Run Down Battery

ARG!! More "reliable" absolutely YES!!! (EFI) The problem with carbs is always the same ---getting to know the trick of the choke--- Some peeps just cant get why and how to fiddle with a warm 4-stroke or warm 2- stroke engine when it coughs and does not like warm starts though out the day. In the sense that your partner might flood your boat and run down the battery, or your float (in your carb') gets stuck or jambed with crap (small derbis) then certainly the EFI's are more reliable.
Out of all the wrenching I have done on engines; (small and large) carburation has been a high-maintainance factor.
Going on RedFox's 5th year now on her 2000 EFI 115 Fourstroke, and zero EFI problems.
So there...
Now; don't bug me again on this :disgust ... (hehehe) :wink: :lol:

Joe. you said it perfectly! I can't touch that one, less I get time to write more on the subject... :crook

Greg ("get a Yamaha---get the girl") :smilep !!
 
Hi guys

It seems to me that the real problem with reliability is in the gas tank!!

Old gas, water in the gas, rust or other crud in the gas can stop either EFI or carb motors.

If you have carb problems, you might be able to clean it at sea if you have the tools and skill.

The EFI is supposed to be protected by its filters. Can they be changed at sea?

A good Racor type filter system may be the best protection, along with keeping the fuel fresh, and treated to prevent gumming.
 
Nope... everything I have had, has had the same filtration and the EFI has always been the winner, hands down.
It don't matter it it's automotive, marine, or motorcycle... same issues. Reliability: and there is never a stupid-assed choke to develop a 6th sense for either .... HA HA HA !!! cold hard fact mister :wink:

(Honda -- overrated and outdated) :xtongue :moon
 
The old guy can't understand why you defend that Yami-anchor. :roll: Been running Hondas for 18 years and never had a carb choke problem. No problems with my Yamis either.

Larry is right on. Bum gas, crud, water, will kill any of them. Good filter system helps a lot, but gas goes stale quickly -- and gas left in a carb engine too long will mess up big time.

The new Honda 135/150 will really get your attention, Greg, because it's a lean-burn economical jewel. Bring me a bag of that Injun Candy next time you come down and I'll show ya.

Sure wish I could be out there with a snowmachine following you (only nice trails please) -- and great, great pics.

:beer :hug fer mom

Dusty
 
Ahh, the “carburetor club” again. That’s whats really happening behind the scenes here; is the old ‘carburetor club’ (in secret, Honda club) rushing to defend it’s old outdated favorite. Me thinks, like C-Dory, their “stuck-in-the-past”.

Put simply: Carburetors, because of their little orifices (air ducts) that faces the flow of air from the airbox, get clogged by floating particles; making the carb’ vulnerable to an element that EFI is not: debris/dust/even snow! (whatever makes it’s way past the filters or labyrinth-ducting in the airbox) Most the time this takes a while but eventually happens! Another vulnerability for carbs’ is storage: Carbs need extra precautions in storage because there is air in the carb’ that will evaporate the fuel in them and turn the gas into varnish over time.

As for me: The majority of all small and large engine repairs, maintenance and tuning, have been due to this issue; clogged carburetor ports; due to not just FUEL, but the AIR they need, to function properly. This is one of the obvious reasons EFI or just even FI is so much more reliable; they simply don’t have them fine little carburetor ducts to get plugged by any air-born particle!

I have seen the insides of so dang many (PITA) carbs in my history as “mechanic” I hate them!! (as is obvious) Then I digress, they are good for a “living”. I would not wish a carburetor on anyone, especially anyone that has no inclination for manual chock (or even a choke-system of any kind) to use my boat when I am not there to know why it’s not starting for them.

Maybe some day when old Honda’s warehouse of carbs has finally been depleted, we can see more of what the public really wants from C-Dory. EFI!

Of the record: Dusty thanx, I to wish you could ‘cowboy-up and see the country up here in winter. Mom is doin fine, I always relay your e-hugs to her. She is entertained.
:wink:
 
I'm a new owner, 22, in April. I just assumed there were two batteries included...not so?
Should i amend the order and add a second? I do have shore power and charger on the order...and the boat will be mostly at a slip..i won't have a trailer.

tom
 
I suspect that different dealers rig the boats differently. I believe Cutter installs two batteries as standard equipment, a very good idea. You could check with Ruthie, but I think all of their spec sheets specify two.
 
Well, I had me a Honda 75, and after two or three tries figuring out the choke/throttle ideal for cold starting, it was no problem for 900 hours. Now I got me a Honda 130 with more wires than fuel hoses, and I gotta admit it starts quicker, but it doesn't run any better (can't get any better).

My first experience with fuel injection was on a 1985 Z28. The TPI went haywire, and I couldn't begin to figure it out. So I took it to a shop, where their fancy diagnostic machine said that the mass airflow sensor was for sure bad, and at least one or two other things. But they needed about 400 bucks to replace the MAS before they could finish the diagnostics. I limped home with it, sent about $500 to Summit for an Edelbrock carb and manifold, unpluged and bundled up the computer wires, and sold it when the rear tires wore out (which didn't take long, because that big carb was hot). Plus, I sold the TPI components for $150 and a non-computer distributor.

For the EFI/carb decision on outboards, I'll take whatever the engine size and brand I want comes with. For reasons more superstitious than studied, I want Honda. I'll have to ask Chuckpacific how the saying goes again, but I think the proven practice is: Honda - turn it on, use it, turn it off. Turn it on, use it, turn it off... (Sorry - I just like the sound of that!)

I don't have any advice to offer on the original question, but I have seen those jump start booster for pretty cheap at Costco. I would be skeptical about the Battery Brain as a fail safe. I think two batteries is the best route, and the booster if it feels good. That can be used anywhere. My boat's "battery booster" is a third battery hooked to the 15 hp ( yep - Honda) exclusively. It is one of those Optimas, and it holds its charge for a lot longer than an acid type, even when unused. I do not have it wired into the main/house system, but if ever it was needed for a jump start, it sure wouldn't take long to loosen the nuts and swap the cables.
 
Okay, a question about two batteries on a Perko. The system I inherited has a simple switch (On/Off). I had assumed that the second battery just passively sat there until you 1) ran down the first and 2) needed to switch to ON and give it a jump from the second.

Until last week. It was after some bitter cold and inactivity. With the switch in its normal OFF position, the port engine couldn't even trim. Meanwhile, the starboard engine trimmed and started normally. I never did get the port engine going until I switched the Perko to ON. This leaves me wondering how the heck it's wired.

So first of all...is this normal?
 
Checkdraise-

Sounds like you've got each motor connected to it's own battery., which is the correct way it's done with dual motors.

The on/off switch cross connects the batteries in parallel so that if either battery is down, the other one can be connected (jumped) to the dead one to get it started.

Usually the switch is left in the "off" position to keep each battery isolated to its specific engine. This is for two reasons:

1. If one battery fails to be charged by a dead alternator or to be able to be charged, the other one will charge and provide a back up.

2. Two motors (alternators, really) cannot be hooked to the same battery or batteries, as the alternator charge circuits "confuse" each other as they try to read the battery voltage and provide the correct charging rate.

Be sure to check the "dead" battery for full charge after some reasonable degree of charging.

Always leave the switch in the "off" position unless you need it to boost one battery with the other for starting, then change it back to "off" after starting.

HTH Joe
 
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