Got stranded this past weekend

[you da man]

Ran about 35-40 miles of water this past Saturday. Decided to float and watch the sunset with my girlfriend then head back to the ramp. Went to start the engine and it would only crank, not start. After a couple attempts it started but the engine idled extremely rough and the tach was jumping from 300-500. Tried to put it in gear and it would stall. Called my buddy who was on the lake with his Supra and he came over. He had a spare fuel filter on his boat and we swapped mine out. Turned the key to "run" a couple times to fill/prime the new filter and it started on the first try and ran fine. I guess I'll be keeping a spare fuel filter from now on.

[brain_rinse]

Yikes, glad you had that buddy to help out. How many hours did you have on that fuel filter?

[jester]

Are you sure that was not a good reason to spend more time on the lake with the Girlfriend?

Good to hear you had a friend with a spair part that fixed the problem real quick.

[scoot_gt]

Ran about 35-40 miles of water this past Saturday. Decided to float and watch the sunset with my girlfriend then head back to the ramp. Went to start the engine and it would only crank, not start. After a couple attempts it started but the engine idled extremely rough and the tach was jumping from 300-500.

Possible vapor lock?

[you da man]

Possible vapor lock?

I don't think so but thought of that. Also thought IF it's vapor lock, wouldn't it start or not start...not just barely idle and stall when I put it in forward. It started within a few cranks and ran very rough. Plus, from the time it ran fine to where we floated was only a 2-3 mile run, we floated for an hour, and low humidity and 80 degrees.

[newty]

My buddy with an 08 outback had the same problems last spring. When it did finally start it ran rough like you said. Took it in to AWS, and they couldn't find anything wrong. In the previous service they had replaced a fuel line and filter but it ran for 3 or 4 sets before we just floated and had lunch, then it wouldn't start. Its run fine since. Have no idea why or what caused it.

[you da man]

Yikes, glad you had that buddy to help out. How many hours did you have on that fuel filter?

Right at 53hrs

[scoot_gt]

I don't think so but thought of that. Also thought IF it's vapor lock, wouldn't it start or not start...not just barely idle and stall when I put it in forward. It started within a few cranks and ran very rough. Plus, from the time it ran fine to where we floated was only a 2-3 mile run, we floated for an hour, and low humidity and 80 degrees.

They few times I vapor locked on my 06, it would start and run rough as you described - then die as soon as put into gear. One of the vapor lock times was not an unusually hot southern day either.

Do the 08s have the single fuel pump or 2? Always worth trying to dump some cold water over the pump.

[murraymoomba]

I would say vapor lock. If it happens again pour 2 or 3 bottles of lake water on the fuel pump and it will crank right up. I know from experience......

[maxpower220]

That is classic vapor lock. You rode around enough to get the motor box heated up. Then you stopped and that heat transferred around the fuel in the fuel pump. When you put in a new filter, you probably lost some warm fuel in the line, you had the motor box open allowing natural cooling to take place, and allowed the fuel pump and fuel to cool down. Try to figure out where your fuel pump is located for a future issue like this. If it happens, pour some lake water directly on the pump to cool it down. Start the boat and get the "cool" fuel from the tank flowing again and you will have no other issues.