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Throttle issue with a 1996 Evinrude 200 Looper

J

Jorge Hedges

New member
Hello!

Just a quick note to see if you have any suggestions.

I finally launched my boat for the first time, a Hydra Sport 2000CC; engine is a 1996 Evinrude 200 looper.

Idle RPM are set at 1500RPM - which I find high. Transmission shifted fine, and slowly increased to cruise speed, about 3500 rpms. Whet at least 45 minutes passed, we went full throttle, approx. 5500 rpms, and it planed BEAUTIFUL in what can be considered slightly choppy condition here in the North coast of Puerto Rico.

After the "high-speed" run, we backed down to cruise speed and returned to San Juan Bay, and maybe 5 minutes into the bay, the engine suddenly went to 1500rpms with the full throttle position, on its own.

Long story short, the engine, whenever in neutral and shifted to forward or reverse, would stay in the 1500rpms, even if full throttle position was set. Now, mind you, if in neutral, the RPMs would go up normally, but under load, we would have the rpm issue.

Any feedback in order to start looking at this will be of great help... appreciate your time.

Thanks!

Jorge
 
I might suspect the timer base, it can be problematic on these especially on salt. But what do I know? I live 1500 miles from the coast.
 
Jorge..... In your driveway, running on a flushette, the idle should be set as follows for the various engine lengths. Set to one of these, the idle rpm will drop to normal when in the water.

20" shaft = 1000 rpm
25" shaft = 1200 rpm

Should the engine start to overheat for any reason... water pump failure, picked up a plastic bag etc, cavitation due to rough water or incorrect height installation of engine, whatever..... the feature S.L.O.W. mode would engage, shorting out the starboard bank and lowering the rpm to 2500 rpm.

Your explanation of the problem leads me to think that the above took place... AND... that your tachometer may be adjusted incorrectly, giving you the wrong reading(s).

This S.L.O.W. mode encounter is reset to the normal ignition mode simply by turning the key off, then back on. Did you encounter this as the day went on?

Regardless of the problem, it's best to remove all of the spark plugs and take a compression check and test the spark that should jump a 7/16" air gap with a strong blue lightning like flame... a real SNAP! These two areas are at the top of the list in troubleshooting.

Compression on that model is usually 90 psi on the starboard bank, 95 psi on the port bank.

Let us know what you find.
 
5500 is okay at WOT with his motor, so tach otta be pretty close, eh? Are you revving it past 2500 in neutral then? Any alarms/lights?
 
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timguy said:
5500 is okay at WOT with his motor, so tach otta be pretty close, eh? Are you revving it past 2500 in neutral then? Any alarms/lights?
Click to expand...

No, not reved over 2500. No lights on the tach. BTW, do you have a list of what the light combination codes are? I haven't found this...

thanks!
 
Hello Gents!

Update on my scenario. Started looking at the sensors next to the Thermostats. Disconnected the leads, and tested with an electronics tester... no ground found on the units. Understand that these are the ones that trigger the SLOW mode in case of overheat... can anyone confirm.

Kept looking around the powerpak, and found two wires under the flywheel, brown colored, that were making contact with the flywheel. One of the wire's jacket was scuffed, with the copper showing. I assume that this is what caused the problem. These wires I have to trace, but the go into the space where the powerpak in installed, and the leads go up into the powerpak.

I have spark on the starboard side, and NO spark on the port side. I have compression on all pistons, between 90/95psi, so I do not think the problem is mechanical... I truly believe I have an electrical problem, maybe a short caused by the scuffed wire.

It seems definitely that the SLOW mode is not resetting due to the electrical issue.

Any suggestions greatly appreciated while I keep looking/testing.

Thanks!
 
What did I say in my first post here? But what do I know, I've only got 200 posts. Wonder how much knowledge Mr. Reeves has gained in his 14,000 posts? No way I'll live long enough to get even close.
 
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No.

The two brown wires that you describe as scuffed and shorting come from the stator.

There are two pairs, one for each bank of the engine. You have obviously shorted out the brown pair that supplies voltage for the bank that is dead.

Insulate the wires and try again, or replace the stator.

Your inability to get past 2500 is due to the fact you are only running on three cyls.
 
To save face, my strategy was to get you to look around underneath. I always have concerns that trigger movement, or stator movement, (not in this case), may cause changing/unexpected/intermittent operation problems. Sometimes a brief physical inspection can uncover a simple problem. How did those wires get in contact with the flywheel? Do they get pushed up there when the trigger moves? Some weasel was working in there? A 2 legged one?
So if the energy meant to charge the packs' capacitor is diverted back to ground, it should not damage the pack unless a "spike" was sent. The stator will be damaged if it got too hot. You can check the output after you clear the wires. Compare it to the other bank, or check CDI parameters. Don't be satisfied that it is okay, just because it runs, you want to be sure the output has not been noticeably reduced or worse yet below recommended voltage. An aftermarket stator may have been installed so insure you are targeting the correct voltage parameters for your unit. Someone must have been working on it at one time. If the parameters are low it will only get worse as the coil continues to deteriorate. Finally it will fall below operational parameters and you will be down to 3 again. This will likely happen with no warning, just as your trying to beat that storm coming in. Whats 450 bucks worth to you?
Hey Mr. Reeves,when are you gonna get that motor put back together? I wanna see it running this year.
 
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Thats right, a man doesn't need a license, education, or experience to buy tools, but maybe that should be required.
 
Tim..... You asked: "Hey Mr. Reeves,when are you gonna get that motor put back together? I wanna see it running this year."

I'm afraid you lost me on that one Tim... the only items I've took a wrench to in years have been my 1988 F-150 & my late wife's 1989 Crown Victoria.
 
timguy said:
To save face, my strategy was to get you to look around underneath. I always have concerns that trigger movement, or stator movement, (not in this case), may cause changing/unexpected/intermittent operation problems. Sometimes a brief physical inspection can uncover a simple problem. How did those wires get in contact with the flywheel? Do they get pushed up there when the trigger moves? Some weasel was working in there? A 2 legged one?
So if the energy meant to charge the packs' capacitor is diverted back to ground, it should not damage the pack unless a "spike" was sent. The stator will be damaged if it got too hot. You can check the output after you clear the wires. Compare it to the other bank, or check CDI parameters. Don't be satisfied that it is okay, just because it runs, you want to be sure the output has not been noticeably reduced or worse yet below recommended voltage. An aftermarket stator may have been installed so insure you are targeting the correct voltage parameters for your unit. Someone must have been working on it at one time. If the parameters are low it will only get worse as the coil continues to deteriorate. Finally it will fall below operational parameters and you will be down to 3 again. This will likely happen with no warning, just as your trying to beat that storm coming in. Whats 450 bucks worth to you?
Hey Mr. Reeves,when are you gonna get that motor put back together? I wanna see it running this year.
Click to expand...

Gotcha, thanks. Unfortunately, this was my first outing with this boat, so something may have been done to it, or not... but the p[arts I have looked at do seem original, but if these wires were that close to the flywheel, some work might have been done by the previous owner.

Will verify all... I do understand and agree that a properly working part is much better than a "working" part... you never know when it is going to die on you.

Thanks for your time!
 
Good luck Jorge, thanks Daselbee, and Mr. Reeves, I'm addressing the Evinrude you are working on in your avatar. Thanks from me for all the time you spend helping others. I like Fords too.
 
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