1999 225 Evinrude Ficht Intermittent Shut Off Codes 26 & 18

[stratos]

1999 225 Evinrude Ficht
Model E225FPLEEO

Still trying to diagnose and intermittent shut off issue that I have been having for the past few years. This past December and November with the colder weather the problem became more persistent and it would happen at least once every time I was out. When it doesn't shut off the engine runs fine.

I recently replaced the ignition switch and this didn't fix the problem. In a previous thread I described the problem that I have been experiencing.

This has been an intermittent problem that's been reoccurring for at least the last 5 or 6 years but is more persistent in the colder weather (below freezing). In the last year I have replaced the PDP and the ECU was replaced in April by DFI with a refurbished unit to repair a cold start issue that I was experiencing. The motor quit both with the original ECU and the refurbished unit so I am hoping to rule out the ECU. Replaced the main relay as well.

When the engine quits it shuts off like the killed switch was pulled. If I turn the key to the off position and then back to the on position the fuel pump will not run cycle for the 10 seconds engine will crank but won't start.
If I turn the key to the off position, pull the key out of the ignition, replace key and turn to on position the fuel pump will cycle for 10 seconds and engine fires right up.

The boat is tucked away in the garage and I recently got my hands on the diagnostic software and a copy of the repair manual. I pulled the fault codes and they came back as: 26, 18, 22, 43.

Let me add that on December 28th my last trip of the year the water pump quit. I got the over heat alarm, shut it off and used the trolling motor to get back to the ramp, put the boat on the trailer and parked it in the garage. I didn't look at the water pump yet but I know this caused codes 22 & 43 at 450 hours.

The boat will be in the garage for the next month and a half and I wanted to see if anyone had any information on codes 26 and 18. Would these errors cause the motor to shut off intermittently.

thanks in advanced for any input.

[Bassmeister]

26 sounds like a weak battery, as it hasn't happened since.
18 is 40v circuit above range,Verify stator wiring and connections. Perform stator tests.
Eliminate loose connections in 40v circuit.
Perform capacitor tests.
The manual for these engines is a MUST, if you want to try and diagnose 'em yourself.....
Hope this helps.

[ChampioNman]

Check the blue capacitor for leaks and spongy feel.

[Danrude]

Make sure all ground connections are clean and tight. Check the CPS for proper operation!

[neverenuf]

I hate gremlins. I have the same year\model Ficht, it has been excellent except for a recent failure of the EMM. I don't have anything constructive to add, except that I would not rule out the reman EMM. I should say, especially with the reman EMM from DFI.

[SEAHORSE]

Your description of taking the key out and putting back in, then it works OK, points to an intermittent faulty switch or a loose connection to it.

[stratos]

Advice needed on Stator Resistance Test

Based on the error codes that I pulled and Bassmeisters recommendation I went ahead and tested the Stator per the service manual outlined below.

Note - Disconnect Battery
1. Disconnect Stator 40 volt yellow/blue, yellow and yellow/gray striped wires from the rectifier/regulator port side. Stator 40 Volt wires are the shorter length wires.
2. Connect one meter lead to a stator wire and the other meter lead to another wire.
3. Alternate meter leads to test all combinations of stator wires.
4. To check for a grounded condition connect one meter lead to ground wire and alternately connect the other meter lead to each stator 40 Volt wire.

• meter should read no continuity
• If meter reads continuity, the stator is grounded

5. Repeat Steps 1-4 for the stator 12 Volt (longer length) yellow/blue, yellow and yellow/gray striped wires. Stator 12 Volt wires connect to rectifier/regulator starboard side.

Stator Resistance:
12-Volt Winding 0.1-0.3 OHMS
40-Volt Winding 0.3-0.5 OHMS

I performed the test with a $30 craftsman digital multimeter and alligator clip test leads. When I did the 12 Volt windings the meter jumped around a lot but settled on a consistent reading of 0.3 for each set of wires.

When I tested the 40 Volt windings the meter did the same thing and it was difficult to get a consistent reading. The reading went up to 0.5 and then settled down closer to 0.1 and 0.2 which is below the range stated in the manual. This was pretty consistent for each set of wires on the 40-Volt side. Meter jumped around but each time settled just under the resistance range.

Continuity test was fine and I zeroed out the meter by touching the leads together before testing.

My questions are:

1. Does this sound like there could be an issue with the 40 Volt wires?
2. Is the meter I'm using too cheap to get an accurate reading?
3. Would a bad reading be higher or lower than the specified resistance ranges outlined in the manual?

thanks Dave

[cozumel]

When you turned the key on, did the tac. Bounce around ?

[stratos]

Unfortunately the tach is broken. I just pulled it out to send in for repair.

[stratos]

Still trying to diagnose a shut off that started out as intermittent but has become more persistent. Over the winter I replaced the ignition switch and purchased the Evinrude Diagnostic Software. Replacing the ignition switch didn't fix the problem.

I headed to the lake today with the service manual and my laptop. This is only the second time that I have had the boat out this year. Engine fired right up and I connected the lap top to the ECU and drove around slowly for a little bit as I monitored the engine stats. There were no active fault codes and voltage, temperature, ect... looked okay to me.

With the lap top still connected I bumped up the speed and got up on plane and started trimming the engine up. Was going along pretty good for 2 or 3 minutes when the engine shut off as usual. I was trying to drive and watch the lap top at the same time and still didn't notice anything unusual. Maximum Volts looked a little high at 42 but i don't know if that's normal or not.

