"99 Evinrude FICHT 150... shop having hard time finding problem... any suggestions?
As a first time boat owner, I bought a beautiful Action Craft with what I was told was a 2006 Evinrude. Come to find out it was actually a '99 (made Oct. 98) Ficht. I read all the reviews and panicked. Too late, cash was spent.
Well I must say. since I bought the boat (Aug 2013), it has been perfect! Always starting up first time, every time! Not a moments problem.... Until I let someone start my boat. They used the throttle to rev the engine up... I wasn't there, but when I came back I put it in neutral and after a couple tries, it started right up. No harm, no foul! Right? Came home, flushed motor and it started right up first try! Will add the person starting my boat is a professional guide and captain... very knowledgeable about boats!
Next time I took the boat out.... it took 2-3 tries to start... over time it took more and more and more tries to get it started. To the point I was worried it would not start at all. Will add that it would turn over but did not want to stay idling...at first I could just throw it into gear and it would go, but at the end the only way to get it started was to rev the engine up ( like the other person did). So I took it into the shop... they told me my spark plugs were fouled and replaced them ($28 EACH). Better, but still not fixed. Asked the shop if maybe the change in oil was the problem... I had put Evinrude Oil semi synthetic ( from Walmart) in that day all the problems began. I also told them my boat seemed to be burning oil a lot faster.
The shop then thought it was a bad check valve. After several days they called me back and said that one of the oil? sensors (or something) was off (came loose and was hanging) and that was why my spark plugs fouled and I was burning more oil.
A pertinent piece of information is that once the motor was started and run that first time... the rest of the day, it would start first try just like it always had. It ran 100 % perfect at all speeds including idle. I like to fish and I turn my motor on and off MANY times in a single day.
The shop wanted to keep the boat longer and check out more things. They did find that my end caps on my steering are leaking. Not related, of course, but that is $130 for the part and $90 for labor. So bill is over 400 and the problem is still not fixed. The shop/mechanic working on the motor is well respected but seems frustrated and definitely perplexed!! I picked my boat up after being there almost a week.
When I take it back to the shop they are going to look and see if it is the fuel pump that is bad.
Any one have any ideas on what might be wrong?
Thank you in advance.
