1985 115 Evinrude Cutting Out

[Islandlure]

Hi guys, wondering if someone can point me into the right direction with this. I have an 85 115 V4 Evinrude on my 17' Roberts flats boat. I just swapped this old motor for my old 85 Johnson 70 HP that was on it so I don't know too much about this new one. The issue I am having is a few things:

When I throttle up out of the hole it takes about a minute for the boat to come up on plane. It is not reving hard, in fact I can push the throttle handle to WOT and nothing happens, it just takes that long for the engine to catch up? I dont know what that is?

Now, once it does get up on plane I can hold it about half throttle and seems to run ok but will start lurching on me and the really starts to miss after about a minute or so but I can make minor movements in the throttle and keep it going. As soon as I throttle up more she really starts to move, sounds good, no missing, then 10 seconds later everything just stops and the boat sits back down into the water. The motor doesn't stall out just comes down to an idle.

When the motor is in neutral I can rev it and hold it there with no missing, it just sounds strong and smooth, but as soon as it goes in gear I have these issues.

Here is what I have done so far:

1) New gas in tank. (Gas was fine on the 70HP anyways just a couple days before)
2) Took the carbs off and cleaned them out, they looked good, no varnish or build up.
3) Replaced plugs and coils and cleaned the mounts where the coils ground to the motor.
4) Fully charged battery. (not sure if this even matters but I did it because it was in the garage.

I don't know if this might help but my tachometer that worked on my 70HP is now only working up to about 2500 RPM's on this Evinrude then it just drops to 0. I did keep all the same controls as I had with the 70HP Johnson and everything just plugged in and matched up but i am not sure if there might be an issue here?

So if anyone has an idea where i should start testing or looking I would appreciate any insight! Thanks!

[SparkieBoat]

the setting on the back of your tach should be on 6 I think for the V-4...could also be an issue with the regulator/stator. What prop do you have on the motor?? Also check fuel line connections and check your fuel pump. I would also check compression and make sure you have the correct plugs in there at .030 gap. check plug wires also, those V-4s are famous for catching the bottom left wire in the cowl latch...stupid idiot design if you ask me. after all that go to the CDI electronics web site and DL the trouble shooting guide.

[Islandlure]

Yeah I didn't think about the tach setting until right after I posted that. I never messed with the tach after installing this motor. I failed to mention that I replaced all the fuel lines going from tank all the way to the motor right before I took the old motor off and had no issues there but I will double check that for sure. You are correct on that cowl catching the plug wires, does it every time and is very annoying!

I will go through and check out these things you recommended and let you guys know what I come up with. Thanks for the response Sparkie!!

[SparkieBoat]

those fuel pumps go bad, almost every 80s or 90s model OMC I ever had, I had to change the fuel pump. Try pumping bulb while running and see if it helps.

[ezeke]

There should be no difference in the tachometer setting, 6P for both engines. Don't take chances on the rectifier, if it isn't working correctly, it may damage your stator; there is a procedure in the engine FAQ. forum.

What is the model number of your motor? It should be on either the transom plate or on a welch plug on the engine block, or both.

Test your warning horn. Also test your ignition coils.

[Islandlure]

Thanks ezeke, I am away from the boat right now but I will get the numbers off of it later today and post them up!

[Islandlure]

Here is the model # E115TLCO

[bassmaster75022]

try replacing inline fuel filter under the hood may be old and clogged after sitting my problem was similar all i did was drained carbs and added sea foam to nearly empty tank ran on the muffs for 10 mins and then added new fuel and went to the lake and ran perfect total cost was 30 bucks including gas filter was 8 sea foam 9 and 12 in gas

[kenmyfam]

Check the fuel pump output.

[Islandlure]

Thanks guys, I will take a look at these tomorrow and see what I can discover! Will post results

[Islandlure]

Well, I ran this boat by a mechanic and he checked it out and he seems to think it is the powerpack after testing it with some device he had. So it is ordered and will be in in the morning.

[Islandlure]

Ok, so here is where I ended up, need more ideas because I think the mechanic I have hired to help me out is a complete idiot.

1) New Power pack - same result
2) New Coils - same result
3) New carb gaskets - same result
4) New In-line Fuel Filter- same result
5) New Fuel Lines all the way from the tank - same result
6) Ran on new external tank with new lines and primer ball - same result
7) New left handed screw driver for my right handed mechanic - same result

Anyways, I feel like I have a fuel pump issue, I am no outboard mechanic but I know enough to find my way around. But my mechanic says the pump is fine but I am not sure how he know this because he doesn't test it with anything, he just looks at it and says. "Fuel pump looks good." What I do notice is that I pump the primer ball and it fills the fuel filter up. Start the engine and it sucks that fuel through the filter and after that the filter is pretty much dry but I can see some fuel spurt into it intermittently but it only stays like 1/8 of the way full?? Not sure why that is??

So does anybody have any ideas they could shoot at me?

[Islandlure]

Oh, and the compression checked out at 125 - 128 on all 4 cylinders. And one other thing I recall from my discussion with this mechanic of mine, he was telling me he thinks my key switch could be bad causing the boat to loose to fuel at WOT? Should I find another mechanic or is he making a valid point? I just don't see the connection unless the motor was actually cutting off?

[SparkieBoat]

still sounds like your fuel pump..if you pump the bubble while at WOT does it make any difference???

