Mercruiser 3.0 mpi stalling at idle speed

[david2027]

Hi guys, i have a new 2010 Mercruiser 3.0 mpi with just 8 hours on it and have had this problem since new. First time we took it out the audible alarm went off multiple times at various speeds and the engine kept stalling when speed was reduced to idle. Was also harder to start than i expected from an mpi engine,sometimes it takes several attempts before the engine fires up. I took it to the dealer who ran a diagnostic on it but he said no codes showed up. All fluid levels are fine, oil pressure is on the money and engine temp is right on too. Could the cause be from a faulty idle air control valve even tho the engine is brand new?

 

[Brewman61]

Re: Mercruiser 3.0 mpi stalling at idle speed

If this rig is under warranty, and this certainly sounds like a warranty issue, insist that your dealer find and correct the problem.
If all they did was scan for errors and quit, shame on them. You can take this to any authorized Mercruiser dealer for warranty work if you can't get anywhere with this dealer. It doesn't have to be the place you bought the boat. Many things could cause this. Let Mercury figure it out on their dime.

 

[david2027]

Re: Mercruiser 3.0 mpi stalling at idle speed

It is covered under warranty as it's a new boat. The service manager said he wants to take the boat out for a water test next if it happens again.. which it has. I would just like to have some input from the knowledgable folks here for my own piece of mind. There's next to no info out there on this engine but from what i've read on other mpi engines this seems a possible cause

 

[Fun Times]

Re: Mercruiser 3.0 mpi stalling at idle speed

Well said Brewman61, I couldn't agree more.

Because the MPI system is so new for the 3.0 engine, the service dealer is going to half to put a lot of effort into finding the problem, and it sound like if you go back to the same dealer, you should insist that the dealer call mercruiser tech support this time for their help and have them send out a field representative if they can not find the problem in a reasonable amount of time.


And if you do not want to go back to that dealer, then here is a link that should be able to help you find another Mercruiser dealer in your area, If you do go to another dealer, try to find a Mercruiser Premier Service dealer in your area, You should be in better hands there.
http://www.mercurymarine.com/find-a-dealer/

Good luck.

 

[david2027]

Re: Mercruiser 3.0 mpi stalling at idle speed

Thanks for the help guys, i'll give the dealer one more crack at it and if it's not resolved i'll take it to a Premier Service dealer.

 

[H180LE]

Re: Mercruiser 3.0 mpi stalling at idle speed

I also own a 2010 Mercruiser 3.0 MPI. I had a similar if not the same problem when the boat was delivered to me. The engine is on a 2010 Four Winns H180LE.

When shifting from forward to neutral the engine alarm would sound, shortly followed by a stall. I discovered the problem during delivery and told the dealer to keep the boat until they figured it out. When driving it onto the trailer I noticed that the propeller was still spinning (as evidenced by the water turbulence behind the boat) even though the shift lever was clearly in neutral.

The dealer then attempted to adjust the shift linkage but could not get it working right. The boat was delivered with a composite propeller. I immediately complained that I did not want a plastic prop on the boat.

They agreed to replace the propeller with an aluminum one instead. What they ultimately found, was that the excessive blade flex from the composite propeller was preventing the dog clutches from disengaging when shifting to neutral. This was keeping a load on the engine that did not agree with the idle throttle setting and thus causing an engine alarm and stall.

Changing from composite to aluminum fixed the problem.

I would be curious to discover if you have the same issue.

Good Luck!