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Malibu Dealer has had my 247 LSV Since June...no end in sight ugh!


TheMadSupra

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Not really sure where to start.  The local Malibu Dealer has had my boat since the end of June trying to fight an ignition/electrical issue. The boat was running but would occasionally misfire ( they supposedly fixed that) The main issue is that sometimes it could take a few minutes of cranking to start the boat AND that when the boat was on, if the driver was to shut it off it WOULD NOT start again until it had cooled down completely. The last day i had it on the lake i noticed some smoke from the engine bay so I killed the boat and had a friend tow us back. It looked like it was coming down from the starter, I thought thats what it was,( we were cranking on it a bit to get it started, so maybe it got super hot, or blew up) but ends up that wasnt it. It wasnt the impeller either, it smelled electrical(maybe it wasnt) but wasnt a ton of smoke. After we got towed back and I was loaded on the trailer I tried to start it again and it fired right up. 

After they had time to look it over, They told me they thought it was the wheel inside of the motor that the crank sensor gets its signal from(They thought it was lose or a few teeth broken off due to the intermittent problem), and it would require pulling the motor out, and apart to fix it if it had broken or fallen of. They thought this was the issue because they could "trick" the sensor by waving plyers in front of it with it out of the motor, thus acting like the wheel and the boat would kick on. Fine and dandy I told them go ahead lets get it fixed.

Well evidently when the motor was pulled and the pan was off the wheel was fine, that wasn't the issue. They started looking/replacing other parts. They told me they replaced every related sensor on the motor, found a few other things ( bad FPR supposedly) so again i told them order the parts lets get it done. The sensors and new FPR came in STILL nothing.  They have also checked/replaced the distributor. Basically they told me that they have replaced everything ignition related they can. 

I had replaced the ECU last year due to it frying on me out on the lake, I asked them if that could have anything to due with it ( maybe something went bad again) but they assure me thats not the case. 

NOW, they want to replace the entire engine harness, problem with that is I guess Malibu doesn't make an engine harness anymore. My dealer told me " Its on back order with no ETA"

I contacted Bakes and they told me Malibu usually stops making the harness a few years after the boat has been produced, and that usually when stuff is wrong only parts of the harness are repaired and fixed. 

I just wanted to post here to see if anyone had anything to say on what my next step should be. It sucks that my boat has been down coming up on 3 months now, with no end in sight. I feel my dealer really hasn't been of any help. I have to bug them for any information and update on the boat. Im not convinced the harness is the issue either, i think they are just shooting in the dark now and pushing my boat back because they dont know really what the issue is. Every day I drive by I see it sitting out there baking in the sun. 

 

ALso, I forgot to add a different ( non malibu) dealer had my boat for 2 weeks prior to Malibu looking at it, and they also weren't able to come up with anything. 

Edited by TheMadSupra
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As far as the wire harness goes, you might just have to pull it and check every wire manually with an ohm meter.  Or manufacture a new one using either the old connectors or new weatherpak connectors - if that is what the harness is using.  There may be places that could build a new harness using the old one as a guide, I know that places do that with car harnesses for repair or engine swaps.  You would think that the ECU would be telling them something though about why it shuts down, doesn't the Diacomm software have logging? 

 

Edit - it does.  If they are not running the engine with Diacomm on then why not?  I'd assume that it would be a requirement that a Malibu dealer had this software,

http://www.rinda.com/marine/diacommarine.htm

--Record live EFI data to capture elusive intermittent events

Edited by oldjeep
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That sucks big time, I feel for you.   I think boat mechanics and dealers are worse than lawyers.   Just want to get paid, worthless for actually solving a difficult problem!  

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21 hours ago, TheMadSupra said:

NOW, they want to replace the entire engine harness, problem with that is I guess Malibu doesn't make an engine harness anymore. My dealer told me " Its on back order with no ETA"

 

Malibu wouldn't have anything to do with the engine harness. That would come from the engine manufacturer.

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I emailed both indmar and Malibu and Malibu confirmed they had had techs on the phone with my dealer trying to figure out the issue.  Indmar confirmed the harness is on back order so not sure where they found the harness?

They also ordered or located a harness and installed it and... Nothing new, boat still has the issue.

 

They think it's now the ECM, which some reason blew up on me last year and I purchased one through them and had them install it.  They told me previously (about a month ago) they checked the ecm and that it was fine, but now it's somehow not?

 

Do do these things have warrenties on them? I'm guessing no but I had to ask. It was a brand new unit purchased and installed through the dealer. 

I have no idea what I'm sitting at for a final bill. Pulling the motor to replace the wheel the crank sensor gets its reading from, replacing sensors all over the motor, buying and installing a new harness along with fuel pressure Reg and other stuff to be no closer to the issue... it's very frustrating when I mentioned to them when I dropped the boat to possibly check the Ecm IF that's what it happens to be. 

Ugggh just shoot me! Sorry for the rant ?

Edited by TheMadSupra
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