Work process: systematic engine troubleshooting
Find the cause instead of guessing
Good fault-finding is systematic, not guesswork. Use this procedure to narrow down the cause.
§1. Understand the symptom
- 01What exactly happens — doesn't it start, or does it run poorly?
- 02When did it start and under what circumstances?
- 03Has anything been recently done to the boat?
§2. Narrow down systematically
- 01Fuel: is there fuel and is it clean and water-free?
- 02Spark/ignition: does the engine spark (petrol)?
- 03Air: carbon monoxide and extraction
- 04Compression: does the engine have compression?
- 05Electronics: does the diagnostic equipment show fault codes?
§3. Measure, correct and verify
- 01Measure your way forward rather than guessing
- 02Fix the fault found
- 03Start and confirm that the error is gone