2006 225 HO ETEC issue

[justsandm]

Hello. I just bought a 2004 Bullet 20 XD a few weeks ago. It has a 2006 225 HO ETEC. The engine ran fine when bought. I knew nothing about ETEC when I bought it but have read a lot on them now.

Here are the events that took place leading up to my issue.

The engine needed oil so I went to wal mart and got some Tech 2000 outboard oil. (Sorry, I didn't know any better). I put this oil in and only ran it one time, probably less than 1/2 hour of actual motor time. I was reading about e tecs that evening and I saw that you should use one of the XD oils in it. So I drained all of the oil and ordered XD 100. I called the dealer I bought it from and he said the engine was programmed for XD 100.

Next trip to the lake, XD 100 in motor! Got to ramp, cranking battery DEAD. I had left the power switch on. Jumped it from the trolling batteries. Let it idle for a while. Took off. No issues. A little while later, WOT, "No Oil" light comes on and alarm sounds. I stopped on a dime and shut the engine off. My partner got soaked with the wave of water over the back of the boat!!! Sat there for a sec, started engine back up. No alarm, no light, no problem taking back off. ???

Now, here's the issue. When leaving the last fishing spot to go back to the ramp, the motor had a real hard time pushing itself out of the water. Sputtered, spit, no power. Once it got on plane, FINE. Stopped, tried again. Same thing. Ran on plane fine, just like normal.

So, is this an issue with the low cranking battery? Is this an issue with the oil change? Or is this a separate issue all together? I have not had a chance to go back out yet but would like to have a clue where to start looking if this persists.

2006 ETEC 225 HO
MODEL NUMBER E225DHLSDF
SERIAL NUMBER 05124543

THANKS from a rookie!

[ChampioNman]

First thing to do is to take it in to the dealer and have them check it out.

[justsandm]

I wish that was an easy option but the dealer is over 4 hours away.

[ChampioNman]

Your gonna need a laptop and the software to diagnose any issues. Better pack your bags.

[BrianD]

Just on a side note. I am assuming your trolling motor is 24 volt since you said batteries? Be careful jumping from your trolling motor batteries as they are connected, so you will be sending 24 volts to your 12 volt system. Wires don't last long doing this. Don't ask me how I know. If you need to do this disconnect the trolling motor batteries from each other.

[strickl 21xd]

might be the spark plugs my 06 225 did that once not as bad as yours but didn't come out of the hole like it should i changed the plugs ran fine

[justsandm]

I didn't really "jump" off of the trolling batteries. I took one of them out and used it to start the motor with, then once it was started I hooked the cranking battery back up.

[justsandm]

I took it back out yesterday. I had charged the cranking battery back up, although it would not take a full charge. It ran fine for the first part of the day, no issues at all. As the day went on, the issue returned. This makes me think it is the low cranking battery.

[luckystrike]

E tec's do not need the battery once they are started so your battery is not the issue, As stated earlier check your spark plugs.

[justsandm]

I am going to change the plugs in the morning. I have a new battery now, issue still there. I just haven't had the time to replace the plugs yet. There is a constant that happens every time. The "no oil" light and alarm goes off right after starting. I shut the engine off right away, start it back up and it doesn't go off again. At this point is when I'm having the issue with severe hesitation getting onto plane. Once on plane, runs fine. The dealer stated the boat was programmed for xD100, which is what I put in it. If it wasn't programmed for this oil, would that cause the issue?

Thanks! I'll give another update tomorrow after I get back from running with the new plugs.

[torew]

I guess you got air into the oil lines when you emptied the oil tank. Take off the cowling and check for air in the oil lines, and do the oil purging as mentioned in the service manual. As an alternative, do a winterizing before you change the spark plugs.

[Garfish]

Get someone to pull a record on the serial # and see what warranty you have left. If warranty is still in effect, pack your bags like CM says and get it into a certified E-tec mechanic. These engines cannot be worked on at home with out the correct diagnostic software, they have too many sensors, etc. Use nothing but XD100 in these HO motors. The fact that you are that far away from the dealer is unfortunate but you must get it to a qualified tech. That engine is about $16K and change.