Speedst-err?
Member
So I have the 2002 Speedster with the 240 Merc. I was out yesterday for probably the longest run since I've owned the boat - 3 years. I spent a lot of time at just above idle cruising and so I suspect this is the main reason for my problems as I have noticed in the past the boat doesn't really like to putter along. I have also noticed when trying multiple times to get an inexperienced skier out of the water I would have to take the boat for a run to open it up because the engine would start to sputter but this would normally get it running smoothly again. Yesterday was very different though. When I decided it was enough puttering, I opened up the throttle and I wasn't on plane very long and it started to act up. RPM would drop as if I pulled back on the throttle (but hadn't) and then it would try to regain RPM but not fully recover. It would do this a few times so I backed the throttle off but it never stalled. At idle it sounded rough so I tried a few times to reverse the engine thinking I had something caught in/on the intake. The first few times this seemed to correct the issue and it would run smooth for a minute or so but then start to act up. I was about 10-20 minutes from the launch but finally managed to hobble my way back. I was able to shut the engine and but towards the end I never got it to run smoothly. I took a quick look at the inlet and outlet and doesn't seem like there is anything in there. It felt more like an ignition or fuel delivery issue. I haven't had time to look at it yet, just to check the forum and when looking its a bit like WebMD - the symptoms could be simple cold or something terminal but it sound a bit like what Big Tom was experiencing in his post: