Rough running & dogging engines

[speedster32940]

Disappointed to have the engines on my 2008 speedster 200 run like cr@p yesterday. They started right up but idled and ran really rough. Really sounded terrible when I advanced the throttles and would only rev up to 5-6k rpl, with the boat barely making it to 30mph. Tachs were bouncing all around. Ran it for 15-20 min to see if it was maybe something that would burn off, but it didn't so I took it to the dealer for review. My guess is the gas went bad over the winter. Last use was in August last year, I topped the tanks off and added stabilizer, but it was not ethanol free and I bet that is the problem. Anyone have any alternate opinions?

 

[pvamax]

Spark plugs

 

[speedster32940]

I recall the dealer changed those at the last oil change, maybe 30-40 hours ago +/-. How often should they be changed?

 

[Coastiejoe]

I top my tank off every year and add Stabil. Never had an issue with fuel going bad over the winter. I do use 91 and higher octane, that may help..

 

[pvamax]

Every spring is a good idea to put in fresh plugs, especially if you fog your motor for storage. They are cheap and easy to replace on your own.

 

[JoeB14]

Every spring is a good idea to put in fresh plugs, especially if you fog your motor for storage. They are cheap and easy to replace on your own.

Agree. This spring I noticed that one of my engines was running rough, and new plugs fixed the problem.

 

[speedster32940]

Really!?! I am blown away at needing to change the plugs that frequently! Auto plugs last forever, it seems.