neutral, and make sure your kill switch isn't tripped.

Had a chance to take the 247 into the shop. After hooking up the computer everything was checking out ok. Mechanic pulled out the battery and tried a new one and it cranked right over. The problem was that the dealer I bought from put in a 650 marine cranking amp battery but the 496ho requires at least a 950 cranking amp battery. He showed me in the manual where it states what battery it requires. The 650 amp worked for most of the 1st summer but eventually couldnt quite crank it over. I guess next step will be to call the dealer to see if they will pony up for the right size battery and pay for the diagnositic cost since it was there mistake.

Thats a cheap fix, just buy new battery and
be glad it didnt cost you thousands .

sure would be nice if all fixs were that cheap & easy :drink:



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