Evinrude Ocean Pro 175 issues

I have a 1997 Angler with a Evinrude Ocean Pro 175 on it. When I got the boat up to about 30mph the other day an alarm went off on my console and there was a lot of smoke\exhaust coming out of the back. It ran great just 2 weeks prior. The spark plugs are new and the telltale was pissing. I know it's not much to work with and I don't know much about boat motors. But does anyone have any ideas on what may have caused the alarm and issue? Once I slowed down it stopped. The engine sounded a little off but did fine at slower speeds the rest of the day.

That motor, if original alarms, will have alarms for low oil, no oil, overheat and fuel restriction.

Low oil in the VRO tank, should be obvious.

No oil is an issue with oil being fed to the VRO pump. It could be a clogged filter or broken oil line or a VRO pump malfunction.

Overheat should cause an intentional loss in speed, as the alarm will kill some of the spark.

It is likely that a fuel restriction would occur at high speed only.

When was the last time the waterpump and thermostats were replaced?

When was the last time the fuel filters were replaced?

Had something similar happened. Turned out to be a bad float valve.

Pull the plugs to see if you can identify the offending cylinder

Thanks guys! The tank has oil and there was less than before I took the boat out. So I think the pump is working. I've owned this boat for less than a year. So I don't know when some of the maintenance items have been replaced. Though I was told that the water pump was done last year. I did just order new thermostats and fuel filter. When the alarm went off I can't recall if there was a noticeable drop on speed. Because I immediately throttled down. I'll do the suggested maintenance, see how she runs next week, and will report back.

zx2max said:

Thanks guys! The tank has oil and there was less than before I took the boat out. So I think the pump is working. I've owned this boat for less than a year. So I don't know when some of the maintenance items have been replaced. Though I was told that the water pump was done last year. I did just order new thermostats and fuel filter. When the alarm went off I can't recall if there was a noticeable drop on speed. Because I immediately throttled down. I'll do the suggested maintenance, see how she runs next week, and will report back.

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Water pump and thermostat are maintenance items. Doesn't explain the drop in power.

If you’re not already, you should be running a 10 micron coalescing fuel filter.

Dingbat, I pulled the plugs and bank on the starboard side had more oil on them then the other side. I also noticed that the plastic piece on the top carburetor had a small crack in it. Could that be related to my issue?
I just looked up those fuel filters and they look similar to an oil filter on my car. But the fuel filter on my Evinrude is a small plastic cone shaped filter. Would I need some kind of adapter or is a 10 micron coalescing filter just not an option for this motor?

zx2max said:

Dingbat, I pulled the plugs and bank on the starboard side had more oil on them then the other side. I also noticed that the plastic piece on the top carburetor had a small crack in it. Could that be related to my issue?

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Quite possibly.
I had to replace three carbs with hair line cracks on my 200hp a while back. Would run, but flood and foul plugs over a course of 10-15 minutes. Tore my hair out trying to figure out what was wrong,

With the motor running, spray starting fluid around the crack. If rpm pickup you’ve found your culprit.

zx2max said:

I just looked up those fuel filters and they look similar to an oil filter on my car. But the fuel filter on my Evinrude is a small plastic cone shaped filter. Would I need some kind of adapter or is a 10 micron coalescing filter just not an option for this motor?

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The coalescing filter is not part of the motor. It’s a stand alone filter that goes in the main fuel line between the fuel tank and primer bulb. Pretty much standard equipment on larger, hp powered outboards

Typically mounted on the transom in a protected location. Mine is mounted under the rear access hatch with my batteries.

There are two styles to choose.., the Racor SNAPP series for smaller outboards and the common canister filter that fits an OEM factory filter head.

Gee, be really careful when spraying ether. Have a fire extinguisher handy, as it will likely catch on fire.

Using a spray bottle of gas/oil is a lot safer.

You probably want a water separating fuel filter mounted in the boat. The dinky strainer on the motor can fill up and restrict fuel flow, a lot easier than one would expect.

I finally got around to some part replacements and troubleshooting. Instead of spraying start fluid in the cracked throttle body I just bought a used replacement on eBay. The engine did sound better but still stalled. I noticed the primer bulb wasn't holding pressure so the engine would eventually stall. If I pumped the primer while engine was running it would keep running. I replaced the fuel filter, primer bulb and some of the gas lines. As well as tightened all the fittings. My next thought was the fuel pump in the VRO isn't working correctly. I was going to buy a rebuild kit online but wasn't quite sure what to get. There are some cheap ones on Amazon with all the parts but they have terrible reviews. So I was looking for an OEM rebuild kit but can't seem to find one. I was looking at Crowley Marine website but can't seem to figure out all the parts needed. Any suggestions?

Also, I did order a Racor 10 micron filter as recommended. Just haven't installed it yet. But will be doing that as soon as I figure out the fuel delivery problem.

Thanks!