Mercury 200hp EFI Fuel Pump?

[Kriesel]

Hello, this is my first post to this forum. Wanted to post my problem to see if anyone else would agree with my diagnosis before I purchase any parts.

Background:
My father recently gave me a 1996 Champion Fish Hunter. It comes with the 200 hp Mercury EFI engine, and a 9.9 hp kicker motor. The boat has sat for about four years, and so I've recently been working on getting it running again. The 9.9 hp engine works great. The 200 hp engine not so much. I got it to start up one time, but it ran out of fuel quickly. I'm guessing it burned out whatever was in the fuel filter. I thought maybe the gas was old (which it for sure is, but it was non-oxygenated, and the kicker motor ran on it. it actually smells like gas and not varnish). So I drained the fuel just to be sure, dumped it in my 1941 international truck to get rid of it, been driving on it the last couple days. I put new fuel in the boat, and the engine still won't start. At this point I was pretty stumped why the engine wouldn't start. Kicker motor still runs flawlessly at this point.

Problem:
In looking around this forum a bunch, which has been a huge help, I've come to realize that my electric fuel pump is not turning on. At first the pump wouldn't make any noise I don't think. I unplugged the ECM cable, re-plugged it in, and then the pump would thump. Now, when I turn the key, the pump slowly goes "thump... thump... thump... etc" and doesn't stop until I turn the key off. So, now that I realize the pump isn't working, it makes sense that maybe the engine ran earlier for a very short time only on any fuel that was in the fuel filter, and the pump wasn't able to fill from there.

Diagnosis:
The primer bulb is hard, fuel line is good. Opened a few spots on the fuel system and don't see the "goo" from deteriorating fuel lines. I have 12 volts at the positive terminal on the pump. I disconnected the negative terminal, and connected the negative terminal straight to ground, and it gets one "thump..." same as before, but only one thump. I can get it to thump multiple times by tapping the wire to ground.

Thoughts:
Since the pump won't spin, but only thump, when shorted to ground, I would assume that the pump is bad, and not the ECM??? If the pump did spin, then I would shoot for the bad ECM, but that's not the case I think.

So, I'm planning to buy a new pump.

Anyone agree? Disagree? Have something else I could try?

 

[Teamster]

I don't know the answer to your question,...

But I do know that the Championj Fishhunters were one of the best walleye hulls ever built, And FAST,.....

Yous will get it running and love it,...

 

[Dukedog]

sounds like 'lectric pump has gone south.. you can take it apart and give it a good cleanin' (brushes, armature, commentator, magnets, bushings) and it "might" run... ya probably gonna need "more maintenance" on other efi parts also.. get tha pump runnin' first.. check mech. pump also.. its what keeps tha vst full....

 

[littlerayray]

I would say get a new pump and keep the old one if you can get the old one clean and working again you got a spare

 

[Faztbullet]

Replace the pump, clean the VST tank,clean the pressure regulator and I myself would pull injectors and have cleaned...

 

[Kriesel]

Thanks for all the responses. I'll try to take the pump apart tonight and see if I can clean it out.

 

[Kriesel]

I took the pump apart, and the brushes and such were all clean. I immediately noticed the actual pump for the fuel had some gunk in it, causing that to lock up the entire pump. I cleaned it out, put it back together, and it works! It spins, and builds pressure, and shuts off when pressure is reached.

But, now the pump leaks at the top, as I wasn't careful enough taking it apart I think. So I'll have to order a new pump anyway, but now I'm confident that's what it was.

Just for kicks, since it had built up pressure, I turned the key, and the engine started as well! So happy I figured it out.

So, I'm off to find a pump online and order it up. In the meantime, I'll clean up some other parts of the fuel system just to be sure. But, I heard it run, both pump and engine, so it's been a good day.

Thanks everyone.

 

[Faztbullet]

Make sure you run some Startron or Mercury Quickleen thru the engine several hour before high speed use as a partially clogged injector will blow a engine...

 

[Kriesel]

Make sure you run some Startron or Mercury Quickleen thru the engine several hour before high speed use as a partially clogged injector will blow a engine...

I was planning to use seafoam, would that be ok as well you think?

Waiting for new fuel pump to show up in the mail at the moment.

 

[Faztbullet]

IMHO... Seafoam is way overrated and seen several engines puke after the internet posted heavy dose treatment. The problem with EFI engines is the injectors have a fine filter in them and when particles/varnish breakup in fuel system it restricts injector flow or in other words leans the cylinder out. There is NO cleaner on the market that will clean these filters or any other filter, you have to replace them

 

[Shawnmm]

I have been able to use a razor blade then a small close cut pair of snips and wiggle out the injector filters, clean them and push them back in. Always no probldms after. Some of those buggers just won't give it up though.

 

[Kriesel]

New fuel pump arrived. Engine starts. I've only idled it so far. Gotta bring it to the lake and test it out. Good thing the kicker motor runs like a champ.

 

[Kriesel]

Brought the boat to the lake over the weekend, runs good, tell-tale water shoots out good, seems good all around! general tuneup at this point. Thanks for the help everyone!