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2004 Honda 225 Running out of Fuel - VST maybe?

R

rsamsel

Member
Hello all-

I have a 2004 225. Run perfect at idle. Starts perfectly. about 2500 rpm it acts like it is running out of fuel. I have JUST enough power to get on plane and the whole time it surges and cuts out like it's running out of gas. It seems like it would continue to run like this but it's obviously not right. We fished a whole day at idle without a hiccup.

Same issue on the way home.

Racor looks good. On motor fuel/water separator looks good. Low filter looks good (replaced last year). High filter looks good (replaced last year).

I removed the VST which was a new process for me. Removed the intake manifold to get it off. It took an effort but I did get the plastic screen that wraps around the fuel pump out. It's a little dirty but wasn't bad. Everything else on that side of the VST looks good. The fuel pump tested good on a 12v source.

Questions: The square side of the VST has several stripped stainless screws from the previous owner. They won't be easy to remove. How important is getting into that side in this cleaning process?

Are there any other ideas on what could be causing a loss of fuel or the hesitation I am feeling? I basically fells like I am arbitrarily pumping the throttle.

My first lake test I plan to run a new fuel line directly from the Racor to the on motor fuel/water separator. That will bypass a T for the kicker motor and also the bulb for the kicker.

What else am I missing.

Thank you,
Rob
 
metal-chicken said:
Have you.pumped the bulb when it feels like it's fuel starved?

Could be the bulb.
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We did try that. I wasn't sure if that would do anything with a fuel injected motor. I know it worked when fuel pumps are bad on carb engines but there wasn't a change when we were pumping it.
 
iang6766 said:
Best way to diagnose fuel pressure drop is with a gauge. It should keep a steady 40- 45 psi under load
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I don't have a tank big enough to run the motor with a load. Is it safeish to hook the gauge up and take her to the lake without a cowl and run and read while underway?
 
I do it all the time, install the gauge and refit the bottom cowl mounting the gauge where you can observe it. If your boat has a large backwash coming off the plain then trim motor up while slowing down. This pressure check is necessary to see what is happening , otherwise it's all guess work.
 
iang6766 said:
I do it all the time, install the gauge and refit the bottom cowl mounting the gauge where you can observe it. If your boat has a large backwash coming off the plain then trim motor up while slowing down. This pressure check is necessary to see what is happening , otherwise it's all guess work.
Click to expand...
Correct me if I'm wrong but:

This port is essentially the the last thing the fuel hits before the injectors right? If it shows good then either there is an injector problem or something different all together.
Alternatively if the pressure is not consistent then it's a matter of working back through the fuel system to the tank.

Is that right?
 
That's correct. Usually if pressure drops after a minute or so then it's a low pressure supply, if it doesn't hold good pressure when accelerating hard and drops immediately, then it's a high pressure issue. If pressure holds good, then you're chasing a problemnin the wrong area.
 
iang6766 said:
That's correct. Usually if pressure drops after a minute or so then it's a low pressure supply, if it doesn't hold good pressure when accelerating hard and drops immediately, then it's a high pressure issue. If pressure holds good, then you're chasing a problemnin the wrong area.
Click to expand...
Well I got it back together on Saturday. It turned over for a bit starting it in the driveway but did eventually fire. My guess is the VST needs to refill which takes a minute to get pressure up to the injectors. It runs in the driveway but I won't know if I solved anything until I get out to the lake. The only things I found that MIGHT fix it was the screen under the fuel pump was a little dirty and I did replace a few of the gray fuel lines with new lines.

I did find a crack on this part:
1711387142182.png

MAYBE I cracked it when trying to get the screws on the VST loose with an impact screwdriver but I don't think so. I think that crack could cause a problem as it certainly was passing air. I could spray carb cleaner through it. I used a marine epoxy on the outside and I'm confident that will seal and strengthen it.

Water test will come this week. We'll see. I really hope it doesn't end up in the shop.
 
iang6766 said:
That's correct. Usually if pressure drops after a minute or so then it's a low pressure supply, if it doesn't hold good pressure when accelerating hard and drops immediately, then it's a high pressure issue. If pressure holds good, then you're chasing a problemnin the wrong area.
Click to expand...
Well Super Good News! Until I got bad news. :)

Got it all back together and went out to the lake yesterday. It ran flawlessly. No hesitation. No cutting out. I think it ran better than it has since I've owned it (three years). We tested every system on the boat and absolutely everything worked. I was a happy guy!

Then....

We tow the boat home (literally 10 minutes). My wife gets out to help me back into the driveway and we both hear a weird noise. The frickin starter on the main motor was running. Key was definitely off. I am going to post a new post since this problem is for sure unrelated to the other problem.

RAAAA....Sometimes I hate boats.
 
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