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Not a good day


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Went out for a evening set and got a few in. After about an hour of riding, had the boat at idle and it started to sound "rough". Gave it a little gas and it sputtered and died. Let it sit for a few and tried to start it. It turned over, but didnt start. Got a "Service Required" message, then "Engine Fault". Luckily I wasnt too far from the marina and got a tow. Before I put it up on the lift, I tried to start it again. Started right up, ran for a few seconds, then died. Any thoughts of what could be the problem?

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vapor lock? How hard were you running it, for how long, what was the ambient temp? Although I'm not sure if vapor lock will throw a code, I don't think mine does. Was it the first run of the season? Bad gas/fuel filter as SD suggested.

Edited by Ndawg12
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vapor lock? How hard were you running it, for how long, what was the ambient temp? Although I'm not sure if vapor lock will throw a code, I don't think mine does. Was it the first run of the season? Bad gas/fuel filter as SD suggested.

We weren't running it harder than normal - full ballast, but the problem occured when we used the wedge. Maybe 1/4 wedge. Happened after about an hour of riding. Ambient temp was about 70 at the time. This was the second run of the season.

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Sounds too simple but you have no idea how many times I get this phone call and how many times it ends up being loose battery terminals. If you can grab the wire and move the terminal it can mess with the engine ECM. 2008+ is super sensitive to low or irregular voltage.

Using the wedge would create a voltage drop so this could be your issue.

Give that a check

-Paul

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Sounds too simple but you have no idea how many times I get this phone call and how many times it ends up being loose battery terminals. If you can grab the wire and move the terminal it can mess with the engine ECM. 2008+ is super sensitive to low or irregular voltage.

Using the wedge would create a voltage drop so this could be your issue.

Give that a check

-Paul

Don't you love these suggestions. You get it and think man I'm going to run outside right now and check this. You get all ready and pumped up and in the boat, check it, and boom not the problem...... I even woke up a few times in the middle of a night with a thought and went and checked. The too simple fix is awesome when found but subborn getting there!!

Good luck! Paul definitely could be right on or its likely a fuel issue.

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I'm having a service tech from the local Malibu dealer come out on Wednesday to check it out since it's still under warranty. Hope it's something simple and a quick fix. While I was dead in the water, I phoned a friend to help me troubleshoot. One thing he did ask is if the safety lanyard came out. I didnt even consider that! If only it had been that! Didn't run out of gas either (although I would be reluctant to admit that if it did happen). Stay tuned.

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The Malibu mechanic came out and checked it out. Turned out the be moisture under the distributor cap. Replaced it and it ran fine.

I was relieved it was not the fuel pump because they would have had to order it. I'm surprised that they dont keep a few in inventory, but you can chalk that up to lean times in the industry.

I also had two active codes show up. One was for a "cat sensor" and the other was for a "short". I suspect I have a speaker sending a short back to my amp causing the amp to shut down. Can this situation throw a code?

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The Malibu mechanic came out and checked it out. Turned out the be moisture under the distributor cap. Replaced it and it ran fine.

I was relieved it was not the fuel pump because they would have had to order it. I'm surprised that they dont keep a few in inventory, but you can chalk that up to lean times in the industry.

I also had two active codes show up. One was for a "cat sensor" and the other was for a "short". I suspect I have a speaker sending a short back to my amp causing the amp to shut down. Can this situation throw a code?

Is this common and how can it be prevented?

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The Malibu mechanic came out and checked it out. Turned out the be moisture under the distributor cap. Replaced it and it ran fine.

I was relieved it was not the fuel pump because they would have had to order it. I'm surprised that they dont keep a few in inventory, but you can chalk that up to lean times in the industry.

I also had two active codes show up. One was for a "cat sensor" and the other was for a "short". I suspect I have a speaker sending a short back to my amp causing the amp to shut down. Can this situation throw a code?

I had an older Beachcraft that encountered the same problem first time out after sitting all winter. Took a while to find the problem but at least it was an easy fix.

Have a great boating season!

Chris

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The Malibu mechanic came out and checked it out. Turned out the be moisture under the distributor cap. Replaced it and it ran fine.
Is this common and how can it be prevented?

Not very common. Can be prevented by applying a small amount of vaseline (or dielectric grease) around the base of the distributor cap.

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Not very common. Can be prevented by applying a small amount of vaseline (or dielectric grease) around the base of the distributor cap.

When it happened to my boat it was actually a small amount of steam condensation that came from the motor (via the distributor shaft). I changed the oil to be on the safe side but never had another problem.

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When it happened to my boat it was actually a small amount of steam condensation that came from the motor (via the distributor shaft). I changed the oil to be on the safe side but never had another problem.

Wow. Haven't seen that before. Steam in the crankcase is generally thought of as "not good". :lol:

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Wow. Haven't seen that before. Steam in the crankcase is generally thought of as "not good". :lol:

I agree that's why I changed the oil right away. Not enough moisture to cloud the oil but you could see some steam when the oil fill cap was removed from the valve cover after the motor was warmed up. Must have done something kinda like when the gauges fog up from time to time. Not sure... never did it again though.

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