1989 Evinrude XP150 will not get above 3000RPM

bassndog80

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Aug 1, 2012
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I have an 89 XP 150 that I have since brand new, it has been a fantastic motor and I've had no major problems except a couple of carb rebuilds, new thermostats, and a new PP. At the beginning of this fishing season (March 2013) I noticed that the hole shot and top end speed were not as good as they have been in the past, gradualy it has gotten worst to were that the last time I had it out on the water the hole shot was nill and the engine would not get over 3000 RPM even with the throttle at wide open. The engine starts up with no problems and will rev above 3000RPM in the water and not in gear, but as soon as you put it in gear and give it the gass it will not get above 3000 RPM. I have had issues in the past were it would bog down when pressing on the gas (carb rebuild fixed this problem) but this is not the issue this time it revs up fine till it gets to 3000 and then that's it. I haven't really started looking at anything yet since I was looking for some advice on a good starting point before I open up the repair manual. Any assistance would be greatly appreaciated. Thanks

Kelly Weber
 

boobie

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Re: 1989 Evinrude XP150 will not get above 3000RPM

Do a cylinder drop test on it to see if it's running on all 6 cylinders.
 

bassndog80

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Re: 1989 Evinrude XP150 will not get above 3000RPM

Thanks Bobbie I'll try that as soon as I can.
 

bassndog80

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Re: 1989 Evinrude XP150 will not get above 3000RPM

Bobbie,

I finally got a chance to do the drop test as recommended. One of the cylinders was getting no spark at all due to a bad wire comming from the power pack a couple other cylinders had a very weak spark almost nothing. I think that due to the bad wire I'll replace the power pack and I'll replace the sparkplug wires due to the age of the motor Do you think that replacing the ignition coils would be a good idea too simply due to the age of the motor?
 

boobie

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Re: 1989 Evinrude XP150 will not get above 3000RPM

Do one thing at a time and keep on working through it. JMHO, but I think I'd replace the pack before the coils.
 
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bassndog80

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Re: 1989 Evinrude XP150 will not get above 3000RPM

Bobbie,

Thank you very much for you assistance.
 

dwco5051

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Sep 14, 2008
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Re: 1989 Evinrude XP150 will not get above 3000RPM

It would not hurt to unbolt each coil and clean the surfaces where the coil meets the block and reinstall and be certain they are tight. No cost and only a few minutes per coil and then you have the peace of mind that it is not due to a bad ground on the coils.
 
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