Volvo Penta V6-240 Fuel High Pressure Dropping to Zero

harringtondav

Commander
Joined
May 26, 2018
Messages
2,492
I'll run some more .rec, at temp and different RPMs and post them tomorrow, if I can.
To attach a .rec file, open the Diacom 'record' file and right click on the file or files you want to attach. Select "Compress to...", and select 7z file.
It will take a few seconds before the 7z file shows in the folder. These can be attached.
 

Biz603

Cadet
Joined
Sep 14, 2025
Messages
24
Try to get this back into one thread with this message.
Ok. Many good points above. I'll try to answer all of them. If I miss something let me know. I'll do the tests listed below this weekend.
1. I'm going to pick up an Ultraviolet fuel additive and put it in the gas supply. If the relief valve is dumping into the crankcase (or bypassing the piston) I will see it on the dip stick with a UV light. Will let you know.
2. I'll get a scope on the signal to the HPFP and try to record what I see.
3. Regarding the battery. Interesting points. Open to trying a different battery if it helps. I purchase the boat from a Cobalt dealer in 2017 with the following battery in it. DieHard part number 24M-AGM.1758675355207.png
This battery lasted 6 years then I purchased the same one 2.5 years ago to replace it.
Just purchase a brand new one tonight, put it in and no noticeable change.
4. The only rubber fuel supply line runs from the tank to the fuel filter. To eliminate it and possible fuel tank screen clogged or fuel line check valve issues, I took this line out and ran a new line from the filter to a separate 5 gallon gas can. No change. Same issue.
5. Regarding the HPFP - Started with a new Volvo HPFP. Same issue. Then purchased 2 new GM pumps and tried them, replacing the fuel pipes each time. Same issue.
6. For reference, this is a model V6-240-C-J engine. Its governed to a speed (or interpolated RPM) request and tries to hold that requested RPM.
7. Just found out why the .rec didn't stick. This site didn't like them. No big. I ran new once tonight, on the new battery, will add them to this reply as .txt files. You'll have to download them and change the extension to .rec. One is a 18 minute run with several minutes of warm up at idle before increasing the RPM by 500 RPMs and holding for 1 minute before increasing another 500 RPMs, until failure. Another is just a quick throttle up. And the last is a Misfire .rec. Needless to say, all still failed at the end. I held the requested RPM high for seconds after failure to see what it would do. It didn't sound good. Engine was struggling to stay alive. Didn't feel good about holding this too long. You can see this in the first two files. I haven't reviewed them yet. They are hot off the engine.
 

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Biz603

Cadet
Joined
Sep 14, 2025
Messages
24
I've never used OBD equipment on a marine engine but I diagnose vehicle engine problems everyday. On a car P0174 would point to lean mixture on bank2, on this boat engine the 0174 code also seems to point to lean mixture on bank2. The way it detects mixture is using an O2 sensor, the boat engine seems to have O2 sensors because the OBD information includes readings for mixture.

If the O2 sensor on bank2 were bad that could maybe account for the engine going into limp mode? In both 'OBD snapshot' tables posted by @Biz603 in post #24 closed loop fuelling is disabled and the 'readings' from the O2 sensors seem unlikely to be correct because they point to an absolutely correct air fuel ratio. In practice the air fuel ratio usually flutters around 1 (where 1 is correct, above 1 usually lean, below 1 usually rich) so we might expect to see numbers like 0.997, 1.002 etc. At high engine load the engine normally gets a rich mixture so the reading is usually below 1, on a car it might go to 0.9 (you could read that as 10% rich). A lot of OBD systems on cars will create fake numbers for components they have deemed to be not working properly, they might give an A/F reading of 1 pointing to absolutely correct mixture for a failed O2 sensor.

Summing up, I'm suggesting the O2 / lambda sensor on cylinder bank 2 could be at fault...
See posts above. I replaced both O2 sensors and all the fuel injectors and the bank 2 trim fault went away. It did seem like it was in limp mode, but it turns out its just this problem we're trying to troubleshoot now. Basically the engine dies at >4300 RPM because the HPFP pressure is dropping from around 2