Went fishing on big lake today in my 18x54 36hp PD and after a long run into a 15 mph wind my motor started cutting out and stopped taking a load. I stopped, checked it over and fire her up again... Got on plane ran about 500 yards +- at 3700 RPM and it stopped taking a load again. Checked gas line, gas filter, spark plugs, plug connections, prop, lower unit, and couldn't find anything wrong that I know of. I proceeded to make it to our last wading spot 500 yards at a time, stopping and restarting engine each time it would cut out. After the wade I made a couple mile run back to the boat ramp with no problems...

Any guesses guys??

My first guess would be that you need a external electric fuel pump.

Motor has 24 hours on it and has ran great with no problems up til now...

How long is your gas hose?

Probably 20+ ft...

Is the vent open on your tank?

If your gas hose is 20+', at some point you will need a pump. So, you should just add one now.
Also, check vent as stated above

I thought about that and I don't know where the vent is, if there is one. I thought to myself, surely they thought of that....

Wouldn't I have had problems in the 23 previous hours running if the tank wasn't venting properly??


Uncle J, I met you while I was picking up my boat at PD in September. Self bailing, center console...

No telling man, but find the vent and make sure it's open. That can def cause similar symptoms.

What's up buddy... I hate that this is how we get to reunite .. LOL

Well, that rig you have is the new CDI motors that are said not to need a external pump.

Now that I know your rig, I would defently go towards the vent. Your problem is caused from lack of fuel.

most of the tanks the vent is on the gas cap itself

When you say 'not taking load' what do you mean? RPM is good but you get no push? At the 500yrds the motor is cutting out? If you come off the throttle does it run OK just cutting out at WOT? Any backfiring?

If it was a fuel delivery problem the engine would stumble at high rpm, you may also see bubbles in your fuel filter. If you suspect fuel, an easy test to eliminate the line/tank variables is to put a short fuel line from the filter to a fuel can at the transom- just run the line right into the gas.

Wouldn't I have had problems in the 23 previous hours running if the tank wasn't venting properly??


It sure sounds like your vent to me.... Sometimes if your tank is full the vent issue doesn't come in to play, but as it gets lower on fuel then it starts to happen..

Do you have a portable or built in tank? if it is portable, then as stated above the vent should be right on the cap...

Good luck and let us know...

Seemed like engine was bogging down, not quite backfiring just losing power... When id take it off load, symptoms would go away... The gas tank is built in and the cap is a fuel gage with no vent, can't seem to find the vent if there is one. My first thoughts were that all symptoms point to fuel... I'll talk to Peck or PK on Monday and sort it out. Glad this kind of stuff happened during the split!!

I'm just new to this engine, have logged many hours on a GD...

Thanks for all suggested help guys!! I'll keep y'all informed...

You can always cut you a groove in your gas cap to vent the tank. Mines is a biult in aluminum tank and thats how it is vented.

Yeah, I'm still thinking that is your problem. You def need a vent in your tank... Try running it with the cap off or loose enough to pull some air in.

Carb icing....Was it cold outside? You still need a vent on your tank.

I know a guy who was running a 36 PD down near the coast with high winds and some high waves. His was doing the same thing. Turned out his engine spray and water from the high waves were being sucked into his air intake due to a really bad wind at his back causing the issue. May not be the case for you but when i read it was really windy out, thought that might be your problem.

Talked to Peck at PD this afternoon and he said that there is a vent on the gas cap that cannot be closed. He believes that the salt water spray from high winds was accumulating on a spark plug boot causing one of the spark plugs to ground out (salt does conduct electricity, makes sense)... Just hit it with some WD or CX and symptoms will go away!!

We will see...

Ended up hitting the marsh with a few friends for some waterfowl action this past weekend. On Friday morning my engine started doing the same thing as before, again windy conditions soaking my motor. I powered down, killed engine, hit the spark plug boots with corrosion x, and went on my way. No other problems for the rest of the weekend and we managed a few birds!

thats an awesome pic rite der!!!!!!

What part of SETX are you from?

Got a buddy of mine tht lives out there, he don'thunt though, you hunting in the bay around there

Only place i have ever seen that many Red heads is towards Corpus and brownsville area