96 Evinrude 50 Cutting Out

[Rob406]

Hey All. 96 Evinrude 50 SPL. Running great all season. Had it out today for a few hours. Was running at WOT and the power cut out suddenly to a limp. Motor sounded fine however (did not sound like it was missing). In neutral it will rev up just fine but under a load it was maybe like 20% power or less. Stopped the boat, checked plugs, they were fine. Threw the spares in just in case. Came out of it for a few seconds and then just like a switch it did it again. Not sure where to start. Everything obvious looks fine. No warnings on the dash. Was thinking maybe coil? Not sure. Thoughts?

 

[iggyw1]

I recently had a problem with my 35 H.P. cutting out while WOT, but mine cut off completely like I turned off the key. It did this several times at WOT as well as about 1/2 - 3/4 throttle. I replaced my power pack on my motor , & that solved my problem. Not saying this is what you need to do, but guys on here said that it may be my power pack cutting off from heat and apparently that's what my problem was. Just thought I would pass this along to you. There may be some way to test your power pack before you replace it. Mine cost me less than $50 for a new Sierra power pack, so I just bought it & replaced the old one for that price.

 

[racerone]

Sounds like it is running on 1 cylinder.---Does spark jump a gap of 3/8" or more on both leads ?

 

[saltchuckmatt]

You have a two wire overheat sensor.....could be the diode in the harness died putting you in safe or limp mode.

 

[racerone]

Salty are you sure this motor has a 2 wire heat sensor , along with limp mode ?

 

[saltchuckmatt]

Well the part breakdown shows the 2 wire sensor so I assumed he has the diode.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[saltchuckmatt]

The 50 does and the 48 doesn't.

Must be the 48 engine?

 

[racerone]

Where did you look on the parts break down.-----We need to know if it is a 2 cylinder motor or a 3 cylinder motor.----Model # is ?

 

[Rob406]

Where did you look on the parts break down.-----We need to know if it is a 2 cylinder motor or a 3 cylinder motor.----Model # is ?

Model number is E50ESLEUS although I have never been able to find that model number in the break down so I use E50ESLEUR. It is a 2 cylinder

Please elaborate on overheat diode? How do I check this? I did not get a overhead light on the dash so overheating did not come to mind.

 

[Rob406]

Sounds like it is running on 1 cylinder.---Does spark jump a gap of 3/8" or more on both leads ?

Racerone I can check this on muffs. I do have a gap tester. I worry however because in neutral it revs right up great. Symptom is only noticed under a load where it can not pass about 2000 rpms

 

[Rob406]

Sounds like it is running on 1 cylinder.---Does spark jump a gap of 3/8" or more on both leads ?

I had considered this while on the water. I checked the plugs (about the only thing i could really do at that time) and they looked identical, i.e, one wasnt soaked, indicating to me it was firing although i could definitely be wrong

 

[racerone]

Reving it up on the trailer means nothing ---Waste of time..----Even in gear on the trailer is still neutral !!!------A 2 cylinder motor.----Sounds like it is running on 1 cylinder.----The simple testing needs to be done.-----No spark?---Poor compression ?----No crankcase compression.-----Timer base not rotation?----Linkage fallen off?---No fuel ?----Too much fuel?----Torn fuel pump diaphragm?

 

[saltchuckmatt]

Model number is E50ESLEUS although I have never been able to find that model number in the break down so I use E50ESLEUR. It is a 2 cylinder

Please elaborate on overheat diode? How do I check this? I did not get a overhead light on the dash so overheating did not come to mind.

Some motors have the two wire overheat sensor and the diode in the harness goes out putting it in to limp mode or low RPMs. Your model doesn't have that sensor but someone could have changed it I guess.

Easy to confirm, on the head is a sensor with a tan wire coming out of it, if it has a second wire then your motor is equipped with that special function.

More likely you have a cylinder out....pull one plug wire off at a time when running, report your findings.

 

[racerone]

The 2 wire sensor has been listed as NLA for quite a few years now.

 

[saltchuckmatt]

The 2 wire sensor has been listed as NLA for quite a few years now.

What's your point?

 

[racerone]

Likely no one could swap it into a motor that does not use that part.

 

[Rob406]

Some motors have the two wire overheat sensor and the diode in the harness goes out putting it in to limp mode or low RPMs. Your model doesn't have that sensor but someone could have changed it I guess.

Easy to confirm, on the head is a sensor with a tan wire coming out of it, if it has a second wire then your motor is equipped with that special function.

More likely you have a cylinder out....pull one plug wire off at a time when running, report your findings.

Thank you, from memory i think it just has the one tan wire but i will confirm when i am by the boat

 

[Rob406]

Reving it up on the trailer means nothing ---Waste of time..----Even in gear on the trailer is still neutral !!!------A 2 cylinder motor.----Sounds like it is running on 1 cylinder.----The simple testing needs to be done.-----No spark?---Poor compression ?----No crankcase compression.-----Timer base not rotation?----Linkage fallen off?---No fuel ?----Too much fuel?----Torn fuel pump diaphragm?

Thanks i will look into these things. My thought about it running fine in neutral was it rules out a compression/fuel/spark issue. The intermittent nature of it i think definitely rules out compression. If you mean timer base not rotating, is that a common thing? I am just brainstorming here as i am not by the boat at this moment. I have seen on another small engine where spark was good until it was under a load. This was difficult to diagnose (had to borrow a good coil). I dont like throwing parts at something but at $40 for oem i decided to go ahead and get the coil. I will check the things you suggested.

 

[racerone]

????----No it will rev up fine on 1 cylinder.-----Trouble shooting is so easy.-----But that is my opinion.

 

[saltchuckmatt]

You just need a spark gap jump tool. Like this.

Duralast Adjustable Ignition Spark

Shop for Duralast Adjustable Ignition Spark with confidence at AutoZone.com. Parts are just part of what we do. Get yours online today and pick up in store.

www.autozone.com