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2003 ficht 225 DI issue

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fpritchard

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Hello all. Recently put my 89 Grady with the 225 Ficht motor in the water. First time out it ran strong with out any noticeable issues. Next time out engine fired immediately, idled around 600 rpms, and ran for about an hour or so at various rpms with no issues. Upon returning to dock entered some low water and churned up some bottom. Ran the boat for about another 30 minutes after that and didn’t have any problems. Last time out was running to reef at approx 3800 to 4200 rpms when i thought I felt a miss. I bumped up to about 4500 and it seemed to stop. Upon decreasing the throttle felt what I thought was a miss again. At that point without touching the throttle the motor began to surge from about 3000 to almost 4000 without touching the throttle. I backed it down to about 2000 and it really began running rough. As I attempted to increase throttle got a check engine light and slow mode. I shut down, waited a min or two and restarted. From this point on anything over around 2000 caused it to run rough. Throttled higher than that caused ck engine and slow mode. Limped in and got her in slip. The next day I started the motor and it started immediately idling at about 600. After about 2 minutes the idle jumped to around 1000 then began swinging between 1500 and 600.
My thought initially was that I had a restriction in the emm or vapor passages which I will check. Pretty sure plugs are fouled. Leaning towards tps though based on symptoms. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I would hate to pull her if I don’t have to as it is a huge PITA. Thanks all
I have cross posted in a few different forums in the hope someone has has similar issues that were resolved. One suggestion was a faulty fuel pump vapor separator.
 
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Only thing that will increase RPM on a Ficht is fuel.Could be leaking/sticky injector or lift pump leaking and entering crankcase. Do not run this till you find out.
 
Thank you for the reply. Have the diagnostic software on the way. I’m assuming that the lift pump contains a diaphragm and can be rebuilt as opposed to the fuel pump/vst?
 
You need to know what the check engine light is about? The engine diag should show you that. The motor has two fuel pumps. A lift pump with a diaphragm (low pressure) & the VST has an electric pump higher pressure (30 lbs) to the injectors. The lift pump is not rebuildable. You need to see if you have fuel vapors escaping any of these devices. The pulses hoses for the lift pump, the vent line on top of the VST, or a leaky injector.
 
Thank you t2. Should have the diagnostic software by Friday. I’ll post the results after I run it and check the things that you mentioned. Appreciate the input.
 
So I’m still waiting for the software to arrive. Can anyone tell me how to diagnose either a bad low pressure lift pump or the high side fuel pump vst? Model #
e225fpxstm 25” Thanks.​
 
You just need a common auto fuel pressure gauge, but will need a special hookup unless your fuel rail has a shader valve (like a car tire valve) on it? The low pressure from the lift pump on the front of the engine can be checked by teeing into the output line going to the VST electric pump. You should see 5 to 7 lbs at idle from that pump. The VST electric pump needs to put out 30 lbs. after running the engine go ahead & check to see if the pulse lines (from the crankcase to lift pump) are wet with fuel. Sure sign of a diaphragm problem. Also check the vent line from the top of the VST. DO NOT PULL THE LINE OFF THE TOP OF THE VST! You will break the nipple off. Pull the hose at the intake manifold. Of wet with fuel you have leakage at the VST. You will need to check again in rough water conditions if you notice a surge then.
The Diag is only going to help you with codes & let you monitor the motor while it runs. Temp, RPM, volts, etc.
 
Thank you again t2. I appreciate your detailed response. Hopefully I can get at it in a few days. Have everything I need in hand just need to find some time to do it. I’ll post the results of my findings.
 
Posting the results of the diagnostics scan. Thoughts? I have only put 8 total hours on the engine. Previous owner had emm serviced by dfi and also had some other work done as well. He doesnt believe that any of the fuel pumps have been changed. I also expected to have a Schrader valve on the high pressure rail to connect gauge to however there is no test valve. How would i test the high side without test valve
 

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Looks like you have a very recent TPS fault, but not a hard fault (happening now). That means it may just be a cable adjustment? Try adjusting the throttle cable trunion at the motor a little. You should be able to see it change voltage on the screen. It doesn't take too much.
The other codes may have occurred before the EMM was rebuilt? The low voltage (battery) can just be if the battery got run down & you had to charge?
Everything else on monitor screen looks good.
 
Hey T2. I’m pretty sure the first time I fired up the engine was at the 272 hour mark. I experienced s.l.o.w a few times the last time out however the recent occurred faults don’t indicate slow. Am I looking at this correctly or am I missing something?
 
Thanks Kevin. I thought that may be the case. I thought that the motor was going into slow mode when the problems were occurring but the readout doesn’t show it which led me to believe I had an additional issue. Also the tps is obstructed by the flywheel. Is it possible to replace without having to take it off?
 
Actually you would set a code for any SLOW action, but not fuel/vapor leaks. I did not see those in the chart. Low voltage will cause the motor to shut down.
You can remove the TPS & bracket assy without pulling the flywheel. The stainless bracket is held by two 3/8" headed screws. (Put a drop of blue Loctite back on threads when you put them back.) You can remove those & pull the bracket/TPS out as an assy. Then unplug the TPS. That is the easiest way to do it. Not much room under there to get it plugged in well. I believe there is a small tyrap to hold the strain off the connector wires. Check the wires in the back of the connector to see that they are not loose or frayed.
 
Re: 2003 ficht 225 DI issue Resolved

Resolved. Turned out to be the TPS after all. Tested it with an ohm meter and it failed miserably. Readings all over the place. Coupled with the symptoms and the diagnostic readings and ruling everything else out I decided to replace it and also cleaned out the connector which actually looked pretty good. Ran her this morning and ran flawlessly. A huge thank you to all of you who shared their experience and knowledge with me. You are an invaluable resource and saved this novice a ton of headache and aggravation. Hope I can help someone else out someday.
 
fpritchard said:
Resolved. Turned out to be the TPS after all. Tested it with an ohm meter and it failed miserably. Readings all over the place. Coupled with the symptoms and the diagnostic readings and ruling everything else out I decided to replace it ..... Ran her this morning and ran flawlessly.
Click to expand...
That's great news. EMM controlled engines are fantastic when they work properly. But, when you don't have the right tools and/or knowledge they can drive you insane. I'm glad your was a pretty easy fix.
 
Just purchased a used 2003 ficht 200 - installing in a few weeks. Anticipating the worst, hoping for the best. Great thread. Thx!! What is the diagnostic software mentioned ?
 
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