optimax fuel pressure regulator (pls take a min to read)

[hnurlsf]

my opti has been running great. the other day it started missing slightly before I killed it to fish. upon cranking it she went to full throttle. checked all the linkage and was fine. tried it again wot...took it to a mechanic where he played with it scratching his head and all blaming it on the tps to ecm to a crack in the block. after watching and waiting about two hrs and him saying they needed to hook it up to a computer i decided to pack it up...got it home tore down the fuel rails and found a ruptured fuel regulator diaphragm. basically it was dumping fuel into the air and therefore dumping it in the engine causing it to run away. so good I know what's wrong and it literally took about an hr research online and 30 minutes work.

now how to fix?
I am an auto mechanic. if I was working on a car this would be a 20$ part at best but not the case on a boat. mercury won't sell just the diaphragm or the regulator at all....u have to buy the whole rail. the cost of that is 1300$ and correct me if I'm wrong but I believe u have to buy both rails now cause u can't buy just one anymore making it 2600$.

mercury claims the reason for this is due to laws and restrictions by the EPA. OK I see that but explain to me why I can rebuild the tracker valve on the other fuel rail better yet the fuel pump or anything else for that matter. it seems to me if it was mandated by EPA wouldn't they mandate that all fuel components be non serviceable? somebody is making some money by screwing the consumer. EPA or mercury or both

There is one guy in the entire world that can make this aftermarket so u can guess his prices are slightly inflated as well. I don't blame him though. its odd to me that the EPA nor mercury has taken legal action against this guy but I'm glad for ppl like him. according to him in 2013 the EPA is lifting the restrictions on this crap and opening the door to mercury selling these diaphragms to the public. he admits it will out him out of business.

has anybody questioned this problem beyond mercury standing back and pointing the finger at the EPA or the fact that the EPA would mandate some bs like this in the first place. in cars its law. if u build something u have to offer parts to fix it. what keeps mercury from saying "well u can no longer service the lower unit cause of the chance it might blow oil in the water and therefor the motor is nonserviceable so if it tears up u gotta spend 15k on a new motor" they are getting a little out of hand I'm afraid

sorry had to vent.

does anybody know a way around spending 2600$ for new rails or 350 for a diaphragm made by this guy. all of this for a 20$ part


Modified by hnurlsf at 4:28 PM 2/12/2012

[herk91]

Well you got to just LIVE the F*%KING Govt. and there BS. Go figure...

[EuropeanAM]

Lance:

I do believe that this component will be available as a replacement component later this year. That- however, isn't of much help to you now.

Drop me an email, or give me a call. I'll see if I can't find some way to assist you.

NOTE: DO NOT attempt to disassemble the AIR PRESSURE REGULATOR unless you have the appropriate tool. The spring behind it is 80 psi (or 94 psi on High-Performance models).

[feather thrower]

Great post! It's ABSURD! I had to buy a fuel rail for my old Opti for this same reason. This diaphragm along with the air compressors appear to be the weak link in Opti's for a while now. I know the compressors are have been changed and now made in the USA.

Please update us on your progress. I look forward to seeing this progess

[kah3710]

Agree 100% with the post. Just bought a brand new 2012 Pro XS had to wait for the manufacture of it, but the compressor is still made in Mexico (label says so).

[rebeav]

In the bass fishing industry this makes perfect sense....

I'm glad you didn't leave the boat with the mechanic no telling how much it would have ended up costing. I know how well you care for your boat dude so I hope you are able to get it going soon at a fair price.

[EuropeanAM]

Lance:

You back on the water yet?

[hnurlsf]

Thanks beav....I keep waiting to get everything fixed up perfect but i guess i try to do to much to a boat. 95% of the stuff I have done to this boat is pure prevenative maintence. Plugs, wires, belts, hoses, thermostats, lower unit seals, charger, tires, seats, air pump, oil tank, batteries, livewell pumps, depth finders and brackets, trolling motor, trailer bearings, bunks, lights and the list goes on. And remember all that was done to a boat with 140 hrs that didnt have a scratch.....not a wore out boat by no means. It only has roughly 400 now. This is the first time she ever left me stranded and just a little frustrated with it at the moment.

Not yet don. Got the parts today being presidents day on monday and all. I haven't even laid eyes on them yet as i have worked the last 7 nights in a row. I plan on seeing some water on thursday though. Thanks Don for all your help

I will keep you all posted

[Cupins]

Try this for your repair.

http://www.thepelicanservices.....html

[hnurlsf]

I opted to go with a used diaphragm for a couple reason but the main was my gut instinct. I talked to Todd (pelican services) a few times and it just didn't feel right. I believe him to be a genuine guy but there was many factors that went into my decision. cost being one. 400$ after all said and done through them. I can buy a few used ones at that price and they take about 15-30 min to change. As don stated earlier these should come to market soon from merc so if this one last a yr I should be OK.

The actual repair....
I pulled the rails off and cleaned the spark plugs and changed the diaphragm. seriously took less than an hr. While I was there I noticed a split oring on one of the direct injectors. I found a replacement in an old Toyota (I think) motor rebuild kit. If u find this urself make sure u use a fuel oring. air or oil oring could dissolve in gas. I had to carry the boat to a shop to have the codes cleared. it only had 322 hrs on it. I have taken the boat out a few times now and it runs better than it has in a while.

