TR1 question

[nozzlenuts]

210 FSH with 130 hours. just did my oil/plugs etc... starboard engine plugs were tan in color, port side clean white color. obviously they are not running the same. both run fine, just curious if it's a sign of trouble on the way. my experience tells me to be wary of the lean looking plugs but my experience is mostly based on old carbureted land engines. i'm not too savy with efi or fuel mapping. thanks in advance.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

FI engines run with a white insulator all the way to the base.

Can you post pics of the plugs?

How many threads of heat do the plugs have off of the port and starboard?

Have you owned the boat since new?

 

[tdonoughue]

All those questions are, of course, the right ones. That said, I don't usually get alarmed at tan. Black causes me concern. Missing electrodes cause alarm. Missing anodes cause panic. But tan usually only raises an eyebrow. Usually.

But you are right to ask when there is a difference...

 

[nozzlenuts]

FI engines run with a white insulator all the way to the base.

Can you post pics of the plugs?

How many threads of heat do the plugs have off of the port and starboard?

Have you owned the boat since new?

 

[nozzlenuts]

owned since new. never had any engine trouble. plugs changes in the past have been more equal in color. all plugs on all services gapped religiously at .029

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

The tan isn’t too bad but definitely richer than the other. With these engines I have found that there is not the usual 3 threads of heat on the plugs like a proper tuned land vehicle, I can see that there is a difference in plug thread heat between the two.

One possible cause is the air filter being dirty on the richer plug side… another could be the map sensor on the starboard side that could be making that motor run richer. Do you fog your engine when you put it up for the winter? If you do it’s possible the fogging agent may have fouled the map sensor some. There are only a couple of things that can cause an open loop FI motor to run rich on all cylinders and it is usually a sensor telling the ECU to put more fuel in.

What do you think?

 

[nozzlenuts]

i didn't think about the air cleaners. i've inspected them every time except this time, they have always been spotless. i don't winterize, we use the boat all year. i've also been digging in the manual and found i can look at how much fuel each engine has burned, that may help narrow it down some too. thanks for your insight.

 

[tdonoughue]

Might also be a little start of an oil leak in the head (or past the piston rings). In these cases, it doesn't look bad yet. I would do as @FSH 210 Sport says and, if all clear, continue to monitor (and watch the oil level).

 

[drewkaree]

I'm bad with colors, and assessing what's right or wrong, so... the white seems like it's running leaner, so that would seem to be the motor I'd be a bit more concerned with, since every car I've ever had would be considered "running well" with plugs that look like your darker set.

Another question for you - have you been the only person to do the maintenance on your boat? The stories/videos of mechanics make me wonder if someone else perhaps did some work on your boat and didn't do the complete job you paid for, like the 10-hour service, for example.

I also wonder if a cooling water issue might cause the extra heat on those darker plugs - maybe something sucked into the system blocking or limiting the flow in some passage somewhere.

Looking forward to what you find, as I've got the same motor and year. Watching with interest.

 

[drewkaree]

p.s. where are you at? Updating your profile with your location might help with some things, as well as potentially having someone in your area who might be able to stop by and help out.

 

[nozzlenuts]

i'm in san antonio, tx. usually run in the gulf and bay system then was all the salt out at the lake. pretty impressed with the fsh.

 

[nozzlenuts]

I'm bad with colors, and assessing what's right or wrong, so... the white seems like it's running leaner, so that would seem to be the motor I'd be a bit more concerned with, since every car I've ever had would be considered "running well" with plugs that look like your darker set.

Another question for you - have you been the only person to do the maintenance on your boat? The stories/videos of mechanics make me wonder if someone else perhaps did some work on your boat and didn't do the complete job you paid for, like the 10-hour service, for example.

I also wonder if a cooling water issue might cause the extra heat on those darker plugs - maybe something sucked into the system blocking or limiting the flow in some passage somewhere.

Looking forward to what you find, as I've got the same motor and year. Watching with interest.

air filter was pretty bad. i ordered the k&n washables from riva.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

air filter was pretty bad. i ordered the k&n washables from riva.

Alright.. at least you found a probable cause. I’m not usually a very big fan of the new style K&N filters but in the marine application and these high revving motors, that is where these types of filters are supposed to shine. I hope you find some noticeable gains in performance and fuel economy.