1988 Evinrude XP150 Beeping Alarm and then stalls out at high Speed/RPM Please Help!

ANYONE,
My 88 XP150 runs good for about 5 minutes at high speed and then starts beeping...after beeping it quickly slows down and stalls out. I then have to prime the bulb agiain to get it started. Then it does the same thing only right away when I get to above 3/4 throtle. It has a new fuel pump/vro pump. I just had a full tune up done and it dyno tuned excellent! It runs perfect in my driveway, and at half throtle in the lake. This has been happening for several trips out on the boat and I need to fix it myself as the tune up cost 1400 and I need to save... Please help, I need advice on where to start trouble shooting.

Re: 1988 Evinrude XP150 Beeping Alarm and then stalls out at high Speed/RPM Please He

I am not a JohnnyRude guy but take away the name I see a lean out and overheat situation going on. Don't run it until it's fixed or you will cause expensive damage. That fact that it stalls out could and I emphasis could, be siezing or at a minimum heavy scuffing.

Re: 1988 Evinrude XP150 Beeping Alarm and then stalls out at high Speed/RPM Please He

Which warning are you receiving?

(VRO Horn Warnings)
(J. Reeves)

NOTE: I retired around 1991/92. Possibly some of the later V4 engines and others may also incorporate a fuel vacuum switch that would enable a fuel restriction warning to sound as mentioned below, an unknown factor to myself.

1 - A steady constant beep = Overheating - The V/6 engines, possibly some others, have a fuel restriction warning which is also a steady constant beep.

2 - A beep every 20 or 40 seconds = oil level has dropped to 1/4 tank. (Late model engine = Every 40 seconds)

3 - A beep every other second = VRO failure, air leak in oil line, oil restriction, (anything that would result in a lack of oil being supplied to the engine).

NOTE - If the warning horn is the black plastic (overpriced) three wire type horn, the warning horn should beep once when the ignition key is turned to the ON position. If it does not, it is either faulty or someone has disconnected it (a stupid move!). At any rate, if it does not beep which indicates that the horn is non functional, find out why and do not run the engine until the problem is corrected.

Re: 1988 Evinrude XP150 Beeping Alarm and then stalls out at high Speed/RPM Please He

Is the primer bulb collapsed or just empty? It sounds like maybe your fuel tank vent is restricted or fuel line from the tank etc. This will supposedly also give a beeping alarm(anyone want to confirm this?) You could run it on a portable tank to eliminate your fuel supply as a problem. When the motor stalls, immediately open your fuel cap and see it your tank is under a vacuum, i.e. sucking in air as the cap is opened. If so, tank vent is restricted, maybe see if it runs ok with cap off if you can do so safely. Check ball in tank pickup could be stuck too and with the ethanol content in gas these days, if the fuel lines from the tank to the motor are original or pretty old they are suspect too.

Re: 1988 Evinrude XP150 Beeping Alarm and then stalls out at high Speed/RPM Please He

Yes I see in Joe's chart on #1 it says steady beep for fuel restriction on V6 motors. Missed that at first, thanks, Joe, for preemptively confirming that for me!

Re: 1988 Evinrude XP150 Beeping Alarm and then stalls out at high Speed/RPM Please He

guys,
thanks for the advice... I ran a remote tank today out on the lake.... same problem only it got worse... yes the alarm beeps once when you start it, but today when i ran the boat, I got to about half throtle and it went to a constant alarm this time and then stalled out! then the prime bulb went completely flat and when I tried to turn it over again, it would ring a constant alarm. I know that means overheat typically, so I removed the motor cover and it was not hot! I could literally puut my bare hands right on the block! Water pump is fine and the VRO seems fine (smokes like a two stroke should, and the clear tube shows full steady oil going to the VRO. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!
Note - New water pump and housing, new VRO/Fuel pump, and full tune up w/ all required tests and dyno tune two weeks ago!
However, the voltage regulator that is only one year old is not working.....

Re: 1988 Evinrude XP150 Beeping Alarm and then stalls out at high Speed/RPM Please He

Did you open the vent on the remote tank?

