2000 115 evinrude ficht starting and idle issues

"I have a 2000 115 evinrude fi

"I have a 2000 115 evinrude ficht mounted on a R72 sport ranger bass boat. I bought both used last year and have had problems with the motor since I had it.
My problem is hard to start and stay running and sometimes idles very rough and not at all. After I hit about 1200 RPM no problem runs like a champ.
Been to three dealers last year and after $2500 later no change. That included a new upper and lower fuel pump new compasitor, new stator, and of course shop time. Compression is all perfect and the motor only had about 200 hrs when I bought it. I talked to the place that rebuilds the computer and they feel it is not a computer issue but would be happy to sell me a new one for $650.

I am at a loss and my wife said she don't want me spending more money on fixing it.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Someone mentioned motor height and another mentioned dyno testing.

I know there has been issues in the past with this model motor have read plenty about them but would appreciate input. Thank You Pete in Wisconsin."

"Hi Peter,
Always good to tal

"Hi Peter,
Always good to talk to a fellow Wisconsinite!

I think you could narrow it down with troubleshooting some of the basics. The engine needs ignition,fuel, air, and compression to run. Let's start here. You said compression is perfect, so lets check ignition.

I'd buy a cheap inductive timing light. Hook it to each spark plug lead in sequence. The timing marks would only apply to cyl 1, but you should be able to see if the spark is consistant across all 4 cylinders. Wouldn't hurt to change the plugs as well if there not new. Make sure the plug wires aren't crossed or anything silly like that.

If that's ok, you've narrowed it down to fuel and air, or more precisely, the mixture of the two. At the speeds you're talking about, the Ficht system runs a "stratified" fuel charge. That's a fancy way of saying there is way more air than is needed for combustion in the cylinder. The charge from the injector hovers near the spark plug and forms a combustible mixture. A quick way to tell if a fuel problem would be to squirt a small amount of premix fuel into the throttle body at idle. Running at stratified idle, the rpm should increase dramatically if everything else is ok. All cylinders should respond the same to this test. This might point you to an injector problem, or if no effect, rule out the fuel delivery system. Air: make sure the throttle plates are in sync. At idle, they need to be fully closed. Has anyone calibrated the TPS sensor so the engine knows where the throttle is set?

Last of all, check for a restricted exhaust. Not likely since you say it runs fine at power. That said a two stroke needs the back pressure kept low to properly scavenge the cylinder. If there is an exhaust pressure sensor, it might produce symptoms similar to what you are describing if it failed.

Honestly, if you aren't going to spend more money on it, you may want to check into swapping with a carb two stroke. Most OMC motors from 1993ish on would bolt right up and hook up to the cables and wiring easily."

Thanks for your input dcramer

Thanks for your input dcramer as soon as i get soft water will give it a try. Will be putting new plugs in this year plus yesterday changed the fuel/water sep filter and put a new primer bulb on trying all little things also. Will let you know the outcome when I get it going this year. On vacation next week so maybe try it in the driveway.

"I was messing with my motor l

"I was messing with my motor listed above. I was told to check and make sure the butterflies were fully closed when in idle mode. When I took off my air cover, I noticed oil in the bodies. Due to the motor being trimed back all winter it was enough to make a visible puddle. It even had the inserts on the air cover traced with oil. I was thinking on changing the temp sensor that's why I pulled it off. Is this excess oil to be pooled in that area? And could the temp sensor be my problem calling for more gas and oil. Also had oil on two of the plug threads when I pulled them. I questioned if the oil pump was pumping to much oil and was told by a dealer they can't be changed they come pre-set from the manuf. What else would call for so much oil. I'm just dumbfounded because I am told everything is a'ok. Maybe it's somthing simple everyone is over-looking. Thanks again Pete."

"I've seen oil pool in the

"I've seen oil pool in these areas on properly functioning engines. Unless it's smoking at idle, I would check to make sure all the hoses are connected properly, then not worry about it.

As for the spark plug, Oil around the plug usually means it wasn't torqued properly."

Do you know that the spark plu

Do you know that the spark plugs need to be indexed...if they were not in the right position this will cause your problem

"I know they have to be indexe

"I know they have to be indexed and properly positioned with the injector. I am purchasing new plugs and will mark the plugs properly. In order to not over torque how should you aling then properly them. I know to mark where your gap is and tighten to the required area, but once they are hand tight they may have a whole revolution to tighten yet. Will that be over torqued? Thanks guys good information. Thanks guys good info and ideas. More then I recieved from many dealers."

"Yours being a 2000 should hav

"Yours being a 2000 should have the pinned heads. These are less critical as far as indexing the plugs. As long as the side electrode isn't right at the top of the cylinder you should be ok.

You'll need a torque wrench to properly torque the plugs. The spec will be in a service manual for your motor. If the plug doesn't index correctly when properly torqued, try it in a different hole until you find a combination where all the plugs index correctly."