A Deck Problem, Maybe?

[Bill Balch]

I have a 2003 PT 175 with a Mercury 50 ELPTO that I bought about 3 weeks ago. The boat runs and handles great. I have a few questions that I will be running by the dealer when I return for the 20 hour maintenance. But it would really be helpful if I could get some advance information, so I can ask the right questions. Here goes:



1. I notice a very audible creaking in the port corner of the rear deck in the area of the transom. This area seems to have a bit of flex that accompanies the squeeking. Any ideas about what the problem could be, and how it could be fixed?



2. Neither my tach or speedo is set on zero before I start the motor or put it into gear. Is there a way to adjust these instruments? The speedo is reading 40 mpg at 5400 rpms. These readings appear to be high given the Mercury motor specs.



3. How do you use your tach? What I mean is that the dealer told me it is OK to run the motor with a wide open throttle after the two hour break-in period. (The dealer has promised to get a Mercury motor user's manual for me, which will probably answer some of these questions.) So, what useful information is given by the tach, since there are only forward, neutral, and reverse?



4. My depth finder gives believable depth and structure readings, but the temperature readings jump all over the place, like from 30 degrees to 96. Is this a problem with the transducer?



Thanks!

 

[James D.]

Bill,



hopefully the creaking noise you are hearing on the deck is just the door of a compartment on the back deck giving a little when you stand on it. the tach is used to see the motor's rpm which is important. depending on how you will be using the boat, you may need to change pitch of the prop to allow different "loading" of the engine rpm's for max speed and/or hole shot. You do not want to max out or what i call redline the motor rpms. the fuel level and tach are the two gauges i look at most besides the trim postiion. the depth finder is bad or a loose cable connection or a bad transducer or bad installation is causing the depth finder temperature problem. get a new one. I hope you enjoy the pt175 as that looks like a fun boat.



jd

 

[Greg Meyer]

And, I always thought that the break in period was more like ten hours five at various speeds no more than half throttle (VARIED EVERY 15 MINUTES) then five hours at various speeds not more than a couple of minutes at full throttle...



But, check with the dealer... and maybe get it in writing... mine are

 

[Bill Balch]

I was told by the salesman that breaking in the motor consisted of variable speeds for the first two hours with no WOT plus adding 50:1 ratio oil directly to the gas tank for first 24 gallons. After the first two hours he said OK to run the motor at WOT, but be sure to burn first 24 oil enriched gallons of fuel. I have been promised but have not yet received a user's manual for the motor.



I hope I've done this right???

 

[Bill Balch]

Oh yea, the squeeking is definitely not the door of a compartment. The sqeeking would suggest that two surfaces are rubbing against each other.

 

[James D.]

Bill,



I would definately have the dealer check out that sqeeking noise especially if it involves the transom area. You DO NOT want problems in the transom area on any boat. Hopefully it is just a loose bracket or something simple. Get this documented what the problem is and the repairs made by your dealer if it is a new boat covered by warranty. You will want to document everything in case it turns out to not be something simple. What dealer did you purchase your boat from?



jd

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Bill...Get to your dealer IMEDIATELY!! Someone has missed a weld under the deck and that's ONE of the reason's I wound up gettin'new boat(and a few other reason's). They'll want to take up your carpet and fix the weld..

TEE

 

[TrepMan]

V-Chris and Bill - For the breakin, check out the Resources, Grab Bag, Mechanical - "Break-in Procedures For Oil Injected Outboard Motors " it was written by the Atlanta BPS service staff (with a little update by me) and is spot on! Follow it to the letter and you'll never have a problem.



The tach is used to help you feel when the boat is running at WOT (Wide Open Throttle) to help you trim out (up) and get the best performance. My 40 Merc has a red-line at 5500rpms and runs right at that trimmed out fully and running WOT at 30-31mph (on my GPS). As to the Speedo, as lots of folks will tell you they are very INACURATE but should work at zero speed when idling. If you have a GPS or a buddy does, use it to get a realistic view of top end speed. www.trackerboats.com lists the 175 with the 50 merc top speed at 32-34 (which is right on track) so 40mph is not accurate.



Welcome to the board and enjoy that 175!

 

[Bill Balch]

Thanks for all your responses.



I will return the 175 to the dealer (Waypoint Marine in Austin, TX, to check out the rear deck problem. A missed weld sounds like a possibility. Will that be a big deal to fix?



Yes, I do have the auto injector and I have added oil directly to the gas tank in the ratio of 1 pt. oil to 6 gal. gas. I'm doing this for the first 24 gal of fuel.



Trepman, your posting on the break-in procedure in the Grab Bag is excellent, clear and concise. I wish I had accessed the information before I launched my boat. The procedure I followed during the first two hours is similar to that in your posting. After the first two hours I did run WOT, but I think not more that 5 to 7 minutes at any one time. The lake I've been playing on (Fayette County Lake near LaGrange, Texas) is only 2400 acres and is about 2.75 miles in length at its longest point. So, running around 32 mpg for 5.0 minutes would carry me across the lake. I've got about 10 hours on the motor now and still have about half a tank of oil enriched fuel. I hope I haven't done any harm!



Thanks again to everyone for you input.



Bill

 

[James D.]

Take TEE's advice and get it back to the dealer and document the problem and repairs.



jd

 

[Charlie Nethaway]

Wow no wonder my 90 smokes already My great dealer told me the break in was one hour at various speeds and WOT was ok but change speeds every 15 seconds and some folks enrich the fuel but you don't have to... straight from the dealer to the lake and one hour break in.



Bill Document EVERYTHING and check all repairs thourouly

Good luck

 

[Staci Matheis]

Just for the record.....



In a 2-stroke, a smoking engine is NOT an indication of worn rings or valve guides as it is in something like your car with a 4-stroke. 2-strokes don't have a lubrication system seperate from the fuel system, so there is no chance of oil leaking past worn parts.



Smoking in a 2-stroke is more an indication of the enigine running enriched. This is quite normal at idle. If it continues while running at normal operating speeds, you may need some adjustment.



Another cause could be that the fuel-to-oil ratio is too high. If you're pre-mixing, make sure you're at 50:1. If your motor is oil injected, have the dealer look at it.



me!