Boat came to sudden stop help!

[Glove0950]

I'm located in ohio, whenever it does this I have checked the code log and nothing is there active or inactive. No flickering of the maliview or any screen, radio or any other piece of equipment. I dont know if it would ever do it with cruise off since we are pretty much in cruise all the time riding and it has been such an intermittent issue that it's impossible to test for. This is a very very strange one I know and sounds like I'm making it up lol but I can assure you I'm not which is why I brought it to everybody here to see if anybody else has ever had an issue like this. I have 0 idea where to start since it happens once in a blue moon but when it does it's dangerous that's what scares me and why I am grasping at straws to figure something out. Thanks for all the help so far. 

[Brett B]

At the end of last season my 2012 VLX popped out of gear and came to a sudden stop much as you describe while towing a rider. No codes and it did not rev up like a slipping transmission, it just came to a stop. It would not go back into gear so I had to be towed in. It ended up being a mechanical failure of the shift mechanism inside the transmission which required replacement of the entire transmission.

While diagnosing it they looked at the shift solenoids on the side of transmission and also recommended that the shift lever itself needed to be replaced. If either of those started to fail I could see it causing the symptoms you describe. Since it's a shift by wire system any problems in the wiring or sensors could cause it to kick out of gear into neutral causing the sudden stop you are feeling.

[JasonK]

OK Glove, when it happens, does it stop, you said to zero mph, faster than just throwing it into neutral? I think your wedge caused it, but I have no experience with a wedge, so I don't really know how fast that can stop a boat.

Do you have a power wedge, floating wedge or manual wedge?

[JasonK]

If you hit a sandbar, the boat stops suddenly, and, because the prop can't turn, it will stall the engine. I know, we've done it. I was barefooting off the boom on a Nautique. Sudden stop and i'm standing in shin deep water, still holding the boom. WARNING when skiing at the end of the season and all the 200ft. docks are pulled out of the lake, don't get close to shore lol.

I doubt the wedge could drag enough to stall the engine, but idk.

[Michigan boarder]

2 minutes ago, JasonK said:

If you hit a sandbar, the boat stops suddenly, and, because the prop can't turn, it will stall the engine. I know, we've done it. I was barefooting off the boom on a Nautique. Sudden stop and i'm standing in shin deep water, still holding the boom. WARNING when skiing at the end of the season and all the 200ft. docks are pulled out of the lake, don't get close to shore lol.

I doubt the wedge could drag enough to stall the engine, but idk.

The wedge is in the back, behind the rudder which is behind the prop.  So all of that stuff would hit an obstruction first.

[Glove0950]

I'm not sure where you are going with the wedge theory. I have a power wedge that was down and it did not move. I also have the lsa motor. No way that wedge is stopping that beast, and even if that were the case the boat would not suddenly stop on a dime and be taken out of gear. I am starting to wonder if the trans cable theory mentioned could be the cause. It's not the wedge that just doesn't make sense at all. And no I didnt hit bottom or a sand bar, again boat engine rev would not be affected as well as it being in gear on top of that you woukd definitely feel it if u hit bottom in my experience. I know I'm getting nowhere quick with this but the crew is my only hope because if a dealer cant duplicate they will just no problem found it. So I'm kind of on my own lol

[Michigan boarder]

My guess is the OP is not hitting something, it is just stopping propulsion abruptly and without warning.  Since everyone's body is oriented against the rise of the boat, when the acceleration stops the bow falls and it throws everyone forwards, and makes it feel like it is a very abrupt stop.

Sorry, can't help with the diagnosis tho.

 

[mgb1974]

So I doubt this it he answer but check anyway. My boat did the same thing 2 years ago. It would go into limp mode when the temperature got to hot. 

 

My problem was 2 fold, one was that my temperature gage was bad(would read 160 all the time). The main issue was that my raw water pump was leaking and worn out. It would pump water but just enough that it wouldn't always go into limp mode. Realized after taking a flashlight to the engine with it running, could see water squirting out of the water pump housing at idle. 

Another thing to look at is the screen for your raw water intake. Make sure its not clogged. 

Not sure thats the issue but easy to check. 

 

Where you located at in Ohio?

Edited July 13, 2018 by mgb1974

[Glove0950]

I'm in akron we ride at berlin a lot and next weekend we will be up at board bash on the maumee. 

I've got the temp to be running here it should be it's not going into limp mode. It just stops. Then take throttle back to neutral throttle up again and it will be fine. It's very bizarre thanks for the tip though

[Steve B.]

I'm in Akron too Glove. Not sure I can be much help. My boat has weird issues of it's own, ha. Let me know if you need a hand with anything.

Steve B.

[UWSkier]

I suspect throttle control.  They're known to go bad on some years (I can't remember which).

[h2oskidude]

I hoping you got this fixed already buy if not check the safe lanyard switch. Mine got lose and started doing the same thing. I replaced the switch with and new style and no problems now.

Good luck

Dave

[Sparky450]

I don’t know how any of this stuff works but. Is it possible for the electronic shifting to go instantly into reverse? Bypassing neutral. That would cause the stalling that he has mentioned.  Also the two times that it did stall,was it while wakeboarding? IE: higher forward speed would cause the stall if it went directly into reverse. 

[JeffK]

I'm going to stick with my original statement that I think it is the helm controls.  There are redundancies built into it to prevent it from running out of control.  If one sensor fails and the other can't make sense of it, it will kill the throttle.  There are two TPS sensors located on the help control IIRC.