reed valves

Could bad or damaged reed valves cause hard starting and low top end? Motor is 2000. 150 hpdi

Yes, along with a lot of other things.

Thanks for the reply. Could the affects of a bad reed be more severe with back pressure? My motor will start every time on the hose but is almost impossible to start in the water or test tank. When i could get it to start I had to put it in gear or it would die. Once in gear it ran decent, but it didn't feel very responsive and I could only turn 4800 rpms wot. Boat is at shop and every thing is to spec on the computer. Tech inspected exhaust but didn't find anything unordinary. We believe problem is mechanical and relative to back pressure, but can't figure it out. He never mentioned anything about checking the intake but my research seems to tell me that a bad reed could be the culprit. Does this sound plausible? Thanks.

Gofish,your problem could be caused by faulty reeds,aqlthough it is not too common with your motor,there are a couple easy tests to perform without taking the motor apart that can help diagnose reed leakage,give a call,chris