57L idle problems

"Hi
have a 5.7l efi has done

"Hi
have a 5.7l efi has done 114 hours in first two years. then had an engine failure caused by oyster spat blocking the exhaust {prop & entry to leg}. The dealer took 6 months to sort this out, they then found water in cylinders, they say caused by back pressure.

3 years on the engine is still causing problems despite the rebuild. The main problem now is that the engine will not idle without the alarm going off.

If the rpm is raised above idle [650 rpm ]then all is ok. Every sensor has been replaced as well as the ECU. Throttle/shift cable also replaced.

The dealer has run out of ideas and is now suggesting to fix the problem that he replaces the electronic distributor with a standard unit and also replace the throttle body with a carb.
Bypassing the ecu.

Any body had a similar experience. Does the modification to the dist' and carb improve engone performance and what are the down side to doing this.

All comments appreciated

regards

Alan"

"Your dealer has no idea of ho

"Your dealer has no idea of how EFI works if he can't fix this. He has wasted a lot of your time and I assume, money. Go somewhere else NOW! If he couldn't fix it in less than the first six months, you should have called the manufacturer of the boat and complained about their lack of knowledge and that the boat maker is doing nothing more than keeping a shadetree mechanic on as a dealer because they obviously have done nothing to make sure they have the proper training.

This kind of thing really makes me mad! The dealer has no problem stringing you along while they keep selling boats that they have no idea how to repair. Their bottom line is why they keep their doors open and the customer's satisfaction apparently makes no difference.

The clog in the outdrive should have been immediately obvious and cleared out. The clog in the rest of the motor should have been taken care of when the motor was rebuilt. That leaves the area between the motor and outdrive, which should have been visible or at least, checked when the motor was removed.

Replacing every sensor tells me that they don't have any diagnostic tools, knowledge of the EFI system, manuals or basic electrical skills. Replacing every part until the problem goes away is called "the shotgun method" and all it does is make money for the servicer. If a code shows up, it has a number and indicates the nature of the problem, e.g., TPS, MAP sensor, IC module, crank sensor or distributor RPM sensor, temperature sensor, etc.

They ran out of ideas for fixing the motor long before now. It's not the EFI system, it's the people "trying" to fix it. How does an exhaust blockage damage all of the sensors and the ECM? IT DOESN'T! Why was the throttle shift cable replaced, when it couldn't have possibly been involved (unless someone got mad and started jerking the control handle wildly)? Did they check for heat damage to the motor harness or wiring to the sensors?

The boat manufacturers have switched to injection because people like to have their motor start when they turn the key. Drivability issues are mainly fuel related unless something like this oyster problem happens. Carbs and mechanical fuel pumps have been gone from the auto industry for a long time, mainly because of emission problems, partly due to the reliability issues.

Replace the EFI with a carb? Replace the dealer- they don't know what they're doing.

If you show this to your dealer, he's not going to like it, at all. That's too bad. You spent a good amount of money for your boat and he can't fix it. In three years, he could have gone to college and gotten an associate's degree in internal combustion motors and had a year to work on yours. He should have been able to tell you that he didn't know why it wasn't working in a day. This isn't rocket surgery, it's a motor! It's a mechanical devise with a group of sub-systems and they can all be measured to see if they're in the proper range of values.

Sorry for the rant but this is clearly not any kind of customer service. Would you stand for having your car sitting at the dealer this long? No, you wouldn't. Your boat isn't your main form of transportation but if you bought it new, it may have cost as much as, or more than, your car. "

""suggesting to fix the pr

""suggesting to fix the problem that he replaces the electronic distributor with a standard unit and also replace the throttle body with a carb"

Knuckleheads!

Three calls to make: another dealer, the manufacturer, your lawyer."

"It sounds like a corroded wir

"It sounds like a corroded wire that is narrowing the sensor window (range) which tells the ECU that the alarm needs to be turned on. All of the sensors operate within parameters that the ECU monitors. As long as a sensor stays within the range of the parameter, the ECU accepts its reading as AOK. Check all of the wiring harness pins involved in the alarm circuits. A slightly loose or a pin's loss of tension or a minute amount of corrosion can be missed without careful observation. I have used a magnifying glass to see a bent pin or trace amounts of crud causing a problem. Guy"

"Hi Guy's

Many thanks f

"Hi Guy's

Many thanks for your comments. Am, not sure whether you got my reply via my email address but here again to say thanks and explain why I didn't reply straight away.

I had a cancerous tumor on my top lip called a melanome and it was removed. However the pathology report that came back indicated that they had to cut a bigger chunk out [deep enough to sink the engine].

Any way after speaking with Mercury Marine Australia and sending them copies of your emails and my veiled threats to have the local boating magazine intervene Mercury have decided to co-operates in that they will let the dealer have all spare parts required at no cost.

A new distributor has been shipped to the dealer down here in Tasmania so should see some action this week.

Again my thanks for your collective inputs.

regards

Alan
in Hobart where its snowing"