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  1. #1
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    1996 Merc 225 EFI diagnosis

    I was on the way back from a morning fishing trip and ran wide open for the last 30 seconds to the no wake zone. Came off plane and ran 1000 rpm for one minute when I noticed a waver in the idle (this motor always idles great and it was a noticeable drop in RPM (to around 800) for a couple seconds. Then I paid more attention and the idle went back up to 1000. Then 5 seconds later, the idle slowed and became erratic. I quickly turned the motor to see the tell tale and could not see anything coming out! I quickly shut the motor off. 10 seconds after shutdown, the tell tale started flowing (it usually does this after shutting down when hot). Then I tried to restart and the crank was very sluggish, eventually coming to a stop. I attempted to recrank and it got worse and worse until the starter would engage then not turn the flywheel. I took the boat home and 40 minutes later put a laser thermometer on it. The center of the flywheel was 140 degrees (the hottest part of the motor!) The block around the cylinders was between 120 and 134 degrees. I tried to crank again and the starter engages but does not turn the flywheel. I can still manually move the rotating assembly by hand by grabbing and turning the flywheel. Anyone have any ideas what could be the problem? I plan to pull the lower unit and check the water pump, then the thermostats, then the poppet. I am not even sure the lack of water from the tell tale has anything to do with this problem. Thanks for the help.

  2. #2
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    I was thinking that if the center of the flywheel was the hottest part after shutting down maybe I spun a bearing??? Just a thought.

  3. #3
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    What does your voltage look like...could it be a battery issue causing the starter to be slugish and the stator getting hot??
    Go Time
    2003XS GS 225 Promax/ 260 / 280
    26 Regulator twin 250 EFI

  4. #4
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    That's a great point- I hope that is the problem. I have it on the on board charger now so we'll see.

  5. #5
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    I have had some erratic voltage readings through the RPM range (not sure if I am paying more attention to the gauge more now than before). I thought that might be an issue. The trim seems to be the same speed, normally I can hear a change in the trim sound if the voltage is low. But I will run it down and check that too.

  6. #6
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    "Go Time" might be right on with the diagnosis. The boat has been on the charger for about an hour now and I just tried to crank it. It is now turning the flywheel some (only about 4-5 inches). I am feeling much better about my luck now!

  7. #7
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    Low voltage will affect the EFI system as well. I would also look at the voltage regulators for discoloration of the bullet connectors as an indication of overheating at the connections.
    Go Time
    2003XS GS 225 Promax/ 260 / 280
    26 Regulator twin 250 EFI

  8. #8
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    Thanks I will check it out.

  9. #9
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    Check the voltage and voltage drop at the starter solenoid, 11 volts while cranking is good.
    "One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors". Plato .

  10. #10
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    Thanks- I'll get the multimeter on it tonight.

  11. #11
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    I have 13.4 volts prior to cranking at from the battery to the positive on the starter solenoid and I have good ground continuity to the motor/starter body. Then I checked with multimeter leads on the positive lug on the starter and on a ground on the electrical plate while cranking. Voltage is only between 5 and 6 volts to the starter during cranking, which explains the slow, almost non existent crank. I even switched to a newer cranking battery and there is no change in the cranking. I checked all power connections. Does this sound like a starter solenoid? I got the motor to crank over four times but it shut off after 3 seconds of running. Why would this be happening?
    Last edited by rujr; 09-06-2014 at 03:36 PM.

  12. #12
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    Any help? Still getting low voltage (5-6 volts) during cranking and I know it is not battery or connection related. I have perfect continuity through all wires. What about a bad starter? During cranking (short amounts) the bottom of the starter near the starter lug and the cable between the starter solenoid and starter lug are getting hot (120 degrees). I also noticed some old signs of heat melting the plastic heat shrink around the connector ends on this cable. What is next? Is there an easy way to check continuity through the starter?

  13. #13
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    I jumped the starter and it is still cranking slow and it sparked bad when I touched the positive lug and heated up the jumper cables (for just a short burst). I took the starter off and jumped it alone and it spun, but had a bad raspy whine like a bad bearing or something. The starter spun, but I still had a bad spark at the starter lug. The starter heated up immediately after the spin. I am quite sure the starter is bad. Funny because for the past year I have heard that raspy whine one out of every three or four cranks. Any ideas on rebuilding a starter or is it better to just get a new one? Thanks.

  14. #14
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    use the jumper cables to bypass the battery cables and see if you have the same result. If it still cranks slow, then the starter is bad. You will get a big spark when you touch the jumper straight to the starter, but the jumper cable should not get hot.
    "One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors". Plato .

  15. #15
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    I took the starter apart and cleaned everything. Put it back together and it spins great when hooked up alone to a battery. It spins better than ever before. I put it back on the motor and have the same result, slow, if any cranking and hot positive lug and lead wire between solenoid and starter. Sometimes the cranking gets faster and once it even kicked over and ran for three seconds then died. This motor never died on its own before. What is going on!!!?? With the starter hooked up, voltage drops to 5-6 volts during cranking. With the starter out of the system, voltage is at 13.4 from the positive side of the solenoid when cranking. Why would the starter work great off the motor? Grounds test good. I am so confused, getting frustrated.

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