98 sportster 1800 1 motor cuts out at idle, and dead gauges issue

[jeffbeckib]

so finally got my boat in the water with the new sbt engine, the other original engine was running ok for the first hour or so, but then the engine would cut out at idle when I would come in get gas, or dock the boat, it won't start back up as long as it's idle, once out and about I can start the motor as long as the thruster is up a little, then it's fine, but as soon as I drop it to idle it cuts out.

Other problem is the tach for that engine went out on the way home. on top of that, my gas gauge and speedo don't work at all any thoughts on that?

 

[jhjesse]

so finally got my boat in the water with the new sbt engine, the other original engine was running ok for the first hour or so, but then the engine would cut out at idle when I would come in get gas, or dock the boat, it won't start back up as long as it's idle, once out and about I can start the motor as long as the thruster is up a little, then it's fine, but as soon as I drop it to idle it cuts out.

Other problem is the tach for that engine went out on the way home. on top of that, my gas gauge and speedo don't work at all any thoughts on that?

Run your blower for a couple minutes before restarting and see if that helps. Sometimes there is not enough clean air in the engine compartment to make a good clean start. If that doesn't work then it could be the needles and seats in the carbs leaking down and would need to be replaced.

Not sure about the tach, but the fuel gauge could be a bad float in the fuel baffle. more times that not, a new updated float will fix the problem. You can disconnect the fuel baffle pink and brown wire connection then use an ohm meter on the wires coming out of the fuel baffle and you should get some sort of resistance reading depending on how much fuel is in the tank ie., more resistance the fuller the tank and vice versa. With a known good float in the baffle and no reading then most probably you will need to repair or replace the fuel baffle. There is a thread on how to repair fuel baffle F1 fuse.

As far as the speedo is concerned, there is a small "pin wheel" at the back of the boat located on the ride plate. Might check to see if it spins freely. If that is not the problem then most likely it is a bad fuse or bad speedo.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

P.S. I'm sure Pale Rider will chime in and send you in another direction, but above is some good places to start diagnosing the problems.

 

[jeffbeckib]

also, the new sbt's throttle had to be pushed a little higher to match the rpms on the old engine. is there an adjustment for this so they can both be pushed evenly?

 

[Guest_User]

P.S. I'm sure Pale Rider will chime in and send you in another direction, but above is some good places to start diagnosing the problems.

who`s Pale Rider? :facepalm::lols:

more than I can type, you need to prove the circuits to find faults at each gauge starting with the power 12V+, and also continuity for the grounds.
Like jesse said, fuses, connectors go thru it all first, even engine ground cables.
IF the max rpms are the same and your sticks are not even close to being even:::
as far as the throttles, you will have deviation between the 2 engines by a small margin... cables could be stretch, but my bet it they are out of adjustment. if you still have the factory oil injection, GO BY THE SERVICE MANUAL to set all cables properly... don`t just guess at where they should be... this is time consuming especially if you have the steering assist throttle up.
then you would also need to check correctly for throttle shaft bind when @ WOT...

best thing to do is get a service manual and read, read, read...

Good luck...

 

[jeffbeckib]

any chance that putting in new spark plugs on that motor would have any effect on the motor dying at idle after it's warmed up? I know the plugs in the new engine are new, but I never checked to see if they are NKG BR8ES. Also, could the rotary valve cause this engine stall at idle? And if it is, is it easy to double check the rotary valve position without taking the motor out of the boat?

 

[jeffbeckib]

A mechanic has the boat right now he thinks it may be the stator
is that possible

 

[jeffbeckib]

Duh, another thing he pointed out which I never noticed, was I get no Beeps when connecting the key.

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

If no beeps, the buzzer element may be defective or disconnected. It's not uncommon for them to fail eventually, it's nice to have this beeper function to inform the skipper of the status in case of trouble in the bilge or some kind of rudimentary operational difficulty such as engine overheating or lanyard switch failure to read lanyard code.

 

[jeffbeckib]

where is the buzzer located on a 98 sportster 1800?

If no beeps, the buzzer element may be defective or disconnected. It's not uncommon for them to fail eventually, it's nice to have this beeper function to inform the skipper of the status in case of trouble in the bilge or some kind of rudimentary operational difficulty such as engine overheating or lanyard switch failure to read lanyard code.

 

[jeffbeckib]

Pale, could the stator be part of the problem with the motor cutting out at idle after it's warmed up?

 

[Dr Honda]

Pale, could the stator be part of the problem with the motor cutting out at idle after it's warmed up?

