I have just picked up my new boat with a 250 E-Tec 250 hung on the back and I'm experiencing a weird intermittant problem with the motor. I'll be cruising along at fast idle in a canal at 750 rpms when the idle will drop to 500 as though you flipped a switch. Then, the engine won't respond to throttle at all, you can go full, half or anywhere at all and it is though the lever it not hooked to the engine at all. It just keeps cruising along in gear at 500 rpm. The fuel bulb is firm and feels normal while this is happening........... Now, if i shift back to neutral and the push forward.......the boat is back to normal !!!
This weirdness is very sporadic in that it only did it twice in 3 hrs of running yesterday and in all other respects the engine is normal. In fact, other than this glitch it's a fantastic motor, quiet, smooth fast etc.....
The dealer diagnostics show completely normal......no codes at all. I'm heading back out today to see if I can hear the throttle bodies opening when this happens.
Any ideas as to what this might be? If the TPS output goes to zero with the motor stay at idle even if the butterflies open? Any thought are appreciated from you gurus!