1998 115 X-Flow Rude-fuel situation

[walleyehed]

Hey guys, Gotta 98 115 on a 28ft pontoon.<br />Customer winterized the unit and called and ask me to come dewinterize. said it was hard starting last year as well. I found carbs way out of sinc, a coil broken and several loose bolts. after a linc-n-sync and replacing the coil, I put it on the muffs and it did start hard and had to keep priming with key to keep it running for about 3-4 min. before it would run on it's own, so I know I got a carb job to do, but have another issue that leaves me stranded...the fuel bulb would not pump up hard...I removed fuel line, off-seated ball and pumped-fuel all over the place..air-lock I thought...bulb pumped up, engine runs for about 5-6 min. and fuel restriction alarm goes off, check bulb, and soft again. tank level at half-full, new line last year before season, and it's 3/8"....only 115 I've ever seen with 3/8". Bottom of fuel tank is about even with VRO unit on engine. seldom will bulb pump any fuel. I replaced his check-valve in the tank 2 years ago, right after powerhead replacement due to burn-down, but work was done 200 miles from here, but I know he had problems with fuel restriction horn then too.<br />The fuel tank sets on the rear port side and the fuel line runs up about 8" above tank and then down to bulb and engine.<br />Is 3/8" too big for a 115????<br />I believe my tank pick-up tube is suspect....anyone agree???<br />What am I missing here???<br />Oh Yea, when I cut fuel line and installed new bulb, I pumped the new one before hooking up the engine side of line and a blue (strong, deep blue color) came out of line the first pump or 2, then normal colored fuel.

 

[rabidfish]

Re: 1998 115 X-Flow Rude-fuel situation

Does it run OK on a portable tank?<br /><br />Isolate if you have a engine problem or a boat fuel delivery problem...

 

[seahorse5]

Re: 1998 115 X-Flow Rude-fuel situation

Are you sure that the '98 115 has a fuel restriction vacuum switch in it? I don't have a parts book handy at the moment, but I'm thinking that it does not. Does the boat have the 4 light System Check tach or gauge?<br /><br />Fuel pickup does sound suspect if it truely has a fuel restriction. Is the VRO tank even with or above the fuel pump height wise. If so, it may be siphoning oil into the fuel chamber of the VRO and that is where the blue came from in the fuel line. The pump could also have a leaking oil check valve.

 

[walleyehed]

Re: 1998 115 X-Flow Rude-fuel situation

The VRO tank is quite a bit higher than the VRO pump.<br />The placard on the dash says continous tone is fuel restriction. It has the system check tach, but I'm not getting any lights there.<br />Blue would coincide with the wally-tech oil he is using.....<br /><br />Rabidfish, I'll take a tank out tomarrow and try it, but I have 2 issues here, one, I know I have a slight restriction apparently in a jet and I will be pulling carbs and O/Hing tomarrow.<br />#2, the bulb will not draw fuel as it should as the bulb will work one time, and the next, you can squeeze for 10 minutes and it does nothing...I tried 2 new bulbs and neither worked, nor did the old one.<br />Is 3/8" line ok on this set-up???<br />He had the same problem 2 weeks before he melted the first powerhead. we have an in-tank filter and check valve-both changed last year. He has 4 seasons on this powerhead-almost 500hrs. It gets some use, but he's good about quality fuel, waterpumps, and keeping things clean in general.

 

[Richard Petersen]

Re: 1998 115 X-Flow Rude-fuel situation

Why is it most vro bite the engine sooner or later? And why are they still in service?

 

[walleyehed]

Re: 1998 115 X-Flow Rude-fuel situation

I don't think the VRO bit this one....I think fuel starvation did, and I'm not gonna let it go as it is...

 

[rodbolt]

Re: 1998 115 X-Flow Rude-fuel situation

walleyehed<br /> 3/8 is fine. sounds like a fuel pick up issue. and a lot of primers wont work unless the arrow is point skyward. a whole lot of the crossflow motors of that time frame need idle air jet replacements to insure a stable idle. in my 98 115 I went from 41 to 32 on all 4 and she purrs now. seems by the late ninties a lot of motors came out of jonnyrude that would run but thats about all. and are you sure it has a fuel vacum switch? most crossflow V4 didnot.it can be added however. and on the system check. if you get a tone you should get a light. the tone willlast 10seconds or so and quit but the light will remain as long as the alarm condition exists. dumb but thats how they did it. so you have more problems than you think <br /> aint life great<br /> ps contiuous tone is alsooverheat. if the t-stats are not vented thats about how long it willidle before it over heats. shut in down for 5 min and all iswell. remember the audible willonly sound once then the system check lamp will either light the oil,temp or check engine. but the tone goes away even if the alarm condition is still present. and with system check the engine has to be running to test the alarms.

 

[G DANE]

Re: 1998 115 X-Flow Rude-fuel situation

Did it smoke - i had my VRO almost fill carbs, due to the bad cap vent issue, and changing temperatures. Started very hard. Try do drain bowls and run from a portable with premix.

