When it comes to running a boat, there are variations in the engine type you can use.
One of the common engine for smaller boats is an outboard motor.
But when the boat is a larger one, an inboard motor is used.
Inboard motors are always of higher capacity that generate more power than an outboard motor.
But sometimes you can run into a situation in which your inboard motor loses power at full Throttle.
Some of the reasons why inboard motors lose power when accelerating includes poor engine compression, bad ignition system, use of contaminated fuel, use of bad spark plug, use of bad engine oil and other reasons like faulty cooling system.
When any of these problems occur, the performance of the inboard motor will reduce.
But that doesn’t mean that they cannot be easily corrected.
This guide will help show you how you can easily fix any of these problems when they occur in your inboard motor.
Why Inboard Motor Loses Power At Full Throttle
1)Poor Engine Compression
For an inboard motor to function well, it have to maintain a good compression in the cylinders.
The level of compression in the cylinder of an engine is very important.
This is because when there is a good compression in the cylinder of an inboard motor pressure inside the cylinder will not be lost.
But if the compression in the cylinder of the inboard motor is bad, then there will be loss of pressure in the affected cylinders.
This will also lead to the loss of power when power is being generated from the combustion process.
Due to this, the inboard motor will not be able to reach full power.
Solution
a)Fix Bad Components In The Inboard Motor
When an inboard motor loses compression in the cylinders, it is usually due to some of the faulty components in it.
The reasons why this can occur is when the walls of the cylinder is worn out.
When the walls of the inboard motor cylinder is worn out, it will create gap in which some of the built-up pressure in the cylinder will escape.
Another thing that can lead to poor compression in a cylinder is when the pistons are damaged.
When the pistons in the cylinder are damaged, leakage of pressure will occur which will affect the level of power generated from the inboard motor during combustion.
Solution
a)Rebuild Engine
When you discover that you are having a low compression in your engine, you have to fix it.
Sometimes this low compression can occur in one cylinder.
Other times it can occur in all the cylinders of the inboard motor.
When this occurs, you have to make sure that you inspect the components of the engine in order to determine what is causing the low compression.
When the cause has been seen, it has to be fixed.
This will help the inboard motor to reach full speed easily.
2) Bad Ignition System
The power to be produced in an inboard motor for use in moving the propeller power has to be generated from the inboard motor.
But before power is generated in the inboard motor, there has to be combustion in the combustion chamber.
This is what will produce the power needed to move the propeller.
But for this to be possible, the spark plug has to ignite the fuel mixture in the combustion chamber.
What supplies spark to the spark plug for use in the ignition coil.
The ignition coil helps in supercharging the charge it receives before sending it down to the spark plug for use.
If the ignition coil develops a fault, then efficient combustion in the combustion chamber will not be possible.
This will lead to the reduction of power that is being produced from the inboard motor.
Solution
a)Fix Faulty Ignition Coil
If the ignition coil in your inboard motor is not functioning well, you have to fix it.
In fixing, you have to make sure that you check and get a good replacement from certified suppliers.
This will help supply a good amount of charge to the spark plug which will help in igniting fuel mixture easily in the combustion chamber to produce power.
3) Use of Contaminated Fuel
Apart from components like the spark plug and ignition system, the performance of an inboard motor also depends heavily on the type of fuel that is used.
If you use a good fuel, then you will enjoy a flawless performance from your inboard motor.
But if you use a bad and contaminated fuel,l then the performance of the inboard motor will be affected.
This can be fuel that contains water or dissolved particles in it.
When this is seen in a fuel, efficiency of combustion in the combustion chamber will be reduced.
Due to this, the inboard motor will not be able to produce adequate power to reach full speed.
With this, inboard motor loses power at full throttle.
Solution
a)Use Good Fuel
When you are running your inboard motor, you have to make sure that you use a good fuel.
This will help ensure that the combustion in the combustion chamber is efficient thereby leading to better power production from the inboard motor.
When the inboard motor produces power effortlessly, situations like losing power at full throttle will not occur.
4) Use of Bad Spark Plug
One of the key components that help an inboard motor to perform well is the spark plug.
The spark plug help in creating a spark that ignites fuel mixture in the combustion chamber.
With this, ignition of the fuel in the combustion chamber of the inboard motor is able to produce power.
This power is what will move the propeller to help move the boat in the direction of the boat operator.
But if the spark plug is bad, then the inboard motor will be struggling to move the boat very well.
This will lead to poor performance from the inboard motor.
Solution
a)Use Good Spark Plugs
If after troubleshooting you find out that the spark plug in your inboard motor is bad, you have to make sure that you change it to a good one.
