**** WARNING **** CAT DESTROYED **** SERV, REQ. CODE & OVERHEAT CODES

[PatrickG]

2007 Malibu Sunscape 23LSV 340 Indmar Monsoon, 400 hrs. She was purchased 7/17/2008.

From the beginning we noticed she was burning oil .5 qt to 1 qt per 50-70 hrs. ( oil changes based on hrs and light usage) Per Indmar this was normal oil usage ( first thing to beware of if you have a CAT, oil usage )

Started burning out O2 sensors and getting service req. code and overheat codes. Dealer replaced O2 and cleared codes, supposedly all good...... Year later another O2 and codes and so on ........

This weekend the catalyst from the CAT blew out the exhaust and made a nice pile on the driveway. My boat is the first one the dealer has seen this happen to. ( what's the lifespan of the CAT, 7-8 years ? ) Dealer said originally the mix was fine ?

Dealer now says with info from Indmar that running rich could be the culprit ...... Hmmmmm...... Burning oil ?

FYI, QUESTION THE CODES, O2 SENSORS AND OIL USAGE AS IT PERTAINS TO THE CAT .

If anyone has ANY info for like problems, please let me know......

CATs are $1000.00 and up per side + labor.

Thank you

[ahopkins22LSV]

Sorry to hear that man! Has this been an issue from the day the boat was purchased? And do you have everything documented about the oil usage? Just a thought but could bring that up to your dealer to see if they will go to bat for you.

I would be asking them what they/Indmar is going to be doing to fix the oil usage!

[Wilbur]

Was your engine broken in properly? If not, then it could that have lead to the oil usage.

[PatrickG]

Txi, the oil issue has been from day one. Made contact on this forum with a fella from Indmar about the oil usage. The first O2 was 5/13/12 ...... That puts it out of warranty I believe. I've seen many many posts on here about the oil consumption issue, that's why I'm posting this. It may not be the the cause ( I think it is ) but people need to watch it . I have all the first dealer shop receipts showing the codes etc..... After that I replaced the O2 s myself ( maybe a costly mistake although out of warr. )

Now I have the dealer doing some reasearch to find out if I can put the old type back on and reprogram the computer for use without the CATs.

And a few other ideas like getting mock O2 sensors ( my term ) that sends all ok to the computer and just completely remove the rest of the catalyst and or make sure the engine is truly running correct rich/ lean etc ... And go with it ?

This was the first year of the CATs on the 340 go figure .......

[PatrickG]

Wilbur...Yes, I took great care during break-in and through the years the boat has been well taken care of ...... Friends would say I'm out of my mind the way I take care of her ....... But I'm sure most of us on here are that way? Funny thing, the oil consumption now is basically the same as it was for the 100 hrs, maybe a bit more .... The boat is mainly a putt putt cruiser with a bit of skiing and boarding done by the kids.

[Sethro]

I think I'd do away with the CATS. Have you checked into what would be involved? Computer programming issue?

[hwsportsmitch]

I have a 350 that burns 1-2 litters between 50 hours. Its has 1400 hours on it and has never missed a beat. We did have a exhaust leak code 150 hours ago, but it came up once and haven't seen it since.

[PatrickG]

Sethro....... Checking into doing just that. The units are half the price, but don't know what the computer program would cost or if it can be done. I will let it be known when I find out ......

[PatrickG]

Yep Mitch, I just wanted to get feedback and put it out there....... The more info the better.

[Sixball]

I wish someone could tell me why its OK for a new engine to burn oil? It's not!

[PatrickG]

Sixball...... I'm with you. Never a direct answer, just " it's normal ".

[Technicallyabu]

Its normal if the piston rings or valve guide seals are allowing oil to get into the combustion chamber. Its equally normal for the manufacturer to say its normal to avoid having to pull the engine to repair under warranty.

[PatrickG]

Tech..... You'd sure hope that wouldn't be the case.

[DocPhil]

Now, I admittedly have very little knowledge of motors compared to most but doesn't burning oil by definition mean that oil is somehow entering the combustion chamber of an engine?

So they spec'd out this motor to purposely allow engine to enter the cylinders? Or is there another way to "burn oil"? Hmmm....

Edited May 6, 2015 by DocPhil

[oldjeep]

Now, I admittedly have very little knowledge of motors compared to most but doesn't burning oil by definition mean that oil is somehow entering the combustion chamber of an engine?

So they spec'd out this motor to purposely allow engine to enter the cylinders? Hmmm....

The joy of the way that most engines are spec'd is that they allow for an awful lot of oil burning to still be in the "normal" range for warranty purposes. In cars I've seen specs as bad as 1 quart every 1000 miles.

[DocPhil]

The joy of the way that most engines are spec'd is that they allow for an awful lot of oil burning to still be in the "normal" range for warranty purposes. In cars I've seen specs as bad as 1 quart every 1000 miles.

Wow....I did not know that

[oldjeep]

Wow....I did not know that

Subarus are the ones I'm most familiar with. Why anyone buys these cars and pays a premium for them is beyond me.

http://www.torquenews.com/1084/why-subaru-s-excessive-oil-consumption-issue-could-spoil-their-party

[PatrickG]

And that's why I'm bringing this up. Having all that contaminated material entering the catylist can't be good for it??? Or , is it designed to be able to handle that material??? I thought cats were to burn off residual gases ?? I heard back from Indmar this morning. The photo I sent Indmar IS the catylist material, they are directing me to the dealer for further questions and diagnosis.

[DAI]

The joy of the way that most engines are spec'd is that they allow for an awful lot of oil burning to still be in the "normal" range for warranty purposes. In cars I've seen specs as bad as 1 quart every 1000 miles.

BMW's . . . You can actually stop into any dealer and have your oil topped off for free between service intervals. I've only heard of people needing to do this at most a 1 qt every 5,000 miles on a car that is driven hard. Luckily I drive my cars conservatively (still let her rip every once and a while), so never had a problem.

[Sixball]

If I had a vehicle using 1 qt every 1,000 miles I would be filing a lemon law case. I have never had a vehicle use oil like that, even my original ford Falcon with 260,000 miles. If it is normal why does not every engine do it???????????? Its not normal and if you are the manufacture and don't want to stand up to a issue then yes its normal... I say BULL!

[SunDoo]

Hi Patrick. I have an 07 VLX with 1070 hrs and haven't burnt a drop since I bought it at 400 hrs. I have though, had three 02 sensors changed and a recalibration with the last one. Fault codes always stating "running rich". It has been good ever since but I do worry my time is coming. Is the lake you run in high in mineral content? My dealer here has seen a couple of CAT failures occur on boats that reside on a certain lake. We visit it every year for a week and the water is quite salty tasting for a fresh lake...and wow does it leave a heavy white crust all over the hull. He isn't sure why they failed but two Bu's from the same lake (small lake) can't be just coincidence. Good luck with fix....I will be following along for sure. Cheers,

Dave