I'm still not happy with mercury or the EPA over this but our government is so curupt nothing surprises me anymore. No matter how you look at this its price gouging.....they know we have to have it so they make what they can off it. They know we cant junk the motor because of 2600$ but if they sell the part thry only make 75$. thing is all marine manufactures are doing this kind of crap. it's really making me sick of the "fishing industry". Maybe this article will help someone.

Thank you Don for all your time and patience with me. I wish I had a quality mechanic in my area.

[stevie41]

I had pelican services rebuild my rails last year. I was very pleased with them. It saved me about $1200 and 2 weeks of not being on the water. I did the removal and install myself. Different problem now, have chirp and noise from the alternator.

[CoastalBent]

Any updates on this issue? I have the same problem, and am wondering if Mercury will be releasing the diaphragms any time soon... considering going the Pelican route...

[EuropeanAM]

Replacement diaphrams are not yet available through Mercury (no target date yet released).

WE can, however, repair/service your rails for you here (including servicing of the injectors and direct injectors). Rails are COMPLETELY disassembled, every component inspected, ultrasonic cleaned, and then reassembled.

See: www.europeanmarine.org/injectorservice.html

[conchmech]

Any updates on this issue? I have the same problem, and am wondering if Mercury will be releasing the diaphragms any time soon... considering going the Pelican route...

I use Pelican Service for my Fuel Rails. I've bought used in past and didn't have much luck. They have new diaphragm material and is sturdier than old ones. I also found that different sizes, or, the old material shrinks. They do the installs free of charge for me, but I send a lot of business his way. Can't go wrong with them. Gotta love that Optimax. Key West Mech.

[EuropeanAM]

Nice folks over at Pelican.... and they've done a good job at replicating the diaphrams.

They are not, however, a BBC sponsor.

[hnurlsf]

Sorry guys been a while since I have been on the boards. My boat is still running fantastic but I know that can change any day. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and praying I can make it through this season worry free.

[stan73]

There are NO diaphragms for ANY of the optimax's in any of the years mercury sold them... I got so fed up I cancelled my order for a new optimax having confirmed
with mercury they have no intention of selling these parts. the optimax cost me $29.00 per hour to run...required a honda to tow me back to shore 7 times. .till it died young at 1,300 hours. Still waiting for a Mercury Manager to call back on WHY the auto industry can sell Fuel and Air regulators but NOT mercury. I highly suspect the EPA is NOT the reason. I gave up the contraption this year, after remounting my efi three times. to get through the short summers. NO joy with an optimax unless it is new and on warranty
3 year engine at best. Yes there are smug owners out there, there turn will come..and they will all be saying Where is the PART i need?

[EuropeanAM]

Welcome to BBC, Stan....

Unfortunate that you had such a difficult experience.

There are a number of factors at play in the EPA regulations... not the least of which is that these engines are a SPEED-DENSITY system (and do not compensate for changes in fuel delivery- fuel delivery is FIXED at the pre-programmed table values). Very different from a Mass-Airflow based automotive system (which can compensate with fuel trims).

Replacement diaphrams will (eventually) be available as I understand it... and in the meantime, there ARE options (we repair fuel rails every day).

[OkByMe]

I know a solution... The tracker valve diaphragm is exactly the same as the pressure regulator diaphragm. The only problem is that the stainless steel node in the center is different. So - I bought a new tracker, (Purple material) ground off the swedge on the back of the backup washer and popped off the washer... I now have a new diaphragm in my hand. The problem is getting it on the regulator node. I cut off the old regulator diaphragm and used a compressing Colette to drive the swedge inward to get the washer off. I cleaned the surfaces, put the diaphragm on the node stud, placed the washer on top. I ground a socket out inside to miss the bearing housing, ground a champher on the outside, yet still create a swedge on the stud tail with a press. Took me about an hour including making the tool. Make the tool by chucking a 12 point thinwall socket up in a drill press. I used pointed grinder to make the cut inside for bearing clearance, then ground away enough of the outside 40-45 degree angle to press swedge. If buy 3 trackers at a discount, you will have 3 new valves.

[EuropeanAM]

I know a solution... The tracker valve diaphragm is exactly the same as the pressure regulator diaphragm. The only problem is that the stainless steel node in the center is different. So - I bought a new tracker, (Purple material) ground off the swedge on the back of the backup washer and popped off the washer... I now have a new diaphragm in my hand. The problem is getting it on the regulator node. I cut off the old regulator diaphragm and used a compressing Colette to drive the swedge inward to get the washer off. I cleaned the surfaces, put the diaphragm on the node stud, placed the washer on top. I ground a socket out inside to miss the bearing housing, ground a champher on the outside, yet still create a swedge on the stud tail with a press. Took me about an hour including making the tool. Make the tool by chucking a 12 point thinwall socket up in a drill press. I used pointed grinder to make the cut inside for bearing clearance, then ground away enough of the outside 40-45 degree angle to press swedge. If buy 3 trackers at a discount, you will have 3 new valves.

Welcome to BBC!


That is certainly doable... as I've seen it done myself.

However... this is likely well above the "expertise" level of your average DIY'er, and certainly not something I recommend. Even the slightest error in assembly (or the slightest variance in the height or shape of the center portion of the diaphram) can cause problems with proper function (or fuel/air pressures... and thus with emissions).