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2004 VLX DYING WHILE IN IDLE


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I have a 2004 Malibu VLX that has started to have some problems this summer. At low rpms it acts like it is not getting enough gas and just dies. The boat runs great once it is up on plane but while in idle the engine dies. And also sometimes when trying to start it the engine will continue to crank but will not start. At first we thought we had bad gas and put gas treatment in the tank but that did not fix the problem. We then put a new fuel filter on and that did not fix it. So the dock manager took a look at it and thinks it has something to do with the distributer cap and spark plugs or possibly the ignition wiring. If you could please help I would greatly appreciate it so I don't have a ruined summer.

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While your boat is much newer, my 95 started to do the exact same thing on my last day of vacation - thankfully at the end of the day.

I ran out the balance of the 1/2 tank and then bought another 1/2 of a tank elsewhere ( both on the lake - 4.58 for Premo ) if your wondering ( this is pretty far up in northern Wisconsin ).

That did not solve it. So we got home last weekend, I cleaned up the throttle body and checked everything and ran it in the driveway for a while - I could not get it to do the same problem as on water.

Then my wife & I took it out on Monday so I could look at the throttle spray under power - again, ran fine under power. Sprays even looked good on idle, when it ran rough. I even noticed there was moisture on top of the throttle body and it was cold to the touch ( humidity was 78% ) but Mercury got a hold of me and said thats normal. Mercury man said one of the MF chips may not be reading right but finding a Merc certified shop on the water here is tough.

The guys at the boat store said it could either be plug wires, cap ( has new ) or one of the two chips aren't reading to the throttle body correctly. They bowed out up front saying at 100.00 an hour if they can't mock the problem they would have to take it to the water - at 100.00 an hour thats 300.00 right off the bat. At least they were upfront on that.

It did run fine right off the trailer and only started doing it again after reaching operating temp and then I shut it down & restarted. Up north it did it even at the morning start up. so it went both ways.

I will replace the wires - thats the only thing I have not done and should have. Hopefully thats all I need to do.

Has anyone else had this problem on the older ( 95 ) throttle body EFI's?

Steve

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I have a 2004 Malibu VLX that has started to have some problems this summer. At low rpms it acts like it is not getting enough gas and just dies. The boat runs great once it is up on plane but while in idle the engine dies. And also sometimes when trying to start it the engine will continue to crank but will not start. At first we thought we had bad gas and put gas treatment in the tank but that did not fix the problem. We then put a new fuel filter on and that did not fix it. So the dock manager took a look at it and thinks it has something to do with the distributer cap and spark plugs or possibly the ignition wiring. If you could please help I would greatly appreciate it so I don't have a ruined summer.
Do you have LCR or Monsoon. Both are EFI and computer controlled,so unless your distributor has been pumped or moved by accident, your timing set by the factory should be good for live. Main culprit could be Dist. cap,rotor and plugs and wires. Get a tune up kit and replace it all. Try skidim.com. A look inside your dist cap. will tell, if it has corrosion and the posts inside are fouled. Same with plugs, they should be a light tanish brown. If this problem occurs after you have run the boat hard or for awhile then stop and sit for more than 15 mins. it could be vapor lock. Just remember to use your blower and when you stop lift the engine hatch to let out the hot air. I have a 2005 Vride and surf all the time in Fl., so vapor lock was a big issue. Now I use Stabil and run the blower all the time. and when I stop for more than 30 mins. I open the engine hatch. Another trick is to turn your ignition key 2 or 3 times before starting. This purges the fuel rails, and gets rid of the vapors.
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I have a 2004 Malibu VLX that has started to have some problems this summer. At low rpms it acts like it is not getting enough gas and just dies. The boat runs great once it is up on plane but while in idle the engine dies. And also sometimes when trying to start it the engine will continue to crank but will not start. At first we thought we had bad gas and put gas treatment in the tank but that did not fix the problem. We then put a new fuel filter on and that did not fix it. So the dock manager took a look at it and thinks it has something to do with the distributer cap and spark plugs or possibly the ignition wiring. If you could please help I would greatly appreciate it so I don't have a ruined summer.
Do you have LCR or Monsoon. Both are EFI and computer controlled,so unless your distributor has been pumped or moved by accident, your timing set by the factory should be good for live. Main culprit could be Dist. cap,rotor and plugs and wires. Get a tune up kit and replace it all. Try skidim.com. A look inside your dist cap. will tell, if it has corrosion and the posts inside are fouled. Same with plugs, they should be a light tanish brown. If this problem occurs after you have run the boat hard or for awhile then stop and sit for more than 15 mins. it could be vapor lock. Just remember to use your blower and when you stop lift the engine hatch to let out the hot air. I have a 2005 Vride and surf all the time in Fl., so vapor lock was a big issue. Now I use Stabil and run the blower all the time. and when I stop for more than 30 mins. I open the engine hatch. Another trick is to turn your ignition key 2 or 3 times before starting. This purges the fuel rails, and gets rid of the vapors.

