3 Things to Remember When Your Marine Engine Stalls
Posted on: 19 July 2016
Some boat owners often panic when the engine of their boat stalls suddenly when they are out at sea. That panic may cause them to worsen the situation because the actions that they take at that moment may not be the best actions. This article discusses some crucial things that you should remember in those moments just after your boat engine goes silent.
Avoid Restarting the Engine Repeatedly
Many people keep cranking the start button hoping that the engine will somehow restart. This vain attempt to force the engine to restart may instead worsen your situation. For instance, you may end up draining the battery to the extent that it will no longer have any power to start the engine once the problem that caused the stall has been resolved. The best thing to do is to stay calm and try to figure out what happened before you attempt to restart the motor.
Confirm the Fuel Gauge Reading
Many people rely on the gauges and indicators in their boats to the extent that they never take any steps to verify the information provided by those gauges or indicators. For instance, a faulty fuel indicator may show that you still have plenty of fuel in the fuel tank and yet the tank is almost empty. It is therefore helpful to doubt the fuel gauge reading once the motor stalls. Glance at the fuel gauge to see how much fuel it is indicating that you have. Thereafter, open the fuel tank and look inside it in order to verify that there is as much fuel as the gauge has led you to believe. You may discover that the engine failure was caused by a fuel shortage since the tank is dry.
Remember What Happened Before the Stall
Another important thing that you should think about once the boat motor stalls is what happened prior to that engine failure. That recollection may give you a clue about the cause of the failure. For instance, a fuel shortage may have caused the engine to stall if you heard it stuttering just before it went silent. Conversely, an electrical problem with the ignition system may cause the engine to stop suddenly. The key to the problem that you are facing may therefore lie in understanding the events prior to the engine failure.
Keep the tips above in mind and you will be less likely to worsen an already bad situation. Call for expert help in marine services in case you try to restore the engine to life and it fails to restart.
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