2001 Evenrude 200 overheat

[boatsurvey06]

I am looking at an overheat situation on this motor that destroyed the #1 piston and threw a chunk out of the block. Operator said he snagged a bag, but the impeller looks ok, but smells like it might have started to burn. He was going 40MPH when the casualty occurred. Engine is 200HP, Mod E200FPXSIF SN 04941200. Could this be an isolated mechanical failure? Are there any reman powerheads available for this model?<br /><br />Larry Balok

 

[seahorse5]

Re: 2001 Evenrude 200 overheat

Have your dealer contact Bombardier dealer support and see if anything can be done. The company has gone out of their way to participate in helping a customer out, depending on the year of the motor and the circumstances. It couldn't hurt.<br /><br />The best rebuilds are from Flagship Marine Engines in Punta Gorda, FL. Your dealer has to order from them. They used to do all the factory rebuilds in the past and they have good people there.<br /><br /> http://www.flagshipengine.com/aboutus.html

 

[Joe Reeves]

Re: 2001 Evenrude 200 overheat

If the operator picked up a bag, the overheat warning system would have gone into effect long before the engine was hot enough to do any damage.<br /><br />Even if the overheat warning system was inoperative, it wouldn't have caused damage to only one cylinder/piston. Rather the engine would have slowly dropped rpms, then due to the extreme heat being generated between the pistons and cylinder wall, the engine would have come to a seizing halt.<br /><br />The most likely causes of having one piston blow through the block is:<br /><br />A: A clogged carburetor which would have caused that cylinder to run lean.<br /><br />B: A flooding or overly rich setting of the carburetor which would have resulted in what most mechanics call a washout (excessive gas overcomes the oil, resulting poor or no lubrication, causing excessive friction).<br /><br />C: Erratic or no ignition to that cylinder which again would lead into the washout situation as above.<br /><br />There are other reasons but the above are the most likely.

 

[boatsurvey06]

Re: 2001 Evenrude 200 overheat

Joe and Seahorse: Thanks for the response. I'll chase down the sources for a reman. The clogged carb was my first thought, but you have added some other dimensions to explore.

 

[seahorse5]

Re: 2001 Evenrude 200 overheat

A 2001 Evinrude is a DFI motor, no carbs. Since it is computer controlled, if a piston starts to "stick" from running lean or lack of lube, the computer adds fuel and spark advance to the remaining cylinders to make up of the loss of power. Of course the computer doesn't know there is a piston problem, it only sees a drop in rpm and compensates for it. That is why a DFI motor shows major rod or piston problems if something goes wrong.<br /><br />My guess is that you may have had an injector go lean or possibly a "hot spot" in the cooling system if you had the motor jacked up and sucking in aerated cooling water.<br /><br />Had the engine been worked on recently where an oil line could have been pinched?<br /><br />Hooking up a laptop to the motor (or a PDA) will show the rpm history and the hottest temps that the motor experienced, along with any electrical error codes.<br /><br />Bombardier customer service is 847-689-7090, have your serial number handy.

 

[boatsurvey06]

Re: 2001 Evenrude 200 overheat

For Seahorse: You sighted a possible cooling problem with aerated cooling. Is it possible that a bag flapping on the intake could create this situation? I'm still having a hard time visualizing this since this is a low suction engine. By the way, the computer did not reveal anything abnormal, but the tech said he couldn't analize all of the results. I just wondered if you might be leaning in that direction. The alarm did not go off until the operator had traveled more then 10 miles with decreasing RPMs.

 

[seahorse5]

Re: 2001 Evenrude 200 overheat

If an alarm went off like you said, there would be a "record" of that when you hook up the laptop.<br /><br />I'm not sure what is meant by "he couldn't analize all of the results"

 

[boatsurvey06]

Re: 2001 Evenrude 200 overheat

What I ment was that he could only do a limited download due to an inability to interpret the data. I am doing this long distance now. He said what data he got showed no abnormal readings which I can't understand if there was a catostropic failure to the engine. However the alarm did not go off until the boat was idling at the last 1000 yds to the beach. I think he ran out with the #1 failing and ran even though it blew out the side of the block. Upon return, he maybe finally overheated to a point where the alarm went off. This may also be coincidental to his "bag" which may have added to the problem, but I am skeptical. The impeller looks ok, but I did note a smell of burned rubber and a slight discoloration. I may be barking up a tree, but would like to solve to some extent where I can get him a new or rebuilt powerhead. E-mail me if we can talk more. I really appreciate all of the help you and others can offer.

 

[seahorse5]

Re: 2001 Evenrude 200 overheat

Have the customer call Bombardier customer service first and see what happens.<br /><br />It still could have been a bag or some blockage of the cooling water. The block and mid section hold several gallons and it takes a while to drain out. The #1 piston, being the highest and first to lose coolant, could have scored and been damaged before the rest of the motor could have sounded the alarm. The midsection, still full of water, could keep the impeller from burning up, especially if a bit of water could still get thru. Usually a completely melted impeller is from running dry in the beginning.

 

[jegervais]

Re: 2001 Evenrude 200 overheat

To add to the impeller thing just a little bit, it's been my experience that the impellers used in Evinrudes & Johnsons are much more resilient in terms of "running dry", than some of the other major manufacturers impellers. <br /><br />One of the training guides I got during a Mercury training course shows examples of what it does to their impellers: It takes less than 30 seconds to just about completely melt the vanes on a Merc impeller and at about 1 minute theirs don't have any vanes left, its all in pieces plugging up the tube and cooling passages.<br /><br />So, the burned rubber smell to the impeller may be an indication the owner did pick up a bag...<br /><br />Some points you should be able to get from the computer download are any stored service codes and max temps of the engine block and the EMM. Those items would be general indicators of what was going on at time of failue.<br /><br />As far as a remanned powerheads, contact Riverside Marine at 501-372-0985. <br /><br />-John