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  1. #1
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    boat motor problems...stuck between a rock and a hard place

    I have a '99 Merc 175 EFI that has been giving me problems for the last year. I've had it into the shop twice (soon to be three times) and I've already spent a little over $2,000 trying to get the problem fixed, including having the ECU rebuilt this past winter. There are very few places around me to take the motor, and I know the tech is trying to figure out what's going on, but it's getting very frustrating. Right now the tech is about 3 weeks out from being able to get me in to take a look at the motor again. Luckily, most of the places I fish are small lakes where I can get by using just the trolling motor, so at least I'm not unable to fish between now and then. I'd love to just replace it with something new or slightly used, but have not yet convinced the wife since a new motor would cost more than what we paid for the boat/motor almost three years ago. The shop I take it to sells and services Mercury and Honda outboards. I can't sell the motor outright since it's not working right. I have no idea if I could part the motor out and get much doing that. What's the best route to go? Do we continue to sink money into the motor in the hopes this issue gets resolved? If we decide to buy a new or used motor, do we try and strike a deal with the shop that's been working on the current motor? Just curious on what others would do in the same situation?

  2. Member jbassman87's Avatar
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    #2
    When I blew my 2000 EFI 200 up the second time I did not rebuild it. Found a guy that wanted it as is and traded him for a 2001 EFI 225 and some cash. You never know who might be looking for a motor just like yours.

  3. Member Bassman Ia.'s Avatar
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    #3
    Where in Iowa?

  4. Member
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    #4
    Contact JOE54 on the Merc boards. He is an expert on these motors.

  5. Member
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    #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Bassman Ia. View Post
    Where in Iowa?
    I live in NE Iowa, a little north of Cedar Falls

  6. Member
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    #6
    Quote Originally Posted by angle iron View Post
    Contact JOE54 on the Merc boards. He is an expert on these motors.
    I've posted several questions on the Merc board over the last year regarding the issue I'm having with the motor, and JOE54 has replied multiple times. I've done a couple of the things he has recommended doing. The other stuff is beyond my mechanical know-how and ability. I would think that my local certified Mercury mechanic would also be able to figure the problem out, but so far no luck. The guy that's been working on the motor each time told me that he runs into 2-3 each year that are a pain to figure out what the problem is. He's even been working with some techs directly at Mercury to get their input as well. Unfortunately for me, each trip has resulted in the problem not being fixed and me being out a bunch of money.

  7. Member
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    #7
    Isn't it amazing how much mechanics can charge for not fixing things?

  8. Member
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    #8
    What kind of issues are you having? Just curious because I have the same motor and am also having an issue that we can't pinpoint.

  9. Member
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    #9
    Quote Originally Posted by billnorman1 View Post
    Isn't it amazing how much mechanics can charge for not fixing things?
    I agree, but I also understand that their time isn't free either. The mechanic has done quite a few different things already and I don't get the feeling he's trying to fleece me. But that doesn't make it any less frustrating when you pay a bunch of money and then turn around and have the same problem over and over again.

  10. Member
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    #10
    Quote Originally Posted by cbd15178 View Post
    What kind of issues are you having? Just curious because I have the same motor and am also having an issue that we can't pinpoint.
    I'll warn you, this may get long...

    The motor will always start and run just fine when I first put it in the water. Doesn't matter if it's a 2 minute idle on a no-wake lake or if I'm running hard for 10-15 minutes. Once I shut the motor off the first time, I just never know whether it's going to start and run after that. Sometimes I can start it 6-8 more times without any issues and it will run fine. Other times the second time I try to start it I'll start to have issues. But it's inevitable that I'm going to have problems if I plan on using the motor much on a given day. The problem varies a little bit. Sometimes I'll get the motor started and then once I shift it into gear and start moving, I'll get a beeping alarm and the motor will shut off. I may be able to get it started again, I may not. Other times when I turn the key to "run", I'll start getting the beeping alarm. Still other times I'll get the normal beeps when I turn the key to "run" but then when I start to turn the engine over I'll begin getting the beeping alarm and the motor won't start. The last time I had the boat out a week and a half ago, something new started happening. When I would turn the key to "run", the tach would start raising even though the motor wasn't running. Not a clue what that's about. Based on my understanding, there are only two things that can cause the beeping alarm and that's overheating and low oil. I know the engine isn't overheating because there are times I'll have problems and the motor hasn't been running for over an hour or longer. I'm also getting good water pressure and motor is peeing, so I believe overheating is out of the question. The last time the motor was in the shop, the mechanic replaced a temp sensor and also replaced the low oil alarm module. He's also checked compression, fuel pressure and changed spark plugs. I had the starting battery checked last year and it checked out ok. I have also rebuilt the pulse pump diaphragm per suggestion from JOE54 here on BBC. Late last year I also checked to make sure I was getting spark on both sides and I was. I did notice that the high pressure fuel pump was not always kicking in when I turned the key to "run", which is when the mechanic recommended I send the ECU in to have it tested. I did that over the winter and they said it tested fine when it was cold, but when warmed up they did see some errors. They wound up rebuilding the ECU and I re-installed it once I got it back. At this point I feel like it's got to be something electrical, but I'm no mechanic. My buddy has been doing some online searches and one of the things he wants me to check is to see if the float in the oil reservoir on the engine is sinking or being sucked down and blocking the flow of oil. I just haven't had the boat out yet to test that theory.

