masher44

Bob, I toyed with the 28 Nordic in the past, (I have passed many of them) I am not closed to the idea of the thirty five. I am going to try to locate a Mercruiser computer today up here and see what the deal is. Are you equipped with that capability? This is my third Fountain and I love them so it might take a little to get me away but I am always open for change. My email address is [email protected] if you have available links/photos of the 35 Nordic or boats you have for sale. And please let me know if you have the infamous computer to hook my boat up to and see if it is the fuel pump. Thanks Jim

audacity

if your plugs look ok then it's not a fuel issue...get to a merc dealer and hook up to a scan tool...looking at the plugs, a scan tool, and a leak down tester is all u need to figure out what going on with your engine w/o taking it apart. w/o 1 of these 3 things???...your just guessing....let us know bro!

mcollinstn

Plug wires?

masher44

The saga continues, Tomorrow I am going to get it scanned, & change the other fuel filter if necessary. If I cant figure it out after the scan( I dont have a ton of confidence in my crew), I am going to bring to a knowledgeable place. They did a fuel pressure test ( in neutral) and it checked out so hopefully by tomorrow I will at least get some clarity. I will keep you boys updated. Thanks Again

robyw1

Unfortunately a scan will not reveal a low fuel pressure problem unless done at full throttle and the O2 numbers are showing lean. O2 numbers are very tricky to read and you must focus on them knowing what you're looking for to notice a possible problem. That is if you can't graph your results.

Do yourself a favor and seriously come up with a way for some full throttle fuel pressure test. This isn't like a carb. a port EFI system will act just like an ignition spark problem if the fuel pressure falls off. The engine will feel weak at first and then it will stumble & cut-out as the pressure further drops.

Roby

robyw1

I don't know where you are but if you're close to Houston I can help you with this.

Roby

masher44

Hi Roby, You are second person who has personally offered to help me with this problem on the board. I truly cant thank all of you for your assistance. I am in Granbury about 4 hours north of Houston and another member is about 2 hours away so I will most likely bring it there but I cant tell you how appreciative I am of your assistance. This is my plan for the next step. Please offer your thoughts.

Have a scan done in the morning to see what , if anything, it reveals. Then take any appropraite actions.
They have ordered me a fuel filter ( not the water separator) to replace ( it is my mechanics "hunch" that this is the issue) and he is only getting one hunch.
I have already replaced the water separator filter and plugs, ran through about 30 gals of new fuel and checked the fuel pressure in neutral. If tomorrow doesnt do anything I am bringing it to a REAL shop.
When I hit 4500, the boat doesnt die or let off whatsoever, it just seems to not be wanting the fuel or getting enough. I hate to speculate too much but it almost seems like there is a piece of something blocking the fuel when I get into it. It is always predictable at 4500 rpm. The boat runs great at anything less than 4500, it starts great , comes out of the hole great, gets up to 60 great , then struggles. Thanks for any additional thoughts. Jim

robyw1

A fuel filter is a definite possibility.

Roby

sun28

Had a very similar problem with a friends' boat. CHECK THE FUEL PICKUP IN THE TANK !!!!!

We wasted all the same time and money that you are, i.e. dry gas, filters, good fuel, etc. Found what looked like small remnents of carpet and gasket material were in the fuel tank, getting sucked up onto the screen/check valve inside of tank. Cleaned the stuff off the pickup, removed the screen and check valve ( I know we're going to get some flak on here for that!!!) Boat picked back up all the rpm plus some and has run great since.

Good Luck

masher44

Hi Guys, Finally we found out that the specs on the 525 from Merc for fuel pressure is 40 at idle and 38 at WOT. I hooked up yesterday and it only ran at 25 at idle and droped to about 16-17 when the gas was applied, then jumped back up to 25-26 after a few seconds. It is my understanding that an EFI it NOT supposed to fluctuate hardly. Talked to Merc Racing today and described what was going on and almost instantly they asked if had changed the fuel filter ( not the water separator).( that is the filter I have coming in today) It turns out there is a Service Bulletin on the Merc site about it and that it needs to be changed every 100 hours or EVERY year, which I have not done and my boat only has 60 hours on it. SO they are going to give that a shot today.
If that is not the case ( which it looks like it is?) I am weary about the pickup valve but it looks like it is a potentially difficult job? I will update you all tonite. THANKS AGAIN!!! Jim