Generally... no. If it works at higher RPM's... then its working. Stalling at idle could be as simple, as needing to adjust the idle. It should be 1500 rpm, in the water, warm. or... the carbs may need cleaned. A dirty fuel pump or plugged bypass port will keep it from idling.

As far as the uneven throttle levers... that's normal. The engines aren't making the same power, and they wont run the same. There's a reason they give you 2 throttle levers. So you can adjust them as needed.

And finally, the buzzer is mounted under the helm. Just look, and you will see it.

 

[jeffbeckib]

So latest update is the mechanic found Nothing that stood out as a concern. Compression is 150/160 (don't know which was front or back).
Stator tested fine, Fuel delivery looks good. He's going to replace the fuel pump and diaphragm, and the grey fuel hoses. They appear fine, but who knows what they look like inside. He said the tach would move on crank, but would go dead when the motor was running, not sure what that could be, but he couldn't find anything that would cause the engine to stall at idle when Warmed up that wouldn't make it do it while cold as well. Rotary Valve etc, would effect it at all times, not just when the engine gets warmed up. He checked the carb, and looked at the cylinders and said they look perfect, no scoring or anything, no contamination of the oil or gas. Checked all fuses etc everything looks good.

I'll see how it runs after he replaces the fuel pump and cleans the fuel filters.

Anybody have any other things to look at?

 

[jeffbeckib]

So latest update is the mechanic found Nothing that stood out as a concern. Compression is 150/160 (don't know which was front or back).
Stator tested fine, Fuel delivery looks good. He's going to replace the fuel pump and diaphragm, and the grey fuel hoses. They appear fine, but who knows what they look like inside. He said the tach would move on crank, but would go dead when the motor was running, not sure what that could be, but he couldn't find anything that would cause the engine to stall at idle when Warmed up that wouldn't make it do it while cold as well. Rotary Valve etc, would effect it at all times, not just when the engine gets warmed up. He checked the carb, and looked at the cylinders and said they look perfect, no scoring or anything, no contamination of the oil or gas. Checked all fuses etc everything looks good.

I'll see how it runs after he replaces the fuel pump and cleans the fuel filters.

Anybody have any other things to look at?

Mechanic bumped up the idle on the starboard engine at idle, and now both motors are singing in harmony.

Tach ended up just being a loose connection, if I wiggled the connector the tach would cut in and out. Im gonna spray some contact cleaner on the connectors and see if it helps, but it's working.

I still can't find the buzzer though?

I also still need to replace the blower motor. I can use some input on how to remove the foam section to access the blower.

Thanks all

 

[jeffbeckib]

Mechanic bumped up the idle on the starboard engine at idle, and now both motors are singing in harmony.

Tach ended up just being a loose connection, if I wiggled the connector the tach would cut in and out. Im gonna spray some contact cleaner on the connectors and see if it helps, but it's working.

I still can't find the buzzer though?

I also still need to replace the blower motor. I can use some input on how to remove the foam section to access the blower.

Thanks all

I found the buzzer, but how does it come out? I don't want to break it. the entire unit turns when I twist it. Is there a ring on the bottom side that screws off?

 

[Dr Honda]

Yes. There is a threaded ring. From under the helm, twist it off, and the buzzer will pull out from the back side.

 

[jeffbeckib]

Yes. There is a threaded ring. From under the helm, twist it off, and the buzzer will pull out from the back side.

Thank you, is there a simple way to test the existing buzzer with a 9v battery or something?
the buzzer's not expensive to repair, I just don't want to waste money on one only to find out the existing one was fine and not the problem.

 

[racerxxx]

Thank you, is there a simple way to test the existing buzzer with a 9v battery or something?
the buzzer's not expensive to repair, I just don't want to waste money on one only to find out the existing one was fine and not the problem.

You can check it with a car battery. I tested mine on my XP before and it worked nice and loud off a car battery, as soon as I put it back in and the MPEM sent the signal to it it didn't work. Bought one from Radio Shack and it works every time. You'll be wasting $8 for a new one at the shack. The signal is so short that the old beepers can't muster up the beep. The one from the shack is just a tad larger than the OEM one.

 

[jeffbeckib]

Yes. There is a threaded ring. From under the helm, twist it off, and the buzzer will pull out from the back side.

Got it, thank you, gonna pick up the radio shack buzzer just to test.

Do you know if I can replace the outer button covers on the dash? the rocker buttons.
I found a few places that sell just the actuators, and they look like the ones I have. is that a simple thing?
or do i have to replace the entire switches?