[SparkieBoat]

and yes the mechanic is an idiot

[Islandlure]

Yes, I have pumped the ball until completely tight at WOT and while trying to come up onto plane and it does nothing different. That is the only thing that confuses me because I would think that pumping the ball would feed it the fuel it needs but changes nothing. I really am at a loss here and I think the idiot mechanic is as well but has too much pride to admit it. Anyways, he has a new pump he is going to install tomorrow so I guess I will see what happens but I hesitate to even have him touch it anymore.

[emdsapmgr]

There are other expensive components in the ignition system on that engine, like the stator and timer base. Weak ignition components tend to fail when they come up to normal operating temps. I'd take an inductive timing light out with you next time you go out. Check the spark on all 4 plug wires when the engine starts to act up. The flashes from the light will clearly show weak spark, no spark, or intermittent spark.

[SparkieBoat]

does your mechanic own a DVA adapter??? I do not know of any other reliable way to troubleshoot the ignition system, I just found a bad rectifier on a 1989 200 HP Johnson, it was not the power pack, coils or the stator it was the rectifier. I didnt guess, just followed the well explained steps outlined by a CDI electronics troubleshooting guide. but you must have a DVA adapter.
http://www.cdielectronics.com/downlo...oting%20guide/
find your motor in this guide, get a DVA adapter and a multi meter and follow the instructions, you will become the most knowledgeable boat mechanic for 100 miles. for more part specific test, find the CDI part number for the part for your motor and download the install sheet listed with the part. Here is the page for the rectifiers.
http://www.cdielectronics.com/Products.aspx?Criteria=1H
sounds like fuel pump is not your problem. it should have surged when you pumped the bubble. Was the motor run hot???

[SparkieBoat]

I just reread your original post, the Tach failure is probably not coincidence, a failing rectifier will cause tach not to work. My money is now on the regulator/rectifier. here are the 2 part numbers for CDI, download the install sheets and it has a troubleshooting guide on how to test them before you buy a new part you do not need. 153-3408 rectifier and this is the one that is more costly and probably your problem 193-5204 regulator/rectifier. As stated before you must have a DVA adapter and multi meter. this is the one I use
http://www.usatoolwarehouse.com/usat...e/ESI-640.html

[Islandlure]

Ok thanks man, I will dive into this stuff tomorrow. I appreciate the help as anything pointing me into the vicinity of the problem will help. I believe this guy that has been helping me is just totally lost!

[Islandlure]

Just an update, although I have not purchased a DVA adapter for my multimeter to check the regulator/rectifier yet, I picked my boat up today to bring home from the mechanic and I have truly decided that he will never touch this motor again. He said that the bottom carb was missing all the jets, mind you this is the carb he had rebuilt about 2 weeks ago, and he blamed me that I took the carb apart and took the jets out, hmm what would be the point in that...? He said my boat was running bad because my fuel was 80% water because he took a fuel sample an had it checked out, lol what a joke this guy is... I just purchased the 6 gallon external tank and put fuel in it 2 days before for to sole purpose of testing this motor so unless the gas station sells 80% water full this guy is full of it. I had just ran all new full lines and new primer ball as I described above less than a week ago and he claims that all the fuel lines need to be replaced because they are so old and falling apart and lastly my control box is completely wired up backwards even though the Johnson I previously had on here never had an issue. These were the most far fetched claims he made today but trust me there are many more reason he believes this motor is not running properly and they have nothing to do with the motor or the mechanic working on it, they have everything to do with the time of day, the weather and the owner of the boat, LOL.

So, if anybody is in the Clearwater, FL area do not ever take your boat to "Captain Graybeards Marine Service" as it is now my belief that the only thing this guy is qualified to work on is boat powered by wind and that might be a far stretch. Anyways, I believe I can figure out more from the advise of you guys on here than I would dealing with this joker. So I am going to proceed with the recommendation in this thread and see where I end up.

Thank you guys for the help!

[SparkieBoat]

the very reason I turned into a DIYer...thanks to the help from the real pros in this forum I can now pretty much troubleshoot any problem with an outboard motor. and with a very small amount of $$$ invested into tools. order that DVA adapter and get a spark gap tester from local auto store. get a multi-meter and a c engine compression gauge. should be able to get every thing for under $150...you will soon find friends you never knew you had...LOL
can you take a look at my motor it wont crank??? please.....

[Islandlure]

Ok, here is another update. I still haven't received the DVA adapter for my multimeter so I cannot test anything until around the first of the week. But I put the boat in the water to test out the so called repairs the mechanic made to this motor yesterday, and to my surprise I throttled up and the boat just jumped right up onto plane and took off! I was very surprised to say the least, I can cruise at around 30mph with no more lurching and missing. But the one problem still remains, when I go the WOT the boat runs beautifully for about 15-20 seconds or so then just falls on it's face. After the boat comes down off plane if I still leave the throttle set at WOT about 10 seconds later it stands right back up and takes off again and continues this cycle until I pull the throttle down.
So anyways, I am happy enough that it appears half my issues have been solved but I am going to try to fix this other issue myself because I just do not trust this mechanic.

[SparkieBoat]

that sure sounds like a fuel pump issue to me..but could be a coil cutting in and out.

[SparkieBoat]

could also be rectifier/regulator going in and out