Weirdness with my MR-1

[Beachbummer]

So first day of the season, hoping for another flawless day, and on my SX230, port engine was sputtering quite a bit, idling at 1200 or so, then unable to rev higher than 4K or 5K., would shut down when tried to go higher, but restart quickly. I replaced plugs and no change, visual inspection turned nothing interesting, Nothing on the clean out port, and after the third test drive it was idling and running just fine as I returned to dock. One more test and it was pretty flawless, so test turned into outing that should have started a couple of hours ago...Mybe 20-30 minutes of engine time before it "woke up"

I suspected Spark first, Coils tested OK with the voltmeter, checked connections to injectors and throttle body operation.

I wondered if it was something on the fuel, fuel pump or injector dirty...

Glad it sorted itself out, but no idea what happened.

Any clues? It's guessing at this point, but if it happens again It will help to have your ideas and perspective.

Thanks!

 

[djetok]

So first day of the season, hoping for another flawless day, and on my SX230, port engine was sputtering quite a bit, idling at 1200 or so, then unable to rev higher than 4K or 5K., would shut down when tried to go higher, but restart quickly. I replaced plugs and no change, visual inspection turned nothing interesting, Nothing on the clean out port, and after the third test drive it was idling and running just fine as I returned to dock. One more test and it was pretty flawless, so test turned into outing that should have started a couple of hours ago...Mybe 20-30 minutes of engine time before it "woke up"

I suspected Spark first, Coils tested OK with the voltmeter, checked connections to injectors and throttle body operation.

I wondered if it was something on the fuel, fuel pump or injector dirty...

Glad it sorted itself out, but no idea what happened.

Any clues? It's guessing at this point, but if it happens again It will help to have your ideas and perspective.

Thanks!

It sounds fuel related as well to me. Dirty injector or a little water in the fuel?

 

[Beachbummer]

It sounds fuel related as well to me. Dirty injector or a little water in the fuel?

Could be. Other engine ran fine, but maybe this one got a gulp of water/mixed/bad fuel..

 

[gt5pilot]

If the motors has sat for a while, the injectors can get gummy with residue which if not completely clogged can clear itself after some time of having gas spraying through them again. I would suspect that could have been you issue especially if it now runs clear going forward.

 

[itsdgm]

Could be water in the fuel, sticky injectors, or in my case sticky exhaust valves. I had to remove an engine years ago and have the head sent into a shop to clean the valves. It happens while in storage. Residual water in the exhaust creates moisture that starts to develop surface rust on the exposed exhaust valves. I always noticed that if left for too long, the engine would stumble at idle once first started up for a few seconds. Now over winter, I try to hop in the boat and fire it up every few weeks To exercise the engines. Fogging the engines prior long term storage is a good idea if unable to test fire it regularly.

 

[zipper]

Try adding some Sea Foam to the fuel. https://seafoamworks.com/product/sea-foam-motor-treatment-oil-fuel-additive/

 

[buckbuck]

Is it possible it takes a while to burn off the fogging oil?

 

[dgfreeze]

General thoughts would be lack of fuel if it’s dying when you open the throttles. Doubtful it’s fuel pressure if it’s firing right back up after dying….although I have seen intermittent fuel pressure issues from a clogged/partially loose in-tank fuel filter. After some running, the half torn loose filter would get sucked up against the fuel pump, and block flow. Once the engine was shut down, the filter would dislodge, and the engine would start right back up. I have a hard time believing that’s what you’ve got going on, but I guess it’s inside the realm of possibilities. My gut instincts would lean more toward a stuck injector or maybe some water. I would also recommend a fuel additive, and while seafoam is a great product, for this scenario I’d recommend using K100. It cleans fuel systems, stabilizes fuel, and suspends water into the fuel so it gets burned up. The water treatment is the only reason I recommend it over others. If there happens to be water in your fuel, this stuff will get rid of it.

 

[zipper]

If you run ethynol in the fuel, K100 will remove the water. It does little to clean parts of the internals. If it were a water in gas problem, I think it would have happened to both engines. I run non ethynol fuel in my boats and small engines, mowers, chain and brush saws. Seafoam cleaned up my mistakes in the past of using ethynol fuel in these engines and then letting them set unused for a while.
They are different products.

Post 19 below...

Proper maintenance...or lack of.

This is a result of poor maintenance by the unit's owner who claims he has never had a moments problem til now, more realistic, hasn't put a cent into maintenance til now. He ran garbage fuel (regular) and was told by the fuel fairies that you don't have to treat the fuel because ethanol doesn't...

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