'92 Mariner 200 runs choppy 4500+ rpm sometimes (switchboxes or stator first?)

[at100plus]

First run i had this problem, then, Motor ran strong to 6000 rpm both last night and this morning then this afternoon it acted up again. I cleaned all grounds and switchboxes connections. What do u guys think' switchboxes or stator?

I have an 87 xr2 150 that's a clean motor, are the switchboxes the same? Is the stator the same?

[at100plus]

Also motor always runs perfect under 4000 rpm and starts and idles great.

[transomstand]

Most likely stator, the XR2 is probably 16 amp, the newer motor may be 40 amp. Part numbers are usually on the harness.

[at100plus]

Oh, I thought all stator motors were 16 amp.

[Capt.Insane-o]

Nope... 92 will be a 40 amp, proberly with the big water cooled regulator. More often than not if it is switch boxes a bank will drop out at idle, stator symptoms are usually fatal, i.e. it will just die down to idle speeds or only run on top end. But if it is cutting completely out at 4k + and kicking in, first disconnect the black and yellow wires from the switch box (you won't be able to shut the motor off unless you prime it to death) and run it. That will eliminate pesky key switch, boat harness, and mercury switch issues. ANYONE with a merc ADI ignition should buy a DVA meter and learn the output voltage tests and procedures. Along without going anywhere without a spare stator and pair of switch boxes.

[at100plus]

insano are you saying I should try running after removing the black and yellow wires to determine if my stator is causing the problem? Without the black and yellow if it runs fine it's the stator?

[at100plus]

Where's the best place to buy a new stator?

[Capt.Insane-o]

black and yellow is the kill circuit, key switch, kill lanyard, mercury switch. It has nothing to do with the stator, it just eliminates the boat side problem equasion. Is this an efi or carb motor?

[sschefer]

You could go broke trying to chase this problem down.. Avoid the cost and the dissapointing trips to the lake..Here's how:

First, get yourself a copy of the CDI trouble shooting guide at www.cdielectronics.com (http://www.cdielectronics.com)

Second, start the motor up on the hose and let it get good and warmed up. If you can't get it warm then turn down the water pressure but be careful not to overheat it.

Third, step by step according to symptoms, perform the necessary tests.

You should be able to isolate it down to a single failing component.. My guess is that it's a coil that's collapsing too soon and double firing when it gets hot.

Best of luck.

[Capt.Insane-o]

Coils don't double fire. I use cdi ignition components. I gave up on the merc stuff long ago. As for your parts question Mike, the boxes are the same, throw 'em on and see if it runs better. I sh*t canned two merc boxes this morning that were two months old after my motor started dropping a bank at the dock on warm up.

[at100plus]

Thanks for the replies. It's a carb motor. I'll take a look today at a few things. 2 of the switchbox wires are gummy and had open casing, the brown one that goes from one switchbox to the other was one of them so I replaced that one. I liquid taped the other one and wrapped it with electrical tape before the maiden voyage. I didn't want to cut the end off but maybe I should have put a new end on and heat shrink tubed it instead. I kinda figured I'll put a new stator on next season anyway because I didn't like the looks of those wires. I strongly suspect it's the stator and not the boat side (keyswitch or kill) since the boat had a nice 225 pm on it 2 weeks ago, the boat is wired cleanly and the prev owner had no issues. Motor runs perfect, not a hiccup at anything under 4500.

I want to take my son for one last ride today, anyone think there's any harm in running it under 4500 for the day?

[at100plus]

Merc Parts Express says my stator is 9610A19 and the price OMFG! $451.58!!!

I'll see what CDI charges now.

[at100plus]

Found the CDI troubleshooting pdf. Nice resource, thanks! Looks like they have a dealer 15 mins from my house too.

[at100plus]

my mota

[Capt.Insane-o]

Ok you have the dual regulators, pull the coil plate off and if you can see any burnt spots through the potting they need to be replaced. The stators for those motors are ridiculous in price. If you don't have a boat full of blenders and stereos I'd convert it over to a 16 amp system with one regulator. Remember you need a DVA meter or a DVA adapter for a fluke type to perform the tests.

[at100plus]

I'm going to try to get a stator this week, if it isn't the stator I'll keep the new one for a spare on board. I checked all of my connections again, fixed all the wires that were questionable, my grounds are all clean so... next weekend I'll check some more and try a new stator first and the switchboxes from the 150 I have if the stator doesn't fix it.

Frankly think I'd rather throw parts at it then stand on my head, hang over the transom at WOT etc with a meter.....

[at100plus]

Problem turned out to be the fuel pump gasket. Unfortunately it was not leaking gas until after I tried the new stator but obviously that was the problem all along.

