2003 115hp ELPTO Bogs down under load

[ECobb91]

Hoping for some assistance.

Ever since I bought the boat, the motor seems to have a hard time getting the other 2 cylinders to fire when it gets to around 2500rpm. Was told it could be a fuel related problem since the lines weren’t ethanol rated. So I swapped out the lines and fuel filter and it’s helped a little bit but not much. The from takeoff, the engine is level, and with full throttle it’ll go from 0-2500rpms fine, then it bogs down and won’t get above 2500rpms for about 5-10seconds at max throttle, then after a bit you can hear and feel the other 2 kick in and it jumps right up. the odd thing is, the first run of the day it’s god awful, sometimes I have to back off the throttle and hammer down a few times to trick the cylinders to kick in, but the rest of the day it only bogs for about 3seconds before kicking in. Has anyone experienced anything similar?

[robinr011]

Hello Ecobb91,
Yes... several times. In 90% of the cases it ends up being the stator. I would recommend getting a service manual and running through the check procedures. It is not that hard and you can do it with a DVM.

Robinr011

[JOE54]

^^^^^^ agree you better find it or risk loosing a powerhead no more tricks

[leonreno]

I should it normal to start at level trim with your motor and boat combo? Normal you tuck the motor in for a faster jump on plane.

[ECobb91]

Thank you guys for the advice. Only reason I start the motor when it’s level is because at first start I’m the morning it’s easier to kick on when it’s level than when it’s tilted all the way back for some reason. When I go to take off, the motor is down as far as it can go, speeds up to 2500rpms then remains at that And pushes water for around 10-15seconds until the other 2cyl decide to kick in them it runs great.

[leonreno]

That makes sense, yes carbed motors definitely start better level, mine does. Probably best to get a Mercury service manual and test the above and anything else it could be.

[1BADAIR]

What prop? I used a 24 laser and 24 trophy on mine . First wot of the day it would bog a little . Open some prop vents to get the rpm up to get into the other two carbs faster

[JOE54]

the other 2 cyls should kick in instantly , ya got something wrong with it

[ECobb91]

Took it out for a tournament on Saturday and first push of the morn was better than last. Every run after that the other two kicked on instantly. It’s running great with the exception of the first go. I’ll test the stator and to see if that’s the issue first. If not then I’ll have my mechanic take it for a test drive