Assistance needed for 1989 Yamaha Excel V6

**PineLakeRumble** · 06-10-2019, 10:04 AM

Quick update...Spark is back, carbs have been cleaned and set up, new batteries, new impeller, etc. The bill was high but work was thorough. I was very pleased with the service I got from Dryland Marine in Port Perry. The crisp dry crackle from the old 2-Stroke brought a smile to my face and helped my stomach lining. Wood trim has been removed/sanded/oiled, gel coat is half way there (2 of 4 steps). The boat might get wet this weekend. I'll post up some pics soon. Cheers.

**Markus** · 06-11-2019, 03:42 AM

Originally Posted by PineLakeRumble

Quick Question...if there are problems with electrical parts (like the stator for instance), I presume they are no longer available from Yamaha. Should I be trying to find used parts or is there a trusted aftermarket manufacturer that I should look for?

First, check if new parts are available.

If not, get used electrical components from some outboard salvage yard in Florida. In salty conditions, the Yamaha electrical components outlived the aluminum castings of the early engines.

**PineLakeRumble** · 06-23-2019, 11:27 PM

Boat is heading North. Watertest next weekend...

**PineLakeRumble** · 07-11-2019, 01:02 PM

A big shout out to Sal and Joe at Dryland Marine in Port Perry who rebuilt the carbs on the Yamaha Excel. Barefoot speeds are perfect and 65mph felt smooth as silk. Not bad for a combo from '89. Time to go barefooting!

**LittleCharger** · 07-12-2019, 05:33 AM

Awesome set up... the excel will work well for yeah

**PineLakeRumble** · 08-25-2019, 06:28 PM

Question for you Little Charger. Is the Rick Cole that you mentioned earlier in this Thread the same one that works at Glenn Burney Marina? I had a sad end to the season with the Excel and I need someone to take a look at it before it goes away for the winter. Any suggestions?

**DoktorC** · 08-25-2019, 08:08 PM

Originally Posted by PineLakeRumble

Question for you Little Charger. Is the Rick Cole that you mentioned earlier in this Thread the same one that works at Glenn Burney Marina? I had a sad end to the season with the Excel and I need someone to take a look at it before it goes away for the winter. Any suggestions?

Yup...That's me.

**PineLakeRumble** · 08-25-2019, 08:28 PM

Too much! I just sent an email with more info to your work address hoping I had made the right contact. Would you be interested in taking on some diagnostic work? Contact me at home at your leisure. Cheers.

**DoktorC** · 08-27-2019, 07:05 AM

Originally Posted by PineLakeRumble

Too much! I just sent an email with more info to your work address hoping I had made the right contact. Would you be interested in taking on some diagnostic work? Contact me at home at your leisure. Cheers.

Your email keeps bouncing...says your inbox is full.

**FMP** · 08-27-2019, 09:12 AM

Great looking boat.

**PineLakeRumble** · 08-27-2019, 01:46 PM

Originally Posted by FMP

Great looking boat.

Many thanks for that. Still a few kinks to work out but I'm still smiling!

**PineLakeRumble** · 08-27-2019, 01:47 PM

Originally Posted by DoktorC

Your email keeps bouncing...says your inbox is full.

Apologies for the inconvenience. I sent my work email your way.

**PineLakeRumble** · 08-29-2019, 04:53 PM

I ran up to the cottage to run a few experiments with the Excel to try and eliminate some variables. For those of you that have far more experience and diagnostic skills than I do, here is the score...

1. I drained the fuel out of the Starboard tank in case there was water in the 94octane that was a week old causing the problem. I threw in a bottle of STP Water Remover just to help with the cause. I added 20L of 91octane purchased today from a different source.

2. Started the motor and let it run on the lift for 15 minutes at various speeds (1200-2200 RPM) to ensure that all of the old fuel was gone and that we were into the fresh stuff with the STP. Some missing and smoke initially but things smoothed out over time.

3. As I have a dual battery set up, I experimented with both new batteries. The boat was able to start either battery. Engine was warm and ran smooth but didn't have that wonderful crisp 2-stroke sound...to my ears anyway.

4. After re-reading the manual I experimented with bypassing the electronic brain. Switched A-A and B-B connections to A-B and fired up the boat. After a few tries it fired up and sounded a little better. It idled quite a bit higher than normal but I think that is normal for that mode. I let the boat run for 5 minutes on the lift in this configuration. As I had no interest in throwing it into gear at that RPM I shut the engine down and returned the connections to AA - BB. The motor fired up right away and remained sounding better. When the idle came back down to about 900RPM I headed out for a test run.

5. Engine ran up to 20mph and maintained good power After 15-20 seconds we ran up to 30mph, all still good. Within 10seconds of running at 35mph the motor stared to miss and loose power. After throttling down, the miss remained at all speeds and we limped back to the lift working to maintain 1500rpm.

6. Once back at the dock, I switched to both batteries using the Perko switch just in case the motor was drawing more than I thought under power. The motor fired up and idled the way it had all summer...smooth at 700rpm. Took the boat out for another quick rip and sadly the same thing occurred. Somewhere around 30-35mph the motor started to lose power and the speed and rpm dropped. No pops, no backfires, no fireworks, just misses and lack of power, then limp home.

So, here is what I've learned...

Batteries are good providing lots of power for start up and ignition. This is the case using either battery or both together.
Fuel quality is good and I presume fuel supply is good because the plastic fuel filter remains full regardless of RPM/speed.
Spark plugs are new and should be no issue.
There are no issues with overheating.
Oil reserves in both tanks are within spec.
Though I experimented with bypassing the "smart ignition" I'm not sure if it made any real difference. I never ran the boat in the bypass mode. I didn't want to dump it in gear at that rpm and in the end I was hustling to run home for my son's preseason Jr. C hockey game. Can't be late when you are the new guy!

I'm heading back up on Saturday. If anyone has any diagnostic suggestions, feel free to send them my way and I will happily continue to try.

Thanks in advance.