
And it works by letting the piston and rings compress the air-fuel mixture into the cylinder – igniting a spark. The reason is, an outboard gas engine needs fuel, air, spark, unobstructed exhaust, and compression in the exact required amount.Īnd any issue with these aspects can cause problems in the engine – causing problems in the outboard.Ĭompression powers the engine that, in turn, powers your boat to run. That includes – low compression in the engine. However, when issues get detected at any of these parts, the health of the outboard starts to deteriorate. The thrust a boat gets is solely possible for this system–an outboard motor. It’s a system for boats that uses an engine, gearbox, and propeller to function. What Causes Low Compression in Outboard Motors?Īn outboard motor is the heart of marine propulsion. So, keep reading this article if you want to know why compression lowers and how to fix it. More factors come into play that causes this issue. Compression tends to get lower drastically when one or two cylinders start to leak for the damaged engine.Īnd that’s not all as to why you can come across a cylinder low in compression. Like- misplaced head gaskets, valve issues, damaged cylinder walls, broken piston rings, etc.

Issues like this are caused for a bunch of reasons. At times like this, when you get down to inspect your boat only to find low compression in one cylinder outboard motor.

But the fun quickly gets spoiled when your boat starts to fickle or show poor performance. Riding on a boat with family or peers is a fun activity to do on a hot summer day.
