Q: BOGGING DOWN

Boat Doctor, I have a 2004 Chaparral 254 Sunesta with a 350 mag MPI engine with a Bravo Three drive. I purchased it in September 2017.

I was out on my boat fishing this week, and the boat ran well to Sanibel Island, but on the way back about halfway home, after I went through a manatee zone, I went to open it up and it felt like the engine was flooding out at full power. When I eased back on the throttle, it ran fine at about 25 to 30 mph. What do you think is the problem? Do you think the engine is not getting enough or too much fuel? Do you think it is the gas filter and the fuel separator? I am baffled.

I thank you in advance for your assistance and cooperation, as it is deeply appreciated.

Phil Bruno

Cape Coral, Florida

A:

Mr. Bruno, I reached out to our contacts at Mercury Marine, initially to find out if there were any recalls or special service memos for your engine. They were pleased to address your question. The Mercury contacts asked that you first check to make sure all of the spark-plug wires are properly seated. Additionally, they suggested you replace the fuel filter and check for fuel-line vacuum leaks. Beyond this, they indicated that they would really need a G3 full report to check for faults. They also asked that you consider installing VesselView Mobile. This consists of a plug-in transmitter that enables you to view fault history on your mobile device, plus much more. You can read Boating’s online review of VesselView Mobile at boatingmag.com/new-mercuryvesselview-mobile-app.