    When researching before I bought the boat/motor, almost everything I read said that the motor is "bulletproof". I think I have proved that wrong. It's a great motor when it's working right, but unfortunately in the almost three years that I have owned the boat, almost half the time has been spent using a motor that won't work consistently. Dealing with this for over a year has been very irritating and I'm just not sure at this point of what to do. Hope you have better luck figuring out your issue and getting it resolved.

  11. Kevin Shearer Blazer1's Avatar
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    #11
    I had a boat that acted like this one time. Had the hood off one day while it was raining and saw wires arcing at power packs. Maybe mist it while cold running and see if you don't find the same.

  12. Member darrall's Avatar
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    #12
    Could you possibly have a short in the kill switch or wiring to the switch? I know if my kill switch has pulled on my EFI it will beep like that & not start.
    Darrall Dougherty

  13. Member
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    #13
    I had a '99 Opti 200. Similar problems - run strong ONCE then hit-or-miss the rest of the day. OR would govern down on the first run...then run strong on the next one. Like you went through everything, only to discover a lose connection. Once fixed, never another problem. I wish I was more help - but it's been A LONG time since then. But, it's worth a shot.

    -b-

  14. Member
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    #14
    Both good ideas. The question that always gets me is why does it always work fine first thing when I take the boat out? Is there something that resets after the boat sits for a while? The problem has so many inconsistencies to it, but the one constant is that it always starts and runs fine the first time.

  15. Kevin Shearer Blazer1's Avatar
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    #15
    Quote Originally Posted by darrall View Post
    Could you possibly have a short in the kill switch or wiring to the switch? I know if my kill switch has pulled on my EFI it will beep like that & not start.
    I have had that issue also. Needed to tighten up back nut as it was allowing button to only be 1/2 depressed. Once I tightened it boat ran fine.

  16. Member
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    #16
    Quote Originally Posted by bzbrent View Post
    I had a '99 Opti 200. Similar problems - run strong ONCE then hit-or-miss the rest of the day. OR would govern down on the first run...then run strong on the next one. Like you went through everything, only to discover a lose connection. Once fixed, never another problem. I wish I was more help - but it's been A LONG time since then. But, it's worth a shot.

    -b-
    I know the mechanic told me last year that once the ECU was checked and either tested fine or was repaired, that if the problem was still there he thought for sure it would be something electrical. Even though it would be extremely frustrating to have all of this boil down to a loose connection after all the time and money, I would accept that if the problem were fixed. Thanks for the suggestion.

  17. Member
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    #17
    I live in CF. Where have you been taking your motor? I take mine CVSI motorsports. John the mechanic there worked for Waterloo Boats for years. He's always done good with my issues.

  18. Member
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    #18
    Quote Originally Posted by basscat tyler View Post
    I live in CF. Where have you been taking your motor? I take mine CVSI motorsports. John the mechanic there worked for Waterloo Boats for years. He's always done good with my issues.
    I've been taking it to Ryan at Midwest Boat Sales and Repair. They're located between Janesville and Cedar Falls. Where is CVSI located? Are they are Mercury shop?

  19. Banned
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    #19
    That sounds like a bummer....Maybe you should try a different mechanic the one basscat Tyler recommends if you don't get this figured out.Man I feel your frustration which I could help but I'm just a basic mechanic.

  20. Member
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    #20
    Thanks riverc, I appreciate the sentiment. I may try calling they guy basscat tyler uses and see if I can get the boat in sooner to have it looked at. I just hate switching mechanics after all this time because it feels like starting from scratch. I know some of the stuff that the mechanic has already done with the motor, but I'm sure there are other things he has checked that I'm forgetting. I'd hate to pay someone else to wind up doing or checking the same things again. But then again, it might be worth it if he's able to find something the other guy could not.

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