2002 Volvo Penta 5.0L GXi Starting problems

[chagnobu]

Hi guys, I need some help with a 2002 5.0L GXi in my Chaparral 220 SSi. Total hours on the boat 236.
I bought the boat 6 weeks ago, and have about 8 hours on it since. Some has been trouble free and we are enjoying it.
Some has been painful, and my newest problem has got me stimied. The first issue came up after 3 hours, I coudn't get full throttle. I was seeing 15 mph at 2800 rpm, no plane. I tried replacing the fuel filter, no effect. I was then told to use Star Tron treatment for the whole tank, assume that I have bad gas from winter storage. I tried this and after 90 minutes of putsing around at 2800 rpm, the boat magically started taking more fuel. By the end of the day I had 5000 rpm. At that moment, Star Tron was my savior. The next day the boat ran flawlessly, again 5000 rpm anytime I hit full throttle. One week later the boat started hard, but started. At that time I noticed the starter would not always engage. I was thinking starter trouble or weak battery, (however the starter's energy was excellent when it engaged, not like a sluggish battery). The boat again didn't take full throttle for about 15 minutes, but then then all was well. I was still thinking that I had a fuel issue and that I was slowly burning it out. The next day all was well again. It would appear that when the boat sits for more than 4 or 5 days, I have starting/fuel issues. Two weeks later I decided to install a new battery, (the two battery kit from blue sea). I started the boat first, it started hard, (3 or 4 attempts), and was rough at idle. At 1400 rpm in neutral it sounded great. I ran it for 15 minutes, shut it down, and installed my new fresh battery, noting else, (I never installed the new battery switch or charging relay). I tried to start the boat and after 30+ cranking attempts, no joy. I actually fried the starter, (which may have been weak anyways). So yesterday I installed a new starter, and did the following to make sure that the engine has fuel,
installed a new fuel filter
removed the suction line to the tank to check for blockage
removed the tank pick up and check valve, checked for blockage and check valve operation.
reinstalled everything, turned the key and confirmed that the pump(s) run for 2 seconds.
with the pumps running, I opened the shreader valve on the fuel rails to confirm fuel in the rails.

Cranked the engine 15+ times, never fired, never stumbled

My confidence is fairly high that I have fuel, although not 100%.
The boat has not started AFTER installing the new battery.
Any chance I have a memory reset issue?, the battery swap took 30+ minutes, (I ate lunch during the swap).
Is there any fuse that I could have blown during the battery swap that would prevent a start?
Assuming I have fuel, any spark at any time would give me some form of start, so I am now thinking that
something in the computer is either telling the plugs not to fire, or the injectors not to open.

Any help would be appreciated.

This is my fist boat, and was actually hoping for a full season of carefree boating. Hopefully I can get her back runing and start some carefree boating.

Thanks for your help in advance.

 

[Don S]

Re: 2002 Volvo Penta 5.0L GXi Starting problems

What is the FULL model number of the engine (all the letters) and/or the serial number for your engine.

 

[chagnobu]

Re: 2002 Volvo Penta 5.0L GXi Starting problems

Don S., I will try to get the engine S/N this weekend. I will aslo be posting an update-some impovement, but still a sick engine.

 

[chagnobu]

Re: 2002 Volvo Penta 5.0L GXi Starting problems

update as of this morning:
I had a boat mechanic come and look at it yesterday. The computer had no codes other than engine shutdown telltale, which apparently means that the engine shutdown previously with a mismatch in throttle position. He checked the throttle position sensor and it was OK, (the computer could see it change voltage with position). He cleared the code, but no change in starting. He finally tried starting the engine by pumping the throttle and holding it wide open. It started rough, but eventually settled down. Idle was extremely rough. Throttle above 1200 rpm in neutral sounded good, but idle was rough. We took it for a quick ride, throttle was erratic, sometimes the boat would take fuel, sometimes not. At times the boat would not get up on plane. We went back to the dock. He noticed that the low pressure pump was making a little noise. He unplugged it, and the idle didn't chenge. He though that this was unusual. I drove it to his marina so he could work on it for the next day or so. The ride is about 11 miles. Very poor operation, sometimes never getting on plane, and for 5 minutes it ran at 5000 rpm, 48 mph, (which is normal WOT). Definitley appears to be fuel supply. I don't think that it's bad fuel as operation is erratic, (I would think during my 11 mile ride in open water that I would have a fairly homogeneous fuel supply). Hopefully his marina can find the issue today, they plan to swap out the pump assembles with a set that they know works, and run the boat on an external fuel source. I will post the results.

 

[chagnobu]

Re: 2002 Volvo Penta 5.0L GXi Starting problems

as of 2:00 this afternoon the marina is saying that I have low compression in one cylinder. They are going to remove the head and inspect, they suspect a bad head gasket. Although I don't doubt that a cylinder could have low compression, I can't for the life of me see how that is related to an engine that runs rough, then runs great, then puts out full power, and then won't take enough fuel to get over 3000 rpm. It's probably worth fixing, but I can't beleive that it's the root cause of my issue. Should have additional information late today, or tomorow. The ugly saga continues.

 

[gbeltran]

Re: 2002 Volvo Penta 5.0L GXi Starting problems

I think the main problem is the fuel pump assembly. Read up on it, there are many with similar issues.

 

[chagnobu]

Re: 2002 Volvo Penta 5.0L GXi Starting problems

the marina is now performing a valve job. One cylinder had a very badly warped or "tuliped" valve, two others were sightly distorted and showing a little drop in pressure. The plan now is to replace all 8 intake valves. The marina also agrees that this may fix the rough idle, but not the fuel starvation issue. I am assuming that I will be looking at a new pump assembly. For the valve job I am in the $800 to $1,000 range, and I think that a new fuel cell, both pumps and filter assembly, is anywhere from $700 to $900 for the parts alone. Not a good start for a first time boater. I think that the marina is run by a good bunch of guys, so I am hoping that they can give me some relief. Spending almost $2,000 on repairs with only 8 hours on a boat that I bought from them in mid May sounds ugly, doesn't it? Or is that just the boating world?

 

[iliketurtles]

Re: 2002 Volvo Penta 5.0L GXi Starting problems

Did they give you any kind of warranty? I bought a similar boat / same engine this past winter and they (dealership in WI) gave me a 30 day warranty from when the season started.

 

[jason SENE]

Re: 2002 Volvo Penta 5.0L GXi Starting problems

So did the replacement of the fuel pump assembly fix the issue and allow the boat to cruise at 5,000 RPMS?