Hi I am having problems with my 2000 seadoo challenger. It cut out on me a few times in mid run but after it cut out it would not start for ages. when out on the river and i turn off the boat it can also take ages for it to start you i could be there for about 10 mins trying to start it. I change the spark plugs in the boat and there still was no change and this stage i cant trust the boat been towed in 2 many times now. Any suggestions would be great
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240 EFI Mercury engine keeps cutting out and hard to start
- Thread starter Leo
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Have you checked the compression?You could also look for any air leaks around the intake. If that looks fine it must be electrical. Process of elimination.
Karl
Karl
First off don't be too scared by this post, it could be something simple but with the information I have this is the first thing I can come up with. If there is anything specific you can remember about the boat stalling or when it will not start let me know and we can go from there.
When you say it stalled and would not restart, or when shut off it will not start I am assuming you mean that it is turning over but will not fire.
The first thing to determine is if the problem is fuel, spark or both. The hard part about this is that you are going to have to get the boat to act up again. This means you need to take it out to the lake or river and take a toolbox with among other things in it a good multi meter. I know in your PM you said that you had the boat at the dealer and they checked all the connections and could not find any faults, so lets assume that everything is good in that respect.
The first basic tools that I want you to have in the tool box are a stethoscope (a long narrow screwdriver will work in the place of this), a multi meter, and something to check spark with (either a proper spark tester or a screwdriver). The first thing you need to do if you get the boat in a no start condition is to check to see if both the fuel pumps are running, and if you have spark. To check to see if the fuel pumps are running have someone crank the engine while you listen to the with the stethoscope. If you're using the long screwdriver for this put the handle against your ear, and the tip against the fuel pump. You should hear a loud hum if they are running. If that seems fine you need to check for spark. To do this pull one of the spark plug wires off a spark plug and either install the spark tester or use a screwdriver with the metal shaft inserted into the end of the spark plug wire (still attached to the coil) and the shaft held about a quarter of an inch from the metal block of the engine. You should get a very clear spark. If one of the fuel pumps is not running it is most likely the problem, but if you have no spark it could be a number of things.
The four things that can give you a complete lack of spark on all cylinders with the 240 are a bad stop circuit (the lanyard post or ignition switch), the stator, the trigger assembly or the electronic control module (ECM). With your problem seeming to be heat related (as in it will not start hot but starts fine when cold), that would seem to rule out the stop circuit, but because it is the easiest to check you can start with it first. With the key in the run position and the lanyard attached unplug all six of the coils and check the black/yellow wire for continuity to ground. If the circuit is ok it should read zero ohms. If it reads good continuity that would mean the lanyard post may be bad. Just remember you have to have all of the coils disconnected or you are just checking the resistance of the coils still plugged in.
The next thing to check is the stator. It is mounted under the flywheel and produces the voltage to charge the coils. To check this you need to unplug the two white/green leads coming from it, and do a continuity check on them. The specs for this are between the two leads 380-430 ohms, and when checking for a short to ground attach the positive lead of the multi meter to one of the green/white leads and the negative lead to a good ground on the engine, the meter should read open, or no continuity (repeat for both green/white leads)
Next you can do a continuity check on the trigger assembly. It is also mounted under the flywheel, and has six colored wires coming off it. For this test you need to check the continuity between two wires at a time in the following pairs. Brown to Yellow, White to Red and Purple to Blue. The spec for this is 1100-1400 ohms.
For the ECM there are no real tests that you can do, but here are a couple that I've learned from being an automotive mechanic over a number of years. With the boat in a no start condition take a bottle of water, and give the ECM a good soaking (not the whole engine, or all the connectors) to help cool it down and see if the boat now starts. You can also try giving the ECM a good smack with the side of your hand and see if that helps. If either of these seem to do the trick you may need an ECM. Just be sure to try this a couple of times to verify that it was not coincidence.
Well I hope I didn't scare you too bad with all these tests, and if you have any more info on your problem or need a better description of some of the tests let me know and I will try and be a bit more specific. Also just fyi the manual says that the most common cause of an intermitent no spark condition would be either the ECM or the Stator.
Aaron:cheers:
When you say it stalled and would not restart, or when shut off it will not start I am assuming you mean that it is turning over but will not fire.
The first thing to determine is if the problem is fuel, spark or both. The hard part about this is that you are going to have to get the boat to act up again. This means you need to take it out to the lake or river and take a toolbox with among other things in it a good multi meter. I know in your PM you said that you had the boat at the dealer and they checked all the connections and could not find any faults, so lets assume that everything is good in that respect.
The first basic tools that I want you to have in the tool box are a stethoscope (a long narrow screwdriver will work in the place of this), a multi meter, and something to check spark with (either a proper spark tester or a screwdriver). The first thing you need to do if you get the boat in a no start condition is to check to see if both the fuel pumps are running, and if you have spark. To check to see if the fuel pumps are running have someone crank the engine while you listen to the with the stethoscope. If you're using the long screwdriver for this put the handle against your ear, and the tip against the fuel pump. You should hear a loud hum if they are running. If that seems fine you need to check for spark. To do this pull one of the spark plug wires off a spark plug and either install the spark tester or use a screwdriver with the metal shaft inserted into the end of the spark plug wire (still attached to the coil) and the shaft held about a quarter of an inch from the metal block of the engine. You should get a very clear spark. If one of the fuel pumps is not running it is most likely the problem, but if you have no spark it could be a number of things.
