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Boat struggles to get above 2700 RPM


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I tried hitting the lake for the 1st time in a couple of years and had a hell of the time. With the ballasts and wedge down, the boat wouldn't get over 10mph and with everything empty and up, it doesn't go over 25mph.

So here is the back story on the boat - I haven't had it on the water the past couple of years and the fuel and water separated substantially. When launching it, it would only run for about 30 seconds before dying. I've since flushed all the bad gas out and replaced it with 91 octane non-ethanol and k-100 for good measure.

Specs:

2002 Malibu Wakesetter LSV - 325 Indmar Monsoon

New spark plugs (since bad gas)

New fuel filter (since bad gas)

Cleaned screen on fuel pump

After reading the forum, it sounds like others have had similar issues, but with a mixed bag of results.

Note, while I'm handy with a wrench, I'm not a mechanic with all the bells and whistles to test pressures, etc.

Possible Issues (from what I've read here):

Fuel Pump

Fuel Injectors (is there an easy way to test and how many injectors does this engine have?)

Piston Compression issues (broken seal)

Plugs not firing

Thanks in advance.

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Did you pull the air cleaner to make sure nothing was in the intake?

Yes, it appears to be free and clear of any debris.

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Cap and rotor?

Would you suggest replacing both? I've taken the cap off and inspected the inside and it appears to be clean.

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you said " with everything empty and up, it doesn't go over 25mph. "

what rpm is that?

if the boat has not reached operating temperature or if the boat is over-temperature the ecm will limit rpm to the 3000 range

a bad temperature sending unit may be indicating to the ecm that the boat is out of spec operating temp range.

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It needs to run for awhile for the motor to get rid of the bad gas. Your fuel system from start to finish is probably your issue.

Thanks. Yes, I've probably put 2+ hours on it since I emptied the bad gas and replaced it with the non-ethanol.

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you said " with everything empty and up, it doesn't go over 25mph. "

what rpm is that?

if the boat has not reached operating temperature or if the boat is over-temperature the ecm will limit rpm to the 3000 range

a bad temperature sending unit may be indicating to the ecm that the boat is out of spec operating temp range.

The temp comes up to about 150 when I am trying to run it. It does not reach the 3000 range when I am punching it. Where is the temp sending unit located on the engine?

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After replacing the plugs and running it for 5 minutes, I decided to see if the plugs were going to show me the problem. I removed all the plugs to see if there was any carbon buildup on them. #1, #3, & #5 looked new. So I figured, either they were not getting a spark, or not getting fuel. Testing the spark (after reading a few threads) made me nervous, so I decided to tackle the injectors and take them out. Sure enough, there was a mushroom cap of debris on each of the ones that the plug was not firing. I cleaned them by spraying a carb cleaner (with nozzle) into the port and they were clean and free of debris quickly. I decided to clean all of them (since I had everything open and the fuel bars drained) so that everything was on the same page. The others had some minor buildup - but not to the degree that the three had. Put everything back together and it is running like new!

Thanks for the help. I hope this post helps others with similar issues!

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