The ECU lost its connection to the lap top as soon as the engine shut off. When I turn the key switch off and then back to the run position sometimes the fuel pump would prime for 10 seconds and sometimes it would not. When the fuel pump primed the engine would start right back up but when it didn't prime I could crank the engine but it wouldn't start (it sounded like when you crank the engine with the kill switch pulled).

I could only reconnect to the ECU with the lap top when I turned the key to the run position and heard the pump prime. If the pump didn't prime the lap top wouldn't connect.

The engine cut out about 4 times today so I was able to check a few things out.

When the engine cut out and switching the key off and then back to the run position (without the fuel pump priming) with the voltage meter and the service manual I was able to check the following:

Fuse #5 had power
Terminal "J" purple/white of 14 pin connector PDP had power
Terminal "N" red of 14 pin connector PDP had power
Fuse #4 had power
Terminal "A" white/red of 4 pin connector had power
The main relay had power and so did the 20 amp fuse on the back of the engine.

I wasn't able to do all the test per the manual but everywhere the manual said there should be power tested out okay.

Kill switch checked out okay, all grounds are "shiny" clean and tight with star washers. PDP is less than a year old. I visually inspected all the wires under the cowling and couldn't find any wires that looked bad.

So after today i'm leaning towards a faulty ECU even though I had this ECU rebuilt about this time last year. Does this sound accurate or is there something else I am missing? Anything else I can check?

Thanks
-Dave

[Danrude]

Somewhere you are losing the 12 V. On my old Ficht I went through the problems for several years and was able to finally troubleshoot it when the fuel pump would not start. The 12 v coming from the solenoid to the PDP was where the problem was, it was a cold solder joint at the PDP. There are You will have to check voltage in a number of locations to try and isolate where it is. Battery to solenoid to PDP to key switch back to PDP, power relay blue filter module and ect. Under load if the voltage drops below a certain value then the EMM will shut down. You would be looking for broken wires or cold solder joints!

[SEAHORSE]

Are any warning lights staying on when the motor quits or when you first try to restart it?

[stratos]

No warning lights or buzzers. It does the self check every time the key is turned regardless if the fuel pump primes. Engine has 451 hours on it. No Active faults. In occurred faults there is a code 18 40 Volt Circuit Above range (4 times) last time was at 445 hours. PDP, main relay, Blue 40 volt capacitor are new as of April 2014. Ignition switch is new.

When it shuts off and I turn the key to off and then to run the fuel pump 4 out of 5 times won't prime on the first try but if i take the key out of the ignition and put it back in it will always prime and start the next time the key is turned.

I had the boat out again yesterday and did some fishing. If i ease it up on plane and keep it under 30 mph I can drive around all day.

The only thing I noticed when I drove around with the lap top hooked up was that the system volts seemed a little high at 42. Is that within parameters or high? Is it possible that the voltage is too high to the ECU causing it to shut down or trip an internal mechanism?
I tried testing the stator wiring with an ohm meter but couldn't get a consistent reading. The meter kept jumping around between 0.2 and 0.5 so i am not sure it I was testing it correctly. I used a small set of alligator clips on the test meter because at first I thought I was moving the leads around to much causing the meter to fluctuate but even with the clips the meter never stopped on a specific number (kept changing between 0.2 - 0.5).

In the manual it says to verify continuity of white/green wire between power distribution panel and ECU. I couldn't do this because although I had power at the PDP side I couldn't back probe the white/green wire where it goes in to the ECU because its the lower plug and the fuel injector was in the way but i have to assume there is continuity.

[SEAHORSE]

The 1999 ECU has a history of suddenly quitting very often due to a circuit board connection or trace that gets an "open" due to vibration or expansion. Chances are this is what your problem is as you say at times there is no electric fuel pump running as soon as you turn the key to on.

I've often seen this happen while running the motor at the dock or in a tank and tapping on the ECU with the handle of a large screwdriver.

If that is the case, it will take one of the ECU-EMM repair shops to fix it. There are 3 shops that specialize it FICHT electronics - DFI, Marine Computer Supply, and CDI Electronics

[stratos]

I spoke with Marine Computer Supply today and they were helpful. Based on the symptoms I described and the fault code 18 (40 Volt Circuit Above Expected Range) occurring 4 times he was confident that it was the a faulty Rectifier/Regulator. His thought was that the over voltage was causing an internal circuit within the ECU to trip and shut down temporarily. I guess this would explain the reason why I was experiencing the same problem with two different ECU's. Unfortunately the Rectifier/Regulator cost more than having an ECU rebuilt.

I'm going to take the boat out one more time in the next few days and with the lap top hooked up monitor the system voltage to see how high it goes before ordering the new part.

Thanks to everyone that replied.

I'll update the thread and let you know how it turns out.

-Dave

[stratos]

I've been chasing this intermittent shut off for 5+ years and i'm happy to say that I think its fixed. When the problem first started the engine would cut out a couple times a year and then got progressively worse until this year where it would cut out every trip. This past Friday I replaced the voltage regulator/rectifier. On my 1999 Evinrude the regulator is a separate component and mounted on top of the engine above the ECU, I know on some of the later models the voltage regulator is part of the computer. I borrowed the OMC flywheel puller and flywheel holder from a friend of mine and the job took less than 2 hours. Ran the boat Saturday, Sunday and and a couple hours last night and it ran perfect.

Thanks for everyone's input!