Re: 1988 Evinrude XP150 Beeping Alarm and then stalls out at high Speed/RPM Please He

Avenger 1988 said:

I got to about half throtle and it went to a constant alarm this time and then stalled out! then the prime bulb went completely flat and when I tried to turn it over again, it would ring a constant alarm. I know that means overheat typically, so I removed the motor cover and it was not hot!

Click to expand...

My previous reply..... The #1 statement. Constant beep = "Overheating" OR "Fuel Restriction". The flat primer bulb is also a dead give away of a fuel restriction problem.

Re: 1988 Evinrude XP150 Beeping Alarm and then stalls out at high Speed/RPM Please He

You had mentioned the alarm going off due to a fuel restriction. Is the sensor before or after the fuel filter? In other words, could a clogged fuel filter be the cause of the stalling and the alarm going off? Thanks for your help guys!

Re: 1988 Evinrude XP150 Beeping Alarm and then stalls out at high Speed/RPM Please He

outboarduser said:

You had mentioned the alarm going off due to a fuel restriction. Is the sensor before or after the fuel filter? In other words, could a clogged fuel filter be the cause of the stalling and the alarm going off? Thanks for your help guys!

Click to expand...

The fuel restriction is actually between the VRO pump and the fuel supply BUT you can disregard anything between the "flat" primer bulb and the engine.

The actual sensor that triggers the alarm should a fuel restriction exist is a vaccum operated switch. Follow the fuel hose where it enters the hood pan to the VRO pump. About halfway you'll come across a "tee" that connects to a smaller diameter hose which travels vertically to a plastic component that has a TAN wire attached to it. This is the vaccum switch that triggers the fuel restriction alarm.

The usual cause of a fuel restriction........

(Fuel Anti Siphon Valve)
(J. Reeves)

Many of the later OMC V/6 engines incorporate a fuel restriction warning via a vacuum device attached to the powerhead. If the engine overheats, or if you have a fuel restriction, the warning is the same.... a steady constant beep.

NOTE... Only the V/6 & V/8 engines have the above "Fuel Restriction Warning". The warning horn will not sound on the other models.

The fact that a engine is not overheating, but the warning horn sounds off with a constant steady beep, and that the rpms drop drastically would indicate that the engine is starving for fuel due to a fuel restriction. Check the built in fuel tank where the rubber fuel line attaches to the tank fitting. That fitting is in all probability a "Anti Siphon" valve which is notorious for sticking in a semi closed position. It will be aluminum, about 2" long, and the insides of it will consist of a spring, a ball, and a ball seat. If this valve exists, remove it, knock out those inner components which will convert it to a straight through fitting, then re-install it. Hopefully that cures the problem.

The above procedure will cure a restriction problem with the anti siphon valve as stated. BUT, it may also allow fuel to drain backwards to the fuel tank when the engine is not running (siphoning backwards) due to the fact that the carburetors/fuel pump etc are higher than the fuel tank. This condition is not an absolute as the valves in the fuel primer bulb usually prevent this backwards siphoning problem. However.... if this does take place, the cure would be to install a new anti siphon valve.

Re: 1988 Evinrude XP150 Beeping Alarm and then stalls out at high Speed/RPM Please He

Listen to what Joe said above. He said it all and saved me from typing. LOL.

Re: 1988 Evinrude XP150 Beeping Alarm and then stalls out at high Speed/RPM Please He

It's actually quite a timely post for me. I have a 95 130HP V4 and it has a fuel restriction switch. The previous owner had disconnected the overtemp sensors and the warning horn because he said there was a problem that it was always ringing on him. He was sure the temperature switches were the problem. This winter I decided to put everything back the way it was because I really wanted to make sure the overtemp sensors worked correctly. I had it out today for the first time of the season today and at about 1/2 throttle the warning horn would beep continuously but the engine temps were fine. I reduced the throttle and turned back to dock because I didn't know what was causing it. After reading this thread I'm gonna change the fuel filter because I hadn't done that yet this year and verify the plumbing back to the anti siphoning valve.

Can the anti siphoning valve be cleaned?

Re: 1988 Evinrude XP150 Beeping Alarm and then stalls out at high Speed/RPM Please He

I followed the fuel line back to the tank and never saw the anti-siphoning valve. I took the connection and piping apart the goes into the tank and found nothing but a length of pipe the goes to the bottom of the tank, no anti-siphoning valve.

