2005 Yamaha Ar230 needs both keys in the ignition to start

[Johncoutolima]

I bought my boat in 2011 from the original owner at that time he explained to me that you put both keys in the ignition and start one motor at a time.never had a problem with the boat until this year my starboard motor was acting up so I brought to the dealer.i get a call couple days later and they want to now about the key situation and told them that's how it always has been.they couldn't understand what was going on i was looking at $1000 plus into trouble shooting.they determined that the factory mislabeled wires and is why I was having problems.the dealer felt 100% it was a manufacturer mistake but because the boat is 10 years old they won't pay for the corrections.The dealer stated to them that because I was firing both motors at the same time the troubles wouldn't have presented themselves.but because one motor was running and the wires were crossed it was spraying gas into the none running motor and causing my problems.

 

[Bruce]

That is strange.

What problem were you experiencing with the engine?

I edited your poll to change the options from 10/10 to yes/no.

 

[Johncoutolima]

Thank you for making the change!i didn't understand the poll options.
The problem started on my first run of the year,it started up fine but once i killed the motors and went swimming and then tried to start the motors. the starboard motor would turn over but wouldn't start.Ran motor on no wake back to the trailer.
My cousin who is a mechanic wanted to take a look at a few things and when he opened the cover to the air filter housing everything was saturated in oil he checked oil level and it was past full.
I just had it serviced and thought they put too much oil back.so we took some of the oil out clean it up and take it out again starts fine but once we stopped and restarted same problem.
At this point I decided to take it to a dealer that's 2 1/2 hours away and that's when I learned about the key situation.and now that they have corrected the wiring they found that EMC unit is bad.
I'm not sure if the problem with the non running motor being flood with gas is from the wiring issue or the computer issue or from a combination of both.
The dealer has been really pushing Yamaha to cover parts and labor but they refuse because it's out of warranty and there not sure if I or the previous owner rewired the boat even though the dealer has traced all the wires and found that nothing was tampered with and that some of the wires were mislabeled with original yamaha tags.

 

[Gym]

That's a tough one @Johncoutolima. It appears you have 3 separate problems here. 1) The wiring problem. 2) The ECU (computer) & 3) The oil overfill. I would find it difficult to believe any vehicle manufacturer would cover a problem after 10 years unless it was a safety recall. The ECU keeping an injector open pouring fuel into a cylinder is not too rare in the older boats. There is a company that may be able to refurbish your ECU for a fraction of a new one. I believe someone on this site has used them and, hopefully will chime in. The oil overfill issue is due to not being knowledgeable about the MR1 motor. Even Yamaha service people have done it. Service people are conditioned to refilling the oil reservoir up to the F mark on the dipstick which is a no no with these motors. If your air filters got soaked with oil you will need to replace them. You can check the Reference Thread under General Discussion for the proper oil change procedure. There is also an active thread running now on How To Properly Check Oil.

 

[Bruce]

Sounds like an ECU failed, pumped gas into the oil and flooded the engine. This is a known problem with early MR-1s.

This thread has info on a company that may be able to repair the ECU https://jetboaters.net/threads/yamaha-boat-ski-ecu-repair.7724/

It is probably a good idea to have your injectors cleaned and tested while you are at it.

 

[Johncoutolima]

That's a tough one @Johncoutolima. It appears you have 3 separate problems here. 1) The wiring problem. 2) The ECU (computer) & 3) The oil overfill. I would find it difficult to believe any vehicle manufacturer would cover a problem after 10 years unless it was a safety recall. The ECU keeping an injector open pouring fuel into a cylinder is not too rare in the older boats. There is a company that may be able to refurbish your ECU for a fraction of a new one. I believe someone on this site has used them and, hopefully will chime in. The oil overfill issue is due to not being knowledgeable about the MR1 motor. Even Yamaha service people have done it. Service people are conditioned to refilling the oil reservoir up to the F mark on the dipstick which is a no no with these motors. If your air filters got soaked with oil you will need to replace them. You can check the Reference Thread under General Discussion for the proper oil change procedure. There is also an active thread running now on How To Properly Check Oil.

Thank you for the info!I appreciate it

 

[Johncoutolima]

Sounds like an ECU failed, pumped gas into the oil and flooded the engine. This is a known problem with early MR-1s.

This thread has info on a company that may be able to repair the ECU https://jetboaters.net/threads/yamaha-boat-ski-ecu-repair.7724/

It is probably a good idea to have your injectors cleaned and tested while you are at it.

Thank you for the info!I appreciate it

 

[Murf'n'surf]

The overfilled oil could be from gas dumping into the oil.

Don't you love how we know more than most dealers!

 

[Johncoutolima]

The overfilled oil could be from gas dumping into the oil.

Don't you love how we know more than most dealers!

I love this site!people share a lot of good information and people on here go out of their way to help.
Thanks for the info and you are correct about the gas dumping into the oil

 

[Johncoutolima]

Can someone please tell me where i can find the ECU box on my 2005 yamaha Ar230.
Thank you

 

[Bruce]

Can someone please tell me where i can find the ECU box on my 2005 yamaha Ar230.
Thank you

There is one behind each engine.

 

[Johncoutolima]

Thank you so much for the information ! I have the repair maual on a memory stick but my computer is also down right now.

 

[Gym]

Thank you so much for the information ! I have the repair maual on a memory stick but my computer is also down right now.

We can probably fix that too. Have you tried the reverse maneuver?

 

[jawsf16]

Tape a couple noodles around the monitor. It helps with the speed... Also I think jetboatpilot makes a fin to enhance that slow speed maneuvering.!

 

[Adam Graff]

The guys above have it correct. My ECU left number 3 injector open all the time. It flooded my crack case with fuel, causing me to think I had too much oil. Your fuel efficiency should be horrible, mine was. Don't run the engine anymore. I ended up washing the the #3 cylinder and eventually blew the engine. Don't go my route. You can swap the ecu's from left to right to see if this clears your problem to know for sure that it's the ECU. They are pretty pricey, but could cost a lot more if you blow the engine.