I'm not sure if this is an electrical issue, or an outboard motor issue, but I'll post it here.
I'm dealing with my Pontoon Boat, Its a 1996 model with a 2001 Johnson 2 stroke 90hp, 60 deg, looper with VRO.
the last couple times out I've noticed an issue that doesn't happen all the time, but seems to be happening more commonly the more I use the boat.
roughly every 3 times I start the boat, warm or cold, the Tach will behave oddly. It will show a steady display at idle, but as I increase the throttle, it starts jumping up and down between 500-1500 rpm and then drops to zero as i speed up. If i drop back to idle speed the tach will read normally until I increase the throttle when it will flutter then drop to zero. Along with this, when this is happening, the Voltage will read low, between 12 and 13 volts, It normally reads about 14 when the engine is running over 1500rpm. So, then, if I continue to cruise along, within a minute or two, the tach and voltage will both jump up to normal readings for the remainder of that run cycle. I could stop, turn off the motor and restart and it may or may not happen again.
Now, sometimes, the tach will seem to work fine with no fluttering, but the voltage appears to be slow to come up to its norm of 14 volts. It will eventually make it to 14V, but slower than "normal"
All the gauges are fairly new. the volt gauge is roughly 5 years old and I replaced to tach last summer.
So I'm hoping I can get some tips on solving this issue. Naturally, the boat is 4 hours away, but I hope to have a few items to check next time I'm at the boat to try and narrow down the problem.
Thanks!
I'm dealing with my Pontoon Boat, Its a 1996 model with a 2001 Johnson 2 stroke 90hp, 60 deg, looper with VRO.
the last couple times out I've noticed an issue that doesn't happen all the time, but seems to be happening more commonly the more I use the boat.
roughly every 3 times I start the boat, warm or cold, the Tach will behave oddly. It will show a steady display at idle, but as I increase the throttle, it starts jumping up and down between 500-1500 rpm and then drops to zero as i speed up. If i drop back to idle speed the tach will read normally until I increase the throttle when it will flutter then drop to zero. Along with this, when this is happening, the Voltage will read low, between 12 and 13 volts, It normally reads about 14 when the engine is running over 1500rpm. So, then, if I continue to cruise along, within a minute or two, the tach and voltage will both jump up to normal readings for the remainder of that run cycle. I could stop, turn off the motor and restart and it may or may not happen again.
Now, sometimes, the tach will seem to work fine with no fluttering, but the voltage appears to be slow to come up to its norm of 14 volts. It will eventually make it to 14V, but slower than "normal"
All the gauges are fairly new. the volt gauge is roughly 5 years old and I replaced to tach last summer.
So I'm hoping I can get some tips on solving this issue. Naturally, the boat is 4 hours away, but I hope to have a few items to check next time I'm at the boat to try and narrow down the problem.
Thanks!