I changed the stator and went for a ride and it ran the same as last time, (ran fine low speed and cut out after 4500 rpms). Then I got back to the lagoon and the motor started to cut out and stall so I was like ****, do I have a bad new stator, or is it the switchboxes. I paddled the ole Starflite back to the dock and I decided to try my other set of switchboxes. After I installed them, I pumped the ball to try to start the motor and BINGO, the fuel pump gushes gas out from the gasket (first time it ever did that, must have been a minor leak allowing air in or preventing the pump from making enough vacuum at higher RPMs but not enough to leak fuel). Changed the gasket and it ran perfect. My old stator looks pretty new actually so I'll sell that one and keep the new one on. Ripped my oil injection off after that and had a great day boating!

[Bruster]

Not trying to bust your balls but if If you would have followed the CDI troubleshooting procedure you would have verified the stator was (or was not) within specs and could have saved you a bunch of $$. Stators are easy to check and I have found if they check OK they are OK. If you don't have a DVA, go buy one, and learn how to use it. Same goes with a VOM, buy one and learn how to use it. When you correctly determine what is wrong (or not wrong) with a componet with your test equipment it makes you feel pretty good. Something else I have done is called the CDI tech support guy, and explained what my test results were and asked for his advice. Every time I asked for help (or reassurance) the help was spot on and the correct parts were purchased the first time.



Found the CDI troubleshooting pdf. Nice resource, thanks! Looks like they have a dealer 15 mins from my house too.


Problem turned out to be the fuel pump gasket. Unfortunately it was not leaking gas until after I tried the new stator but obviously that was the problem all along.

I changed the stator and went for a ride and it ran the same as last time, (ran fine low speed and cut out after 4500 rpms). Then I got back to the lagoon and the motor started to cut out and stall so I was like ****, do I have a bad new stator, or is it the switchboxes. I paddled the ole Starflite back to the dock and I decided to try my other set of switchboxes. After I installed them, I pumped the ball to try to start the motor and BINGO, the fuel pump gushes gas out from the gasket (first time it ever did that, must have been a minor leak allowing air in or preventing the pump from making enough vacuum at higher RPMs but not enough to leak fuel). Changed the gasket and it ran perfect. My old stator looks pretty new actually so I'll sell that one and keep the new one on. Ripped my oil injection off after that and had a great day boating!

[at100plus]

Yup I agree with you however, the boat is 2 hrs away from my house, and I have been busy with the family or working since that weekend that the problem started. I had some people coming down to go boating yesterday, so I got up at 6 AM yesterday to troubleshoot. If I hadn't ordered a stator and it DID turn out to be the stator, I wouldn't have one to fix it. I already had a spare trigger and switchboxes so in this case it was easiest to throw parts at it. The way it was acting I felt 99 percent sure it was the stator but the 1 percent prevailed.

[290coastal]

where are you located in nj= i have a brand new 2.4 block that bigobass built for me- same problem- runs good until 3500-4000 rpm then it sputters like its dropping a cylinder- checked coils replace spark plug wires- replace coil leads- and even one switch box
i was getting ready to replace stator but i have great interest in what you found. I live in toms river nj and i would appreciate any advice and also if you could be a little more detail as to the fuel pump gasket

[at100plus]

I'm in Marlboro about 30 mins from you. The square diaphragm pump on the port side, where the fuel line from the gas tank connects. Mine was not leaking gas when the problem started (actually I bought the motor with this problem) but it ran perfect until 4500 then most of the time it would kinda hesitate, and it would try to increase RPMs but just couldn't. Twice it did clear up and run to 6000 RPMs for a few minutes which is why I didn't think it was a fuel problem, I thought it was electrical.

The gasket kit was $21, comes with two flat square gaskets, two square framed gaskets (these go between each of the 3 piece pump body) the long eliptical shaped gasket that goes between the block and the pump and the internals, springs, plastic clip thingys etc. I only changed the gaskets since my internal stuff looked fine. After that all was well.

[cocacola]

here's what happened to me this summer. boat ran fine up to 4000... then fell on it's face. came to an idle briefly, then hit it. Again...good to 4000, then fall off. turned out to be hose from carb 1 bowl to enrichment solenoid had a cut that was leaking fuel. that cylinder had no fuel to run on past 4000 as pump could not keep up. it's a wonder it didn't catch fire. found the issue the hard way...when I rebuilt the carbs. clearly it was a fuel problem, but didn't think this was it.

[at100plus]

Indeed the moral of the story is: get a meter and know how to use it.

[cocacola]

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