 

[walleyehed]

Re: 1998 115 X-Flow Rude-fuel situation

smoked like a steam engine on start-up....had to be 4-5 min. before the smoke cleared with the wind blowing....<br />Rodbolt, The engine over-heat had been going off and this guy had took the boat to another shop last summer while I was in Texas and the mech told him the deflectors where placed wrong..he removed heads and said he re-positioned them, and the customer said the alarm never went off the rest of season....<br />There is a sticker on the dash that says "continuous horn-fuel restriction". When the horn goes off, the bulb is soft. If I can get it to pump back up, the horn quits just before bulb gets hard.

 

[rodbolt]

Re: 1998 115 X-Flow Rude-fuel situation

look on the engine itself. there will be a tee and a small fuel line on the suction side of the pump. the small line will go to a small white or tan sensor with a blackwire and a tan wire. some hulls had the tag and not the sensor. but either way your system check is not working. with any audible you will get a light. the audible wont last but 10 seconds or so and the light will remain until the alarm condition goes away.my 115 does not have the fuel restricion sensor but its also an SPL model.

 

[walleyehed]

Re: 1998 115 X-Flow Rude-fuel situation

This has the restriction sensor.....horn will sound for 3 hrs if the bulb isn't firm...<br />Decal on dash says; continuous tone, engine high RPM-FUEL RESTRICTION....continuous tone, engine will not go above 2000RPM-ENGINE OVERHEAT.<br />I stated above it has a system check tach, it does not have that tach w/lights.<br />I took my 6 gal portable, drained bowls and hooked up my fuel line. Engine fired quickly, and no choke/prime required after start...I definitely have a tank/line issue.

 

[G DANE]

Re: 1998 115 X-Flow Rude-fuel situation

What came out of bowls ?? A fat oil mix or normal mix ?

 

[G DANE]

Re: 1998 115 X-Flow Rude-fuel situation

I had to keep pushing primer on mine to keep it running, untill bowls were drained. But of coarse a fuel restriction will make it smoke that way too.

 

[walleyehed]

Re: 1998 115 X-Flow Rude-fuel situation

Blue, VERY blue fuel came out of bowls...no dirt or debris though.

 

[G DANE]

Re: 1998 115 X-Flow Rude-fuel situation

I think the VRO filled them, mine acted exactly same way. When tank sits higher than pump, the risc is much higher. I dont know how this happens, there must be a checkvalve somewhere that is defective, but oil finds its way to carb bowls. I'v heard of a couple of others having same problem, specially if boat is left outside and temperature goes up and down.

 

[G DANE]

Re: 1998 115 X-Flow Rude-fuel situation

http://www.iboats.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=28;t=019289#000003.

 

[OBJ]

Re: 1998 115 X-Flow Rude-fuel situation

Ain't there a little shaft seal between the oil side and gas side of the pump? I had a couple come in with oil in the fuel line cause the seal went south and would let the oil into the gas side and into the fuel supply line. Anyway you could you set the oil reservoir tank lower than the pump (temporarily) and see what happens?

 

[seahorse5]

Re: 1998 115 X-Flow Rude-fuel situation

Originally posted by walleyehed:<br /> The VRO tank is quite a bit higher than the VRO pump.<br /><br />The placard on the dash says continous tone is fuel restriction. It has the system check tach, but I'm not getting any lights there.<br />Blue would coincide with the wally-tech oil he is using.....

The VRO will leak oil into the fuel if the tank is higher than the pump due to a siphoning action.<br /><br />The placard does NOT apply to a SystemCheck gauge as Rodbolt pointed out. If you have a System Check tach, then it has 4-warning lites on the face of it. IF the horn sounds and the lights do not come on, then something is not wired correctly or the gauge is bad.<br /><br />The parts book does not show a vacuum switch on your particular motor. Chances are it is an overheat, but your System Check is not working correctly.

 

[walleyehed]

Re: 1998 115 X-Flow Rude-fuel situation

By seahorse,<br />

The parts book does not show a vacuum switch on your particular motor. Chances are it is an overheat, but your System Check is not working correctly. <br />

It's not overheat...it'll go to 4800 with a test wheel.....<br />By Kenny,<br />

I stated above it has a system check tach, it does not have that tach w/lights.<br />

With my tank hooked up, I have NO horn.<br />I know it has a restriction sensor of some sort because as the horn is going off, if you pump the bulb (boat tank) until you get lucky and it gets hard, the tone stops....after engine has run for 4-5 minutes, the tone comes again and the bulb is soft...pump like crazy again..eventually it will pump some, and the horn stops again. My 6 gallon tank and almost an hour run-time, and no horn.<br />This is the same engine I just O/H'd last year, well, same model, and mine did not have all the extra parts and wiring this one does.<br /><br />EDIT: the bottom of the VRO tank is 27" above the VRO itself...

 

[walleyehed]

Re: 1998 115 X-Flow Rude-fuel situation

The last manual I have (OEM) is 1997...the 98 should be darn near the same on the X-flow.<br />This problem has been going on for years with this guy...as I said he's on the second powerhead on a 98...<br />I just talked with him on the phone and he said when the horn came on last year on the water, the rpm's were limited, and the decal on the dash says O/Heat...he took it in, they said the deflectors were laid over or something, anyway, he said he never had the O/heat again after that, but had the fuel restriction horn on countles occasions. I asked him what the dealer up there did to fix that and he said "nothing", they couldn't find anything wrong.....