Barry Pickthall - Reeds Outboard Motor Troubleshooting Handbook

Published by Adlard Coles Nautical
an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP
www.bloomsbury.com

Copyright Barry Pickthall 2013

This electronic edition published in 2013 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

ISBN 978-1-4081-8193-5

Epub ISBN 978-1-4081-9259-7

EPDF ISBN 978-1-4081-9260-3

All rights reserved.
You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (including without limitation electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, printing, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages

The right of the author to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Note: while all reasonable care has been taken in the publication of this book, the publishers take no responsibility for the use of the methods or products described in the book.

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Regular maintenance is the key to reliability. Outboards are both compact and often complex pieces of machinery operating in a harsh environment. The last thing you want to be doing is lifting the lid when out on the water. This pocket companion highlights the daily checks and maintenance needed before and after each trip to keep your outboard running as it should.

But if there is a breakdown, this book offers a simple guide to troubleshoot the problem and provides clear step-by-step instructions to get you going again.

Several types of outboard are available, from small lightweight electric troll and dinghy propulsion systems, to 2-strokes, 4-strokes, diesels in some cases with a choice of prop or waterjet propulsion. They also range in size from 20 to 100lbs of thrust for electric variants, and from 2hp to 300hp in combustion form.

The best of both worlds. This fisherman has a powerful outboard to get him out to where the fish are and then an electric outboard mounted on the bow to troll quietly around.

ELECTRIC OUTBOARDS

Electric outboards are light and simple to maintain. Their only limitation is their range. There are two types: the cheaper fresh water variety, and those for use in sea water. While the latter can be used in fresh, the former are made of materials that will suffer electrolytic corrosion when used in salt water, and the parts will quickly fizz away, so beware.

2-STROKE VS 4-STROKE OUTBOARDS

Thanks to stricter emission controls, the latest 2-stroke outboards fitted with direct fuel injection systems have been refined to use less oil in the fuel mix. The latest Yamaha, Mercury OptiMax, Evinrude E-TEC and Tohatsu engines are now just as quiet, clean-burning, and fuel efficient as their 4-stroke rivals, and retain a strong second-hand value.

2-STROKE OUTBOARDS

PROS

Lighter

Accelerate faster and better top-end speed

Less expensive

Easier to repair

Simple design with less to go wrong

Strong second-hand market

Good parts availability

Good resale value

CONS

More pollution (carbureted 2-stroke outboards)

Greater exhaust smoke (carbureted 2-stroke outboards)

Must remember to mix oil with the petrol (non oil injection models)

Rougher idle than 4-stroke outboards

Noisier than 4-stroke outboards

Harder to start (carbureted two-strokes)

Carburetors can gum up if not used for a long time

Spark plug fouling (carbureted 2-stroke outboards)

4-STROKE OUTBOARDS

PROS

Quiet and smooth running

Better fuel economy

Less pollution

No oil/gas mixture

Accepted on any body of water

Very reliable and easy to start

CONS

Heavier than 2-strokes

More expensive to repair

Less powerful than 2-strokes

More expensive to purchase

Harder to transport and store without a stand

WATERJET

Waterjets are ideal for use where safety is paramount such as on specialist rescue boats.

PROS

Safe no external propeller

Good top-end power

Good directional ability

Less susceptible to damage

CONS

Susceptible to weed intake

Heavier than propeller variant

Less low-end power

More expensive

DIESEL OUTBOARDS

Diesel outboards are more rugged than 2- and 4-stroke petrol engines but, for the present, are available in a limited mid-sized horsepower range. They are also heavier and are used primarily on work and fishing boats where economy and reliability are more important considerations than high-end speed.

PROS

More economical

Greater reliability

Greater low-end torque

Simple design with less to go wrong

Strong second-hand market

Good resale value

CONS

Heavier than 2-stroke and 4-stroke outboards

Greater exhaust smoke

Limited horse-power range

Rougher idle than 4-strokes

Noisier than 4-stroke outboards