New to me 1998 Aquasport 175

[Cyclops69]

Was the center console always that open or has it been altered? I have a 1987 Osprey 222 with a small door above the larger door seems like it would be a lot more accessible with one large opening

[jsunstar]

Common possibilities for the crummy idle include: 1) vacuum leak somewhere in the fuel lines between the tank and the carbs, 2) low speed jet clog in the carbs, or a bit more unlikely 3) fuel pump diaphragm issue. Tank venting issues, anti siphon problems, and filter clogs usually show up worse when you try to speed up, not the reverse which is what you seem to be experiencing. If the "crappy gas line fell apart" then a chunk of stuff in a low speed jet might be the culprit.

Few follow up questions:

Do you have a secondary in-line filter on the port side of the engine under the starter?
Do the porcelein insulators and electrodes on your plugs all look the same after a trip of extended idle, or do you have one or two that look different?

all good points, im investigating  and will consider all of those...

i was going to try disconnecting the fuel line (which i just replaced 2 days ago) and use a small gas can to see if there are any issues stemming from the fuel tank.

I do get gas blowing out of the vent on side of boat when fueling fast when it gets full. is this common?

i pulled the fuel filter in the engine and it looked clean.  I figured debris from fuel line would be in there if any, maybe too large of a micron to pick up small stuff.?..?...
would a secondary filter be big and obvious? i didnt notice one when looking around or when draining the carb bowls. if i saw one, id be inclined to check it although i wasnt looking for one specifically...

i pulled the plugs first after noticing the issue and again the other day, they all appear the same but i want looking closely at the porcelain parts, just looking for color of electrode to make sure they all were firing correctly (seem to be fine color. just a little wet)

im eventually going to pull the carbs n see if low speed jets are clogged. thats my original guess but wanted to try simpler things first...

other guess is that ethanol fuel is causeing water issues. i have no water separator on it. im going to install one asap. also going to use nonE fuel from now on.

im still learning and i appreciate any input!

[jsunstar]

this one has small and large door. all the other ones ive seen did too.
i think the pics above just show whole doors assembly off of the console....

[thill]

It is very likely there is water in the fuel, if you are in a humid area, like near the water.  It's amazing how fast ethanol sucks water out of the air!

It's also possible that you simply have gum or varnish clogging your idle jets.  

Those are pretty easy to take apart and clean.   Clean carbs, fresh fuel, good TCW3 oil and fresh impeller and thermostats are the best insurance for a very long engine life in a 2-stroke outboard.

-TH

[jsunstar]

still a mess.
i cleaned the carbs, replaced fuel line, replaced plugs, replaced fuel, tried running it on a can, had a professional look at it and were all at a loss.
it idles fine until you put it in the water and it stalls...
im at a loss, im about to give up and sink this thing.

[jsunstar]

BTW, plug insulators are all white to tan. all the same

[jsunstar]

problem solved.
the idle adjustment in the manual calls for too low of an adjustment. they need to be out further than the manual calls for . (i think it calls for 3-5 turn out and its 5-7 on the different carbs...) not sure what changed, probably gunk still in the low speed jets. im gonna run some seafoam through them and see if i can clean them up in the meantime.
ill get specifics on the numbers and post as soon as i can.
a mechanic who has been working on these for 30 years fixed it, he said there was a factory bulletin that was issued for this motor. (98 johnson 90).
its running like a champ again.
ill also keep an eye on the plugs "just in case"...

[dburr]

Always nice to get a solution like that! Grey haired dudes rule!!!

[FreasFlatFoto]

My dad had this boat sitting on his boat lift for around ten years. He hasn't taken it out in around 8 so I asked him if I could have it. Say hello to my new patch reef explorer!!

I'm getting her back into shape to go out on the water. Here is what I have done so far:

-Motor Shifting assembly replaced (shifting was stuck and they updated the part)   
-Carburetor cleaning
-Ordered new battery (Optima D27M)
-Pulled heads and checked condition of cylinders. replaced head o-rings thermostat seals and thermostats.
-Fixed Tilt/trim switch
-Removed mote cooler
-Removed Aquasport labels on one side

To do list:

-Driveshaft bearing has play
-Fuel line replacement
-Order and install Yeti or Engel cooler
-Fix/replace switches on switch panel
-Remove Aquasport labels on other side.
-wet sand and polish the whole hull
-fix the rest of the lower unit problems that I find

I'm sure there are other things but I will run into those when they pop up.

Here are some pics:































This is what happens when you buy used trailers... The guy didn't know that it was that bad. The funny thing about that is that I drove the boat about 20 miles from the ramp before parking it. My wife and mother in law were cleaning the inside of the boat. when they both went to the front... **'snap-crackle-pop;*.!!!

I replaced the tongue, axle and springs:

So I am the new owner Mike.  I bought it from Jason who you sold it to.  I have just installed a leaning post and will be running it out to the sandbar this week for some photos.  Just finished waxing the hull and saw the ghosting left by when you removed the decals.  Any ideas how to remove that?  I cant decide what to do decal replacement or wrapping it.

[RickK]

 

Full circle on ClassicAquasport.com

[Sportfish50]

I have the 1997 version of your boat. It has a 2013 115 etch on it. I have a problem with the live well as the overflow is below the water line.

Have you experienced any livewell problems?

[Mikerodrig27]

So I am the new owner Mike.  I bought it from Jason who you sold it to.  I have just installed a leaning post and will be running it out to the sandbar this week for some photos.  Just finished waxing the hull and saw the ghosting left by when you removed the decals.  Any ideas how to remove that?  I cant decide what to do decal replacement or wrapping it.

Hey! Great to hear the boat is still roaming around the keys! If I had a use for it, I would try to get it back in a heart beat. My dad originally bought it in Cape Coral and hauled it over to Miami florida where we lived. We fished on it when I was a little kid. We took it out just about every weekend for a while.

We eventually left Miami and moved to Cape Coral where we used it for a couple of years and turned into what the pictures that you see in the quoted message. I eventually moved to the keys, got the boat from my parents and fixed it up. It worked awesome! It is an easy boat to keep up with compared to some out there.

It looks as though it has a different motor on it now. That is too bad the original went out. It ran well when I had it but as with all things, eventually age has an effect. The 90 is a good sized motor for that boat. I remember getting up to about 38 mph.

I liked that boat because any water that was too rough for it was water that I didn't want to freedive in any ways.

Regarding the decals showing through. You can cut the Gel coat with some higher grit sandpaper, 1000 and up to 3000 if you can get it. Then you step up through polishing compounds. Make sure not to cut too far as I don't know how much gel coat is on there. You may be able to get away with just polishing it. West marine on stock island will have good polishing compounds but they are expensive. I remembered 3m makes good stuff. I did it with an orbital sander and some macgyvered stuff but if you can swing it, a proper polisher makes the job a ton easier. I suspect the decal ghosting may be a constant issue as that gel coat that was under the decals was protected for most of it's life.