Re: 1988 Evinrude XP150 Beeping Alarm and then stalls out at high Speed/RPM Please He

NOTE: There has been cases when the output valve in the fuel primer bulb would come apart, and the inner portion of the valve would actually reverse itself and be drawn back into the primer bulb's output valve body. This in effect would create a shut off valve and result in a fuel restriction. If this is the case, you should be able to feel something laying in the bottom of the primer bulb when held horizontally.

If a fuel restriction exists between the fuel primer bulb and the fuel supply, the fuel primer bulb should have a tendency to be drawn flat.

If the restriction is between the fuel primer bulb and the engine, there would be no effect upon the fuel primer bulb.

There are two (2) different size fuel lines/hoses..... the higher horsepower engines (yours) demands the larger size, otherwise that alone will cause a fuel restriction. The actual sizes of the hoses escapes me at the moment but I'm sure another member will jump in here with that information.

If the fuel primer bulb does not have a tendency to go flat, have someone constantly pump that primer bulb (acting as a manual fuel pump) while you operate the controls. If this action cause the horn to stop sounding, then obviously the cause of the problem would be a fuel restriction.

Re: 1988 Evinrude XP150 Beeping Alarm and then stalls out at high Speed/RPM Please He

thanks for the info Joe. I checked and from the tank it leaves with a 3/8 tubing to the bulkhead fitting in the hull. The other side of the bulkhead fitting someone used 5/16 tubing and a 5/16 primer bulb to the filter. From the filter to the pump they used 3/8 tubing again. I replaced everything so that everything is 3/8" which is what the service manual recommends. I'll be putting it in the water this afternoon. Hopefully everything will be good.

Re: 1988 Evinrude XP150 Beeping Alarm and then stalls out at high Speed/RPM Please He

Joe, thanks for the quick help. I will be checking it out today. I appreciate the advice.

Joe Reeves said:

The fuel restriction is actually between the VRO pump and the fuel supply BUT you can disregard anything between the "flat" primer bulb and the engine.

The actual sensor that triggers the alarm should a fuel restriction exist is a vaccum operated switch. Follow the fuel hose where it enters the hood pan to the VRO pump. About halfway you'll come across a "tee" that connects to a smaller diameter hose which travels vertically to a plastic component that has a TAN wire attached to it. This is the vaccum switch that triggers the fuel restriction alarm.

The usual cause of a fuel restriction........

(Fuel Anti Siphon Valve)
(J. Reeves)

Many of the later OMC V/6 engines incorporate a fuel restriction warning via a vacuum device attached to the powerhead. If the engine overheats, or if you have a fuel restriction, the warning is the same.... a steady constant beep.

NOTE... Only the V/6 & V/8 engines have the above "Fuel Restriction Warning". The warning horn will not sound on the other models.

The fact that a engine is not overheating, but the warning horn sounds off with a constant steady beep, and that the rpms drop drastically would indicate that the engine is starving for fuel due to a fuel restriction. Check the built in fuel tank where the rubber fuel line attaches to the tank fitting. That fitting is in all probability a "Anti Siphon" valve which is notorious for sticking in a semi closed position. It will be aluminum, about 2" long, and the insides of it will consist of a spring, a ball, and a ball seat. If this valve exists, remove it, knock out those inner components which will convert it to a straight through fitting, then re-install it. Hopefully that cures the problem.

The above procedure will cure a restriction problem with the anti siphon valve as stated. BUT, it may also allow fuel to drain backwards to the fuel tank when the engine is not running (siphoning backwards) due to the fact that the carburetors/fuel pump etc are higher than the fuel tank. This condition is not an absolute as the valves in the fuel primer bulb usually prevent this backwards siphoning problem. However.... if this does take place, the cure would be to install a new anti siphon valve.

Click to expand...

Re: 1988 Evinrude XP150 Beeping Alarm and then stalls out at high Speed/RPM Please He

My problem had symptoms that resembled a fuel flow restriction problem but come to find out the tan wire going to CDI was chaffed and shorting to ground causing the warning horn to sound. I had confirmed the continuous tone was not overtemp related so I assumed it was because of a fuel restriction problem. The warning horn would sound when I applied the throttle but I guess the added vibration caused the wire to short causing the horn to sound.