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Engine Faults


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Hey crew, just got our first Bu, and so far are not impressed. Out of the four times we've taken the boat out, we've had four engine faults. We'll be going along, then all of a sudden we go down to 50% power. The boat is used.. has 60 hours on it. The display reads engine fault. We checked it out, and it said we had a cylinder one misfire. Have taken it to the dealer, but every time it comes back, we get another engine fault. What would you do if this was happening to you? We're all out of ideas. Any input will be appreciated... Joseph

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Sorry to hear that about your bu! Did you buy the boat from a dealer or from private party? Did the previous owner have any issues like this? Take if back to the dealer(as big a pain as that is) and have faith that they will make it right for you. If your local dealer is not having any luck with it then call and explain the problem to some other dealers and maybe they have seen this before.

Good luck

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We bought it from a dealer, and no the previous owner didn't have any trouble with it, the dealer called and asked him. Just talked to the dealer, and he said to bring it in so they can replace the knock sensors, and possibly the ECM. Hopefully nothing too major.

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If the fuel tank is full of old bad gas it could cause detonation that would be picked up by the knock sensor. That computer is going into limp mode. This could me a possible cause.

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If the fuel tank is full of old bad gas it could cause detonation that would be picked up by the knock sensor. That computer is going into limp mode. This could me a possible cause.

The boat had 1/4 tank of fuel, but winterized by the dealer..I would think he used stabalizer?? I topped it off with fresh fuel before launching !! Any other imput would be great as dealer is (?)()(???)))!!!

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If the fuel tank is full of old bad gas it could cause detonation that would be picked up by the knock sensor. That computer is going into limp mode. This could me a possible cause.

The boat had 1/4 tank of fuel, but winterized by the dealer..I would think he used stabalizer?? I topped it off with fresh fuel before launching !! Any other imput would be great as dealer is (?)()(???)))!!!

It wouldn't hurt to throw a can of gas dryer in there, to make sure you get all the moisture out.

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We bought it from a dealer, and no the previous owner didn't have any trouble with it, the dealer called and asked him. Just talked to the dealer, and he said to bring it in so they can replace the knock sensors, and possibly the ECM. Hopefully nothing too major.

replacing the knock sensors and especially the ECM seems like a pretty good plan.

not firing on # 8 cylinder, plugged injector? bad wire, spark plug? i suppose this easy stuff has been checked already.

It is odd that it has not happened before and then after sitting all winter it happens. Could be fuel, fuel filter, fuel pump? maybe some water froze inside the fuel pump?

I hope they figure it out soon for you.

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Hey crew, just got our first Bu, and so far are not impressed. Out of the four times we've taken the boat out, we've had four engine faults. We'll be going along, then all of a sudden we go down to 50% power. The boat is used.. has 60 hours on it. The display reads engine fault. We checked it out, and it said we had a cylinder one misfire. Have taken it to the dealer, but every time it comes back, we get another engine fault. What would you do if this was happening to you? We're all out of ideas. Any input will be appreciated... Joseph

I've been getting engine faults too, so I'd be interested in what your final resolution is. I have not take mine in as of yet, but did speak with the dealer. Said that some faults are triggered when you start the boat without allowing the electronics to set. Another words turn it on but dont crank it. wait 3 to 5 sec let the gauges and everything start to register then crank it. If the boat is cranking over for more then 4 to 5 seconds without starting then that will cause an engine fault also. That explained the faults I was getting when starting after sitting between riders, but I am now getting them just driving like you seem to be.

Let me know what you find out, Thanks

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The indmar manual talks about the engine going into protect mode and will cause a fault notice if the ECM detects Low Oil Pressure, High Coolant Temperature or High Transmission Oil Temperature and dropping rpm to about 2000rpm (protect mode). Is this what is happening? Even slight damage to the impeller would cause the engine to overheat. Just throwing it out there.

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Maybe i can be of some help

You can fix your problem easily if your not getting anywhere with your shop/dealer.

Cylinder misfires are from poor combustion, 3 main causes on a new engine.

Bad fuel - your octane in the fuel tank is lower than the 89 that is required

Carbon build up - if you are loading your boat up and not getting a WOT pass each time, you will build up carbon on the plugs, the new exhaust/fuel system HAS to have a WOT run to get the engine hot enough to burn off impurities in the oil and carbon in the cylinders.

Spark Plugs Need to be retired - Indmar ships the engines with a platinum plug, these are only good for a season or two since or engines run 160 degrees the platinum plugs don't get hot enough to burn off the carbon that builds on them. We run NGK's for all our customers, very happy. NGK Part # 3623 BPR6EFS

Replacing the ECM or knock sensor is a long shot, either they are just guessing or they don't understand how the system works. In the 6 years I've worked here I've replaced two ECM's (one that failed completely and one that the customer hooked the battery terminals up back wards) I wouldn't rule them out but that would be the very last thing i would do.

Did they verify that the cam angle (timing advance) was set to 705? If not it needs to be checked

Did they check the spark plugs? If not they need to be checked

You should run premium for your next few tanks of fuel to help get better combustion.

DO NOT put any sort of heat or fuel water absorber, you will create a world of hurt long term as it makes this nasty gum material in your fuel injector screens. Every customer with fuel issues was traced down to them using some sort of fuel treatment they were using. Only Sta-bil is recommended and you need to put it in before the fuel sits, not after. Once fuel drops it's octane rating (volatile so it's always breaking down) all you can do is put in premium and burn off the tank down as soon as possible.

Cervelo - If the engine has enough engine mis-fires it will put the engine into a RPM reduction mode with the new ETX CAT exhaust manifolds to protect the catalyst.

Did you run thru your fault codes to make sure there isn't anything other than the engine misfire code?

hope this helps! Let me know if you need any more information.

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Hey crew, just got our first Bu, and so far are not impressed. Out of the four times we've taken the boat out, we've had four engine faults. We'll be going along, then all of a sudden we go down to 50% power. The boat is used.. has 60 hours on it. The display reads engine fault. We checked it out, and it said we had a cylinder one misfire. Have taken it to the dealer, but every time it comes back, we get another engine fault. What would you do if this was happening to you? We're all out of ideas. Any input will be appreciated... Joseph

I've been getting engine faults too, so I'd be interested in what your final resolution is. I have not take mine in as of yet, but did speak with the dealer. Said that some faults are triggered when you start the boat without allowing the electronics to set. Another words turn it on but dont crank it. wait 3 to 5 sec let the gauges and everything start to register then crank it. If the boat is cranking over for more then 4 to 5 seconds without starting then that will cause an engine fault also. That explained the faults I was getting when starting after sitting between riders, but I am now getting them just driving like you seem to be.

Let me know what you find out, Thanks

Malibu Ken,

What the dealer is trying to tell you mainly is they want you to let the fuel system prime and build to that 60 PSI, if you don't you might get a low fuel pressure fault code at start up.

Are you taking the engine up to WOT? With the CAT exhaust these engines need to be run hard and hot to get them cleaned out.

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The engine misfire codes are related to the ignition system. The computer has no way of knowing if your engine is misfiring, only if the ignition system might be causing it. Knock and misfire are two different things. The ECM monitors your ignition system for normal operation and electrical continuity throughout. This includes the trigger, the coil packs, ignition modules, sparking spark plugs, and assossiated wiring. If it finds anything wrong with this system, it will check it again and if it find the same problem again, it will put out a trouble code.

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Thanks for all your imput.. We have been warming the engine up every time.. It seems that if I go half throttle it would run all day long with no faults.. It is when I give er that it pops up quite quickly.. I told them that the timing might be out!! I think they will go through it a tad more carefully this time as I am getting ticked..I will post it when I hear from them..THX again and keep em coming as I will remember all of this for the next time..GAR

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Just to add,,, Cylinder misfire is the only code that is in there.. It goes Active,,,Then goes to inactive and then the same fault comes up active again..Last Sat in 1/2 hour I had it come up 10 times....

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Just to add,,, Cylinder misfire is the only code that is in there.. It goes Active,,,Then goes to inactive and then the same fault comes up active again..Last Sat in 1/2 hour I had it come up 10 times....

That's got to be annoying, hang in there, i'm sure they will get it fixed for you!!

Are you working with Performance? They are a great shop to work with.

Edited by Bakes Board & Ski
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The indmar manual talks about the engine going into protect mode and will cause a fault notice if the ECM detects Low Oil Pressure, High Coolant Temperature or High Transmission Oil Temperature and dropping rpm to about 2000rpm (protect mode). Is this what is happening? Even slight damage to the impeller would cause the engine to overheat. Just throwing it out there.

Hi Bob,,Oil press and engine temp are normal,,, Tranny has not got enough time to get hot!! But yes the engine kicks down to protect mode and cant even plain..If I shut it down,, turn batteries off for a while and try again it seems to go a bit further,,,,,then Fault again...Cant even think of towing anything as it cant tow itself..I appreciate everyone is beating this up,, But i got the full 3 year warranty so I cant really touch it.... Thinking of trading it for a new VTX...Thanks and I will keep you up to date. GAR

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Saw this post and thought I would ask you a question. If the fuel at my home lake is not high enough octane (87), what do you add? Also, if my Mosoon 335 EFI started missing at speeds from 17-20, what would you check first. Also, the under dash alarm when off, but then stopped. I didn't know how to check the codes...

thanks.

Bryan

Maybe i can be of some help

You can fix your problem easily if your not getting anywhere with your shop/dealer.

Cylinder misfires are from poor combustion, 3 main causes on a new engine.

Bad fuel - your octane in the fuel tank is lower than the 89 that is required

Carbon build up - if you are loading your boat up and not getting a WOT pass each time, you will build up carbon on the plugs, the new exhaust/fuel system HAS to have a WOT run to get the engine hot enough to burn off impurities in the oil and carbon in the cylinders.

Spark Plugs Need to be retired - Indmar ships the engines with a platinum plug, these are only good for a season or two since or engines run 160 degrees the platinum plugs don't get hot enough to burn off the carbon that builds on them. We run NGK's for all our customers, very happy. NGK Part # 3623 BPR6EFS

Replacing the ECM or knock sensor is a long shot, either they are just guessing or they don't understand how the system works. In the 6 years I've worked here I've replaced two ECM's (one that failed completely and one that the customer hooked the battery terminals up back wards) I wouldn't rule them out but that would be the very last thing i would do.

Did they verify that the cam angle (timing advance) was set to 705? If not it needs to be checked

Did they check the spark plugs? If not they need to be checked

You should run premium for your next few tanks of fuel to help get better combustion.

DO NOT put any sort of heat or fuel water absorber, you will create a world of hurt long term as it makes this nasty gum material in your fuel injector screens. Every customer with fuel issues was traced down to them using some sort of fuel treatment they were using. Only Sta-bil is recommended and you need to put it in before the fuel sits, not after. Once fuel drops it's octane rating (volatile so it's always breaking down) all you can do is put in premium and burn off the tank down as soon as possible.

Cervelo - If the engine has enough engine mis-fires it will put the engine into a RPM reduction mode with the new ETX CAT exhaust manifolds to protect the catalyst.

Did you run thru your fault codes to make sure there isn't anything other than the engine misfire code?

hope this helps! Let me know if you need any more information.

Link to comment
Saw this post and thought I would ask you a question. If the fuel at my home lake is not high enough octane (87), what do you add? Also, if my Mosoon 335 EFI started missing at speeds from 17-20, what would you check first. Also, the under dash alarm when off, but then stopped. I didn't know how to check the codes...

thanks.

Bryan

Maybe i can be of some help

You can fix your problem easily if your not getting anywhere with your shop/dealer.

Cylinder misfires are from poor combustion, 3 main causes on a new engine.

Bad fuel - your octane in the fuel tank is lower than the 89 that is required

Carbon build up - if you are loading your boat up and not getting a WOT pass each time, you will build up carbon on the plugs, the new exhaust/fuel system HAS to have a WOT run to get the engine hot enough to burn off impurities in the oil and carbon in the cylinders.

Spark Plugs Need to be retired - Indmar ships the engines with a platinum plug, these are only good for a season or two since or engines run 160 degrees the platinum plugs don't get hot enough to burn off the carbon that builds on them. We run NGK's for all our customers, very happy. NGK Part # 3623 BPR6EFS

Replacing the ECM or knock sensor is a long shot, either they are just guessing or they don't understand how the system works. In the 6 years I've worked here I've replaced two ECM's (one that failed completely and one that the customer hooked the battery terminals up back wards) I wouldn't rule them out but that would be the very last thing i would do.

Did they verify that the cam angle (timing advance) was set to 705? If not it needs to be checked

Did they check the spark plugs? If not they need to be checked

You should run premium for your next few tanks of fuel to help get better combustion.

DO NOT put any sort of heat or fuel water absorber, you will create a world of hurt long term as it makes this nasty gum material in your fuel injector screens. Every customer with fuel issues was traced down to them using some sort of fuel treatment they were using. Only Sta-bil is recommended and you need to put it in before the fuel sits, not after. Once fuel drops it's octane rating (volatile so it's always breaking down) all you can do is put in premium and burn off the tank down as soon as possible.

Cervelo - If the engine has enough engine mis-fires it will put the engine into a RPM reduction mode with the new ETX CAT exhaust manifolds to protect the catalyst.

Did you run thru your fault codes to make sure there isn't anything other than the engine misfire code?

hope this helps! Let me know if you need any more information.

You can buy octane booster at autoparts stores.

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Hey crew, just got our first Bu, and so far are not impressed. Out of the four times we've taken the boat out, we've had four engine faults. We'll be going along, then all of a sudden we go down to 50% power. The boat is used.. has 60 hours on it. The display reads engine fault. We checked it out, and it said we had a cylinder one misfire. Have taken it to the dealer, but every time it comes back, we get another engine fault. What would you do if this was happening to you? We're all out of ideas. Any input will be appreciated... Joseph

I've been getting engine faults too, so I'd be interested in what your final resolution is. I have not take mine in as of yet, but did speak with the dealer. Said that some faults are triggered when you start the boat without allowing the electronics to set. Another words turn it on but dont crank it. wait 3 to 5 sec let the gauges and everything start to register then crank it. If the boat is cranking over for more then 4 to 5 seconds without starting then that will cause an engine fault also. That explained the faults I was getting when starting after sitting between riders, but I am now getting them just driving like you seem to be.

Let me know what you find out, Thanks

Malibu Ken,

What the dealer is trying to tell you mainly is they want you to let the fuel system prime and build to that 60 PSI, if you don't you might get a low fuel pressure fault code at start up.

Are you taking the engine up to WOT? With the CAT exhaust these engines need to be run hard and hot to get them cleaned out.

Ya understood, and it's ok now not sure what WOT is but I do run my boat hard both surf and boarding

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Hey crew.. just got word from the dealer that the boat is back to 100%!!! Clap.gif There was something wrong with the ECM, so they replaced that, and it's now good to go, and has 0 hours! Thanks for all the input.

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Had another Fault this weekend, so it's at the shop as I write. Will let you know if mine has the same issue

Edited by Malibu Ken & Barbi
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Hey crew.. just got word from the dealer that the boat is back to 100%!!! Clap.gif There was something wrong with the ECM, so they replaced that, and it's now good to go, and has 0 hours! Thanks for all the input.

Hopefully that cures it once and for all. Thumbup.gif

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Well dealer said all the faults that were in the computer were low voltage codes. Seems that my stereo has been draining the batts. I do have a trickle charger I always put on it when at home after a day on the lake but I also have lead cell batts that are about 1 year old (Time for optimas) ;)

Seems as if the newer bu's with all the electronics pull a lot of amps and that combined with the big stereos push them to the limit. If the voltage drops down around 10amps it will trigger these faults.

So that was my cause and it seems to be working well now. Hope this helps someone else

Edited by Malibu Ken & Barbi
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