White smoke after launching?

[johnsw]

Anyone ever notice white smoke coming from their engines after launching in the spring? I just splashed this past weekend and motored my boat from the marina where I had the bottom painted to my regular slip. It was about a 10 minute boat ride at cruising speed (4400 rpm). The engine started fine and ran OK all the way. When I throttled back into my approach channel, I glanced back and noticed a small but visible white cloud of smoke coming from my engine. It cleared mostly, but I noticed the engine still puffed steady, thin white smoke as I idled into my slip. Still nothing odd about how the engine sounded or idled. By the time I got tied in and set, I had no time to go out for another test run.

I'm hoping this is just fogging fluid or something burning off after the winter layup. Never noticed it in previous years, but who knows with these things. I usually start the engine in the driveway a week or 2 before launching to get it ready, and this year was no different. It was a cool day and noticed traces of smoke after the initial cloud blew away. I just figured cool air temps and didn't think much of it. It's a 2004 2-stroke 150 with low hours, so I'd think it very odd to have a head gasket go so soon. Any thoughts or ideas? It's defintiely not 2-stroke blue smoke. I figured I'd run it a bit more and see if it improves with some time and warmer temps before over-reacting.

I love the Parker, but still don't have confidence in the Yamaha. Been a Mercury and Mercruiser guy since 1980, so I'm biased having so few issues with either of those engines.

John S.

 

[B-Faithful]

Are you sure it is smoke? could be steam. My engine will steam when the water is cold. Water vapor is nothing to worry about.

Do you have a 4 stroke or 2 stroke?

 

[gw204]

Is your motor carbed, OX66 (EFI) or HPDI? After 10 minutes of running, all of the fogging oil should be blown out, so my guess is that it's just steam.

Anyway, that's straight up 2-stroke carbed/EFI behavior on a cool day. My '02 carbed Merc 150 did the same exact thing. Have faith in that Yamaha. While it ain't no Merc, it'll get the job done.

 

[B-Faithful]

Have faith in that Yamaha. While it ain't no Merc, it'll get the job done.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


BTW, nice rod off of the leaning post gw204 8)

 

[DaleH]

Me thinks he meant to say ...

Have faith in that Yamaha. While it ain't no Merc, it'll get the job done better than a Merc.

 

[Megabyte]

My OX66 will sometimes show visable water vapor early in the season when the Bay water and the air temps are cool.
It's normal.

 

[johnsw]

It could be steam. Called it white smoke as that's the simplest way to describe it. It's not a dense cloud like when I started the first time after layup, or when I normally start it I get a cloud of blue smoke that I know is oil. That disappears quickly when the engine warms up. Engine seems to run OK, so I'm not too concerned about it just yet. I just never noticed it before.

It's the 2-stroke carb 150. Picked it because that model has been around for a long time, and should be pretty solid by now.

I'd still be more at ease with a Merc. Outside of regular maintenance, had 0 issues with it until I traded on a new boat when the lower unit seals were shot. I bought the boat used in 1980 and traded it in 1991. The Merc was a vintage 1964, so it served me well.

JS

 

[Parker23]

Becareful that rod in the launcher can have termites in the handle which will then eat the stringers and transom. Lol!

 

[Porkchunker]

If it is the first time it is run in the spring after winterization that includes fogging oil in the cylinders, then it is probably just the excess oil burning off.

If it continues, then it is probably water vapor as the hot water hits the cold air. In the early spring when I fish the Susquehanna flats and the temps are in the low 40s, my twin 2-stroke motors on the little woodie (see my signature below), will have that cloud of white mist all day long.

I get the same behavior from the twin F-115s on the Parker when at the CBBT in late Nov through early Feb.

Dave