Timing is not "set for life" and should be checked every once in awhile

Vapor lock will usually result in a no-start condition

I agree with replacing the cap, rotor, plugs, and plug wires to get a baseline.

Also you said you added fuel treatment, but with ethanol gas you could still have water in the tank. You may need to drain the tank or burn off what is in there before you can do anything.

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Thanks for the quick replies guys. It is the monsoon engine. I will go with getting the tuneup kit. We had the boat fully serviced over the winter and have only put on about 25 hrs this summer because of the problems. It gets to be so frustrating when you drive an hour and a half to the lake and all you want to do is board but instead you end up fighting the damn boat.

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I have a 2004 Malibu VLX that has started to have some problems this summer. At low rpms it acts like it is not getting enough gas and just dies. The boat runs great once it is up on plane but while in idle the engine dies. And also sometimes when trying to start it the engine will continue to crank but will not start. At first we thought we had bad gas and put gas treatment in the tank but that did not fix the problem. We then put a new fuel filter on and that did not fix it. So the dock manager took a look at it and thinks it has something to do with the distributer cap and spark plugs or possibly the ignition wiring. If you could please help I would greatly appreciate it so I don't have a ruined summer.
Do you have LCR or Monsoon. Both are EFI and computer controlled,so unless your distributor has been pumped or moved by accident, your timing set by the factory should be good for live. Main culprit could be Dist. cap,rotor and plugs and wires. Get a tune up kit and replace it all. Try skidim.com. A look inside your dist cap. will tell, if it has corrosion and the posts inside are fouled. Same with plugs, they should be a light tanish brown. If this problem occurs after you have run the boat hard or for awhile then stop and sit for more than 15 mins. it could be vapor lock. Just remember to use your blower and when you stop lift the engine hatch to let out the hot air. I have a 2005 Vride and surf all the time in Fl., so vapor lock was a big issue. Now I use Stabil and run the blower all the time. and when I stop for more than 30 mins. I open the engine hatch. Another trick is to turn your ignition key 2 or 3 times before starting. This purges the fuel rails, and gets rid of the vapors.

Timing is not "set for life" and should be checked every once in awhile

Vapor lock will usually result in a no-start condition

I agree with replacing the cap, rotor, plugs, and plug wires to get a baseline.

Also you said you added fuel treatment, but with ethanol gas you could still have water in the tank. You may need to drain the tank or burn off what is in there before you can do anything.

Take a look at page 6-13 of the Indmar manual Here's the link.Indmar Manual
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Thanks for the quick replies guys. It is the monsoon engine. I will go with getting the tuneup kit. We had the boat fully serviced over the winter and have only put on about 25 hrs this summer because of the problems. It gets to be so frustrating when you drive an hour and a half to the lake and all you want to do is board but instead you end up fighting the damn boat.
Don't mess with your timing, it is nonadjustable per Indmar Manual 2003 and up. Just give her a complete tune up and go from there.
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Thanks for the quick replies guys. It is the monsoon engine. I will go with getting the tuneup kit. We had the boat fully serviced over the winter and have only put on about 25 hrs this summer because of the problems. It gets to be so frustrating when you drive an hour and a half to the lake and all you want to do is board but instead you end up fighting the damn boat.

Talked to Chevy today. Heres what he said -

Don't mess with the cap & wires unless you want to replace them.

The amount of water in the gas to create that problem is very unlikely.

Ethanol or Alcohol in the gas - all engines are designed for 10%.

Make sure your injectors are clean ( using only injector cleaner - not carb cleaner ) build up is completely normal ( black & all ) - clean it all off.

Make sure any plug wires are not crossing any other wires - causing interference.

Timing does not need to be touched thats what all the sensors do.

Have someone check the engine codes, most likely the MAP/MAF sensor thats reading the fuel flow.

Parts can be tested with an ohm meter - awaiting for specs.

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If the injection system is anything like my truck, a sticky IAC motor/valve may cause these symptoms at idle. It has no impact at higher RPMs but lets air in (or lack thereof perhaps in your case) at idle when the throttle plate is fully closed. I pulled it, cleaned the carbon deposits off with carb cleaner and a toothbrush, bingo.

Not sure if that is common or ever experienced with these monsoons but may be worth a shot if you hit a dead end. It should be attached to the throttle body somewhere.

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Take a look at page 6-13 of the Indmar manual Here's the link.Indmar Manual

Take a look at the maintenance schedule....

You mean like greasing your starter bendix every 100 hrs,and checking your transmission screen Yahoo.gif
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