Engine died suddenly
 

New Mariah owner here. I picked up a 1995 talari z240 with the mpi 502 a couple weeks ago. Boat has run great in the 3 trips to the lake until yesterday when we were heading back to the ramp. After running across the lake for 15 minutes we got insight of the boat ramp and the engine just died suddenly. Like I flipped the kill switch. It would turn over and fire for half a second and then die. It did this repeatedly. Ended up paddling to the ramp against the current and wind for about an hour. I’m thinking it’s not getting fuel since it fires but won’t stay running. Any ideas before I tear into it?

Re: Engine died suddenly
 

There alot of things...ignition switch go bad..oil pressure kill switch...coil..short in wires..fuel pump..fuel filter..ignition..water in gas..efi...carb..crank sensor...with electronic stuff can work when cold acts up when hot..wire fall off...

Re: Engine died suddenly
 

I finally got it squared away. There were plastic chunks in the aluminum fuel cell that got picked up and lodged in the antisiphon valve. This burned out the mechanical fuel pump.

Re: Engine died suddenly
 

Thanks for the follow-up.

Re: Engine died suddenly
 

Hopefully it will help someone out in the future. I know I read just about every thread I could on this site about fuel issues and it helped me track down the problem. I will say that every marine mechanic I talked to about it said that the antisiphon valve can cause issues if they get clogged or corroded and they all recommended to drive it out with a punch and get rid of it.

Re: Engine died suddenly
 

Yikes! Bad idea to remove it. It prevents filling your bilge with fuel if a leak occurs in a pipe below the level of the top of the tank. it is a Coast Guard requirement to have one installed on all new boats whenever the fuel lines go below that level. I would never remove mine.

Re: Engine died suddenly
 

I have not removed mine but all three mechanics said the exact same thing.

Re: Engine died suddenly
 

How difficult was it to get access to the anti-siphon valve?

Re: Engine died suddenly
 

Remove the fuel line from the tank. Then take a wrench and remove the nipple the fuel line slides over from the 90* fitting on the tank. The anti siphon is inside the nipple.

Re: Engine died suddenly
 

Sounds like a quick mechanic fix for which they will charge for a two-hour job. :punch_out: