nunnink23

Ugh lol... I like the sound of more power. 350 HP would be so nice. But I don't know if my drive can handle it, (DP-SM), and I probably should leave it stock. I am asking for reliability problems. Plus I really want a bigger boat in 2 years. This boat will never be a rocket.

But I take back my carb statement. Because I thought about how many other things are controlled/pass through my ECM. It would be a mess to convert properly, and my whole idea was only to do that so I could have a season, then gather info all summer, and fix this ***** in the fall.

Quick2500

Time and money wise, wouldn't it have been easier to take it to a shop? Drivability/ECM issues are not easily diagnosed over the Internet. A seasoned tech could do more in 15 minutes in person than 15 hours online. Suck up that pride and take it to a pro.

SB

Not always...but some times.

Most of us started out the same way.

nunnink23

It's not even about the money at this point. I really don't have faith that any local ones will resolve it. I think they are going to shotgun parts at it, or blame the injectors which I don't think are bad after all, but then tell me they can't get me new ones. I've had a bad experience at multiple local places with much newer and simpler machines. Plus my closest volvo Penta dealer is quite a distance. It will probably be $1000 in diagnositcs for the tech just to catch up to where we already are, and still be in the same position. I really don't know what we are missing. I do have a fair amount of experience working on them too. I might not be a master tech, but I usually can figure these things out... It's just not adding up.

BUP

The flame arrestor and cover will work or get rid of the cover - the EST set up if you buy new is not that expensive. I think I can beat Michigan Motors price if in fact you are buying new.

You need low pressure fuel pump to supply your fuel to carb. 4 to 8 psi will be fine. Also look at Volvo 350 GS models (carb apps) and their set up for the fuel system and can buy that electric fuel pump that is used for the GS or GL carbed Volvos.

U are not going to lose any HP going to a 600 CFM carb app correctly dialed in - matter of fact you might even pick up a tad over the stock TBI system. Keep in mind with tbi the manifold is still a wet manifold just like a carp app. NO HP lost if you set up your carb and ignition correctly - also you can play with timing to improve upon a lot more with the carb app than the TBI app.

It would be so much easier to make more power with a correct carb set up than the stock TBI set up. Again marine TBI set ups really did not do that well in a marine app anyways especially in hard turns and leaky tbi injectors over time.

BUP

Volvo SX drives can handle 450 hp easily and more so if you are going to throw 350 hp at it. Volvo makes a good outdrive

nunnink23

I just feel like I have no good options here. It's a ton of work to convert to a carb, only to lose resale value.

I don't have faith in my local dealers... Unless you can recommend somebody in the Shelton CT area. I'm not okay with a dealer shot gunning parts and taking up more time. I can do that myself, and already have. And that's what my feedback has been from local dealers, through all of my friends, and my own experience.

BUP can you work remotely? Thats if you were even willing. I know you are far away but if you logged in to my laptop remotely you could use my diacom tool and what not. Just throwing ideas out there. Again, I don't mind spending the money at a dealer, I just don't want to throw it away, and I think im doing that locally.

BUP

If anything not many peeps that know marine set up especially if they had a TBI set up before are looking for TBI set ups again - I promise I am still a boat dealer everyone wants MPI, if not they buy carb apps. Its like the older VST set ups for marine apps instead of the cool fuel systems - when you know that system or owned one before you will never buy another VST system. Just saying - the worst marine stock set ups were TBI with VST systems. Both have a bunch NLA parts and or very hard to find plus after ten years of use the problems began. Poor reliability and the past 10 years the gasoline blends have started a lot of the problems for both systems. .

nunnink23

What about converting to MPI? I would be willing to step up a bit more for that as I know how much better they are. Is this within the realm of possibilities?

BUP

I have my own scan tools, I am good friends with the people at Diacom. I actually have worked with many of the Volvo reps even in other states. I like puzzles and really to work on these you need hands - eyes and ears on them. I have so much out of the box thinking about working on this stuff that I could never write about it or make any sense writing about it. I am a poor writer and poor speller. Oxymoron I write for marine technicians magazine of all things. the odd thing about all of this because my last story was about fuel injectors / TBI and MPI injectors along with fuel pressure regs. The magazine is out but the online version is not. I was going to post it here.

Once again its raining here so I am at a stand still AGAIN.

I understand your frustration.

years ago I had a boater from CA yes CA that brought me his very nice 2 year old boat that he bought thru a repo auction. This was in 2008 or 09. It was the biggest lunch EATER and for the 6 other shops that tried to get fixed but could not - they all washed their hands of it. I was the only stupid one to stay with it to either I killed it or it killed me.

Anyways it eat my lunch and my techs lunch at that time trying to fix this Merc 496 HO MAG. 4 straight weeks and finally we found the problem. It killed me / us. Just saying I understand where you are coming from and the frustration on your end believe me I know.. Someday I will post this story about the 496 HO mag. To this day It is still called the biggest lunch eater in the country.

anyways enough about that - what I would want to do is throw on a MEFI 3 stock Volvo locked TUNE untouched and NOT a reman ECM that is working correctly on an VOLVO - EF model . Then see what happens. Do you have anyone that might have this app to try the swap to test ?

Now with that said - the only thing else comes to mind is handling your ECM from shipping back to you and of course you handling it and whomever - All the OEM's strongly state to watch out for static discharge of any ecm from handling it to installing it and to have all power completely OFF when removing and installing any ECM's or even prevent any voltage spikes powering up the engine and or the system. So what is the possibility of your ECM being bad from any of this? the possibility could be. Just thinking out loud again. Not pin pointing but as we all know there is a big problem in your system somewhere .

ECM hate vibrations, they hate to be dropped, they hate wet / moisture, they hate corrosion, the hate voltage spikes - they hate too low of voltage too high of voltage, they hate static electricity. They hate forced installed connectors / connections, they hate poor grounds, they hate heat