1999 Evinrude Ficht Question

[Jabbo]

Okay, last year when t was cod fuel pump didn't want to kick on. Once it warmed up outside, about 6 hours into m tournament it ran like a champ. a few weeks later it had an alarm that kept going off sporadically . I had it checked and scanned and it had a wire that was a little loose and grounding out. Easy fix and been awesome al year after that.

This year 3 weeks ago went to fish first tournament and t was cold and fuel pump wouldn't kick in until it warmed up again by then I ran the battery down. brought it home and It fire right up.


Received my repaired prop from Mark here on the site and was ready!! This weekend fished a tournament.. Fired right up and idled out to bull pen area and when was my turn to go took off.
about 1/4 mile into run an alarm for engine kicked on.. I came out of it and turned it off waited a second for everyone else to pass by and then started it right up. No alarm.. Jumped on plane and ran great although the RPM;s run a little higher than they did before.. about 6000 WOT usually ran bout 5800 before prop was repaired..

Later in the day same thing happened except sooner after take off. I didnt turn it off but stopped and put in idle and then dropped in gear but apparently went into limp mode..
Turned it off and back on and no issue until trying to take off quick and same thing happened. When I took a few minutes to plane on out I could run what seemed normally.

Lastly. While waiting to take off initially and then before trailering I seemed to produce a lot more sheen on the water.... Fuel Pump bad? Something else? Ideas? I have a St Clair trip in 2 weeks and the boat techs are backed up .. Any help would be appreciated

[tdt91]

You really need to have it plugged in to check the codes. Did the check Eng light come on and stay on? My guess is, water in fuel, easy to check. The sensors have and can go bad. Possibly bad fuel pump as you have been having trouble with it so that is another good guess. Lastly bad oil pump. Maybe your local shop will at least check the codes for you and then depending on what the results are you could fix it yourself.

[Jabbo]

You really need to have it plugged in to check the codes. Did the check Eng light come on and stay on? My guess is, water in fuel, easy to check. The sensors have and can go bad. Possibly bad fuel pump as you have been having trouble with it so that is another good guess. Lastly bad oil pump. Maybe your local shop will at least check the codes for you and then depending on what the results are you could fix it yourself.

Thanks I may change the fuel pump to start just so that its done and maybe It fixes it. Im sure it probably needs replaced.. Unfortunately I cant get into a tech even to check for several weeks.. I was hoping for simple answer and hate hearing bad oil pump...or sensors

[Danrude]

Sounds like a PDP problem to me. They develop cold solder joints and will cause intermittent problems. Two of which are no start on cold mornings until it warms a little, the second problem would be that it would die when you would take off. Someone that knows how to solder can clean up the connections or you will need to purchase a new one.

[Jabbo]

PDP... Power Distribution panel? Will cold solder prevent the fuel pump from kicking in? And would that also make for a check engine alarm to come on once it is pout under a load taking off? Sorry guys, Im a small block kind of guy and know my way around engines but boats are still a little foreign to me. When it's really cold is when the fuel pump failed to kick in. makes no noise at all.. once it warms up you can obviously hear it humming as it primes the system.. Is there an easy way to check the fuel pump? any ideas why it would create a sheen on the water bigger than normal?.. And would a bad Fuel pump cause the engine alarm to sound and even go into limp mode?

[ChampioNman]

An easy way to test the PDP would be to use a hair dryer in the yard with the cover off. Try to start it in the cold. If NFG then apply the hair dryer for a few minutes then try to restart if it busts off then your problem lies in the PDP.

[Jabbo]

Great Idea.. I think Fortunately and unfortunately the cold days are behind us. I did in the past put a little heater on it while before fishing my first event this year and it didn't help at all. once the day warmed it was fine but by then I had run the battery too low. once I got it home and jumped it no problem.. will the PDP prevent fuel pump from humming to life? excessive sheen on water or cause alarm and to go into limp mode?

[ChampioNman]

Yes on not letting the pump from running. While you have the motor cover off, check the plastic supply and return lines to the injectors for any signs of cracks. Sheen on the water would be from cranking with no fire, the fuel has to go somewhere.

[Danrude]

The PDP can cause any number of problems, you can loose the 40 volts that drive the injectors, the 12V to the fuel pump, power to key switch. The solder that was used at that time did not have lead in it and had a high failure rate. DFI Technologies repairs them, you may want to call them.

[Bassmeister]

Dan and I have both been thru this.....very high possibility....especially on that year model.

[JR19]

Dan and I have both been thru this.....very high possibility....especially on that year model.

Plus one more...I had DFI refurbish my PDP because I was having weird electrical issues. My old motor was a 1999 Ficht 150.

[Jabbo]

Yes on not letting the pump from running. While you have the motor cover off, check the plastic supply and return lines to the injectors for any signs of cracks. Sheen on the water would be from cranking with no fire, the fuel has to go somewhere.

I was able to pull the hood off today and turned the key on. when the pump kicked in I looked on the side and gas was coming out of what appears to be a schrader valve. I guess that answered my gas sheen issue. luckily my mechanic was able to take my boat and will try to hook it up in a few days. I hope its an easy fix!

[leckbass]

I also had a problem with my PDP, through some guidance from these moderators I was able to remove, identify, and solder the problem back together.

[ChampioNman]

He should be able to fix you up if it is just the shraeder valve, the parts are still available. BRP removed the test port. I've heard of some folks cutting out the shraeder valve and splicing in a section of fuel hose with no ill effects. But the permanent fix is to replace the fuel manifold.

[Bassmeister]

He should be able to fix you up if it is just the shraeder valve, the parts are still available. BRP removed the test port. I've heard of some folks cutting out the shraeder valve and splicing in a section of fuel hose with no ill effects. But the permanent fix is to replace the fuel manifold.

I replaced the return line fuel manifold on my 03 225 HO..The new rail does not have the shrader valve. Tedious work for a newbie but rewarding when there is no fuel leaks.

[Jabbo]

tech removed the shraeder valve and added a different type port which stopped the leak. somehow the throttle position had moved and set the alarm. once re-set no other faults or codes etc. hopefully that will correct the higher rpm and less speed. He did say that he turned the key one time and nothing happened and then about 10 seconds later the fuel pump kicked in.. His opinion was maybe the actual ignition switch could be going bad.. will have to watch it... Thanks to everyone for their helpful insights- Jon

[Danrude]

The system check gauge will tell you if it is the switch or the PDP. If the system check gauge goes through it cycle and the fuel pump does not come on the problem is the PDP.