This will help your inboard motor to produce the necessary power that will make the boat run well.
5) Use Of Bad Oil
Another reason why an inboard motor loses power at full throttle is when a bad oil is used.
For an inboard motor to function properly, lubrication is needed inside the engine.
Apart from the engine oil helping to lubricate the engine, the engine oil also helps in maintaining a good temperature in the engine during combustion.
This will help avoid overheating from occurring in the engine.
But when you make use of a bad engine oil, this will not be possible.
What you will observe is that the performance of your inboard motor will reduce.
That is why it is very good to make sure that you use a good engine oil in running your inboard motor.
Solution
a)Use a Good Engine Oil
If you want to avoid poor performance in your inboard motor, one of the things you have to make use of is the use of a good engine oil.
With the use of a good engine oil, your inboard motor is going to function very well.
This will help eliminate problems like the inboard motor losing power at full Throttle.
6) Faulty Cooling System
Making use of your inboard motor within acceptable temperature range is very important.
This will help avoid damage from occurring in the engine.
For the safety of an inboard motor, manufacturers always set an automatic shutdown when the temperature of the inboard motor rises to some certain level.
This is to help prevent total damage of the engine due to extremely high temperature.
When there is temperature spike in an inboard motor, it is usually due to a faulty cooling system.
When the cooling system in faulty, it will not be able to regulate the temperature of the inboard motor.
This will lead to an overheating situation which is very bad in an inboard motor.
Solution
a)Fix Faulty Cooling System
When you discover that the cooling system in your inboard motor is not functioning well, one of the things that will happen is that they will be an overheating.
When your inboard motor is overheating, one of the first places you have to pay close attention to is the cooling system of the inboard motor.
If you discover that the cooling system is faulty, then you have to make sure that you fix it.
This will help achieve greater performance when you make use of your inboard motor.
7) Blocked Exhaust System
The exhaust is a very vital component of an inboard motor.
This is because it helps in sending out by products of combustion that occurs in the combustion chamber.
After the power stroke in which power is released from the outboard motor, byproducts from the combustion process is being sent out.
Where this by-product is being sent out is through the exhaust system.
But if the exhaust system is not functioning well, then these byproducts are not going to be sent out easily.
This will lead to serious problems inside the inboard motor.
One of the problems that will occur when the exhaust system of an inboard motor is blocked is that they will be overheating.
The spark plug will be also be fouled due to the retained carbon in the combustion chamber.
This will reduce how effective the spark plug will ignite the fuel mixture in the combustion chamber which will lead to the reduction of the inboard motors performance.
Solution
a)Fix Faulty Exhaust System
When you discover that the exhaust system in your inboard motor is faulty, you have to check the cause.
This is because there are so many components that make up an exhaust system.
When there is a faulty exhaust system, that doesn’t mean that all the components are bad.
That is why you have to make sure that you check which of the components are faulty.
When you discover the faulty part of the exhaust system, you will have to make sure that you change it to a good one.
This will help your inboard motor to achieve full speed when you are a accelerating.
8) Faulty Propeller
In an inboard motor, propeller receives power from the inboard motor to spin.
The circular motion created by the propeller is what helps in moving the boat in the direction of the boat operator.
But sometimes the propeller can cause an inboard motor to lose power when it is accelerating.
This happens when the propeller is not moving freely.
This can be due to an obstruction by a seaweed.
A propeller can also restrict the performance of an inboard motor if it is not the right size for that particular inboard motor.
That is why you have to make sure that you use the right propeller type and size that fits well in your inboard motor.
Solution
1)Use The Right Propeller Type And Size
If you want to achieve good performance from your inboard motor, one of the things you have to do is selecting a good propeller type.
Apart from selecting a good propeller type, you have to make sure that the size fits well in your inboard motor.
This will help the inboard motor to move the boat very well when it is accelerating at full speed.
9) Lack Of Timely Maintenance
when making use of an inboard motor one of the things you should not neglect is timely maintenance.
It is during the maintenance period that you discover some of the flaws with the inboard motor.
With that, you can easily provide the needed repair.
One of the benefits of performing a timely maintenance on your inboard motor is that it helps to spot out issues easily.
This will help in performing a repair to avoid the damages extending to other parts of the inboard motor
Solution
a)Perform Timely Maintenance
Inboard motors will rarely loose power at full throttle when they are well maintained.
But if you delay the timely maintenance, then damages will be severe
That is why you have to make sure that you give your inboard motors prompt and timely maintenance.
This will help eliminate situations in which inboard motor loses power at full throttle.