15 hours on Bu with problems

[Stevesher]

Any ideas on why my Malibu will running like a cat, bring it to the dock, try to go back out and it idles very rough, there is a loud hissing noise from the left engine area, strong smell of gas and my Vdrive oil pressure light flickers on and off. I have taken it to the dealership; they did the 10 hour service and changed the fuel filter, ran it and worked great. They put it in the lake for me and I rode up to my house for 30 mins. Parked it, went out on my buddy's boat for about 4 hours came back and cranked mine up to the same problems. Now here is where it gets strange. I cranked it again a few hours later, and it ran perfect. I drove it down to the dealership with no problems. Has anyone had this type of problem or could give some insight on what it could be?

[db252]

Any ideas on why my Malibu will running like a cat, bring it to the dock, try to go back out and it idles very rough, there is a loud hissing noise from the left engine area, strong smell of gas and my Vdrive oil pressure light flickers on and off. I have taken it to the dealership; they did the 10 hour service and changed the fuel filter, ran it and worked great. They put it in the lake for me and I rode up to my house for 30 mins. Parked it, went out on my buddy's boat for about 4 hours came back and cranked mine up to the same problems. Now here is where it gets strange. I cranked it again a few hours later, and it ran perfect. I drove it down to the dealership with no problems. Has anyone had this type of problem or could give some insight on what it could be?

Well, to try and touch on a few things, the V-drive light stays on at low idle and should go off above 800rpm normally. If it's flickering on and off and higher rpms, oil flow may the the problem. A hissing sound seems like it would be a vacuum leak but I'm not even sure we have vacuum lines on this engine. Most of the time it seems the hissing is coming from the throttle body but that is normal also. The rough idle has to be taken in steps. Fuel filter, fuel primer/pump, and electrical. Keep us updated.

[Stevesher]

The Vdrive light was noticed in idle only. The hissing is not heard when the boat runs normally, only when the rough idle occurs. I appreciate the input. The dealer will look at it tomorrow and I will keep everyone updated. Thanks

Edited May 2, 2006 by Stevesher

[WakeAndSno]

sounds like a leaky fuel system to me. Hissing, rough idle, and smell of gas, all lead me to that simple conclusion (ain't I smart? )...

Good luck solving this one.

JZ

[WakeGirl]

Fuel pump on its way out possibly?

[Jon]

fuel injector/s maybe?

[Madmanacrossthewater]

Read your V-Drive owners manual (it will explain the light in detail), along with the bezel around the light. It should be on at idle...some flicker on/off...but should go off once you are underway.

I second WS on the leak, you have one somewhere. Fuel filter is a good place to start, even though it is new.

MM

Edited May 5, 2006 by Madmanacrossthewater

[Baddog]

A stretch for sure, but is the throttle body reefed down tight? If it is slightly lose it might be OK sometimes and hissing others.

[JasonK]

Maybe a red straw from fogging the throttle body was sucked into it. :)Did you do the winterization or are you the original ower?

Really, I have no idea.

Next guess.

[Stevesher]

The problem has hopefully been fixed. The fuel sensor was working improperly so my gauge read 1/2-1/4 full and it was actually empty. Therefore the loud hissing was the fuel pump sucking air, rough idle because of no gas and gas smell was gas fumes through the exhaust. They changed the sensor, fuel filter, pump and blew out the hoses. I took it out last Saturday with no problemos. The only question I have is when the problem occurred; I let the boat sit overnight and then cranked it with no problem the next morning and drove it 30 minuets at about 25 - 30mph to the ramp where the techs met me. One of the service guys thought that gas fumes accumulated overnight enough to start and run the engine until the bow raised from increasing the throttle and the little gas that was in the boat drain to the back of the tank to allow me to run for 30 or so minuets.

[Baddog]

That response sounds a bit fishy. These babies drink copious gas for lunch and dinner. 30 minutes is going to take more then a few splashes that pooled due to bow rise.

[VinRLX]

These babies drink copious gas for lunch and dinner.

Yup. Sounds a bit odd to me as well.

I wish HANK were around to see someone use the word copious correctly.

[Baddog]

These babies drink copious gas for lunch and dinner.

Yup. Sounds a bit odd to me as well.

I wish HANK were around to see someone use the word copious correctly.

Well I don't want to get yelled at so I try mazing what you can learn here.

[Stevesher]

I have the same thoughts... but what can I do? It's a new '05 I bought at a steal. I'm glad it happend now instead of in 3 yrs. Maybe it just was the pump.

[RTS]

Sure, as long as the problem is gone and it was fixed under warranty, just try to forget about it and have fun with the boat. It is unlikely to happen again.

The shops explanation does sound odd...my money would be on the fuel pump or a loose fuel line somewhere.

And about the fuel level...you may have gotten the first Malibu in history that has a gauge that actully reads high...they are notorious for reading empty when you actually have half a tank

I'm glad you got it taken care of...

[skistud1]

I plan on installing a Livorsi fuel sending unit this summer. Mine left me stranded in the middle of the lake stating that I had 1/4 of a tank when I was actually flat empty.

[Baddog]

Didn't somebody talk about installing a sight glass thingy to see the fuel level. Anybody .. .. .. anybody .. .. .. Buehler?

[Stevesher]

IT HAPPENED AGAIN! They said they’re 99% sure they found the problem. The Fuel hose in the tank was in the bottom of the tank. They said that it came off and that’s why the fuel pump was running so hot. The gas actually cools the pump as it runs through and because it was not getting the gas it ran hot. The question I have that they couldn’t explain was why the day after it stopped running, I started it with no problem and drove it 40 minuets south to their ramp. If the hose was in the bottom of the tank, how did I get enough gas into the engine to run it so long? I don’t know what to think. The guy down there has been very very helpful, so I don’t think they’re feeding me BS, but I do have questions that there doesn’t seem to be an answer.

[95Sunsetter]

I had a very similar problem with mine. I had very rough idle, smell of gas, hissing from throttle body, raw fuel coming out exhsust and raw fuel in crankcase. My sunsetter has throttlebody injection and apparently the problem is a stuck needle valve that was dumping way too much fuel into the engine. I pick it up tomorrow so I'll see if that fixed it this weekend.