The four things that can give you a complete lack of spark on all cylinders with the 240 are a bad stop circuit (the lanyard post or ignition switch), the stator, the trigger assembly or the electronic control module (ECM). With your problem seeming to be heat related (as in it will not start hot but starts fine when cold), that would seem to rule out the stop circuit, but because it is the easiest to check you can start with it first. With the key in the run position and the lanyard attached unplug all six of the coils and check the black/yellow wire for continuity to ground. If the circuit is ok it should read zero ohms. If it reads good continuity that would mean the lanyard post may be bad. Just remember you have to have all of the coils disconnected or you are just checking the resistance of the coils still plugged in.
The next thing to check is the stator. It is mounted under the flywheel and produces the voltage to charge the coils. To check this you need to unplug the two white/green leads coming from it, and do a continuity check on them. The specs for this are between the two leads 380-430 ohms, and when checking for a short to ground attach the positive lead of the multi meter to one of the green/white leads and the negative lead to a good ground on the engine, the meter should read open, or no continuity (repeat for both green/white leads)
Next you can do a continuity check on the trigger assembly. It is also mounted under the flywheel, and has six colored wires coming off it. For this test you need to check the continuity between two wires at a time in the following pairs. Brown to Yellow, White to Red and Purple to Blue. The spec for this is 1100-1400 ohms.
For the ECM there are no real tests that you can do, but here are a couple that I've learned from being an automotive mechanic over a number of years. With the boat in a no start condition take a bottle of water, and give the ECM a good soaking (not the whole engine, or all the connectors) to help cool it down and see if the boat now starts. You can also try giving the ECM a good smack with the side of your hand and see if that helps. If either of these seem to do the trick you may need an ECM. Just be sure to try this a couple of times to verify that it was not coincidence.
Well I hope I didn't scare you too bad with all these tests, and if you have any more info on your problem or need a better description of some of the tests let me know and I will try and be a bit more specific. Also just fyi the manual says that the most common cause of an intermitent no spark condition would be either the ECM or the Stator.
Aaron:cheers:
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Bigwhizdad
New Member
islandia cuts off
I am having a similar problem. My 2001 Islandia died on throttle up and for quite some time and at first it appeared it was not getting spark. Then it would start for a few seconds, gradually increasing in duration until runs for about ten seconds. I felt it may be the fuel pump but after removing and applying voltage that does appear to be working. Finally brought the boat to a dealer, who has had it for over a week, and he tells me that I need a new ignition switch/harness, which he says is going to be $300 just for the switch. Help! Has anybody had a similar problem and if so does this sound right?
I am having a similar problem. My 2001 Islandia died on throttle up and for quite some time and at first it appeared it was not getting spark. Then it would start for a few seconds, gradually increasing in duration until runs for about ten seconds. I felt it may be the fuel pump but after removing and applying voltage that does appear to be working. Finally brought the boat to a dealer, who has had it for over a week, and he tells me that I need a new ignition switch/harness, which he says is going to be $300 just for the switch. Help! Has anybody had a similar problem and if so does this sound right?
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I had the same problem with my 240 EFI. The problem ended up being the temp control sensor on the starboard side head. Although I thought it was overpriced at somewhere around 30 dollars, it was still a cheap fix. More importantly, it was an easy fix.
The boat would always fire up when it was cold. But once it got warmed up, it would not restart until I let it cool down for a half hour or so. Apparently the broken temp sensor was not telling the ECM that the engine was warmed up so it was basicly flooding the engine (although I think it's impossible to flood an EFI - you get the idea though).
I have not had the problem since I replaced the head temp sensor and I'm going on the third season with the fix.
Try it, you'll lke it.
The boat would always fire up when it was cold. But once it got warmed up, it would not restart until I let it cool down for a half hour or so. Apparently the broken temp sensor was not telling the ECM that the engine was warmed up so it was basicly flooding the engine (although I think it's impossible to flood an EFI - you get the idea though).
I have not had the problem since I replaced the head temp sensor and I'm going on the third season with the fix.
Try it, you'll lke it.
Bigwizdad I just had a look at the parts catalog, and it really is 297.00 for that switch. If the shop that has the boat knows what they are doing and has done all the testing you have to go with what they are telling you, just make sure that if it does not fix the problem to get you money back.
scarfie It's good to get input from people that have had a similar problem, it really helps when someone has had the same issue to give you a good solid starting point.:cheers:
Before you replace the sensor though the manual states that for a quick check once the engine is warmed up you can simply unplug the sensor and see if the boat starts to run very rich. If it does not you may have a bad sensor. Just make sure to clean the block well where the sensor bolts on as this is where it receives it's ground from.
Aaron:cheers:
Bigwhizdad
New Member
Thanks rookie101. I just signed up on this site and after making the post I found the parts section and also looked up the harness. Makes me feel a little better but I am still a little skeptical. Have told the service manager that I did not want a "let's try this and if that doesn't work we'll try that" approach. If it turns out it is not an ignition problem he says I won't be charged. that sounds fair and I have my fingers crossed.
Appreciate the quick responses on this board. When the problem is solved I'll put up another post to let everyone know what the final result was, just in case they have a similiar problem.
Appreciate the quick responses on this board. When the problem is solved I'll put up another post to let everyone know what the final result was, just in case they have a similiar problem.
seadoodude1
New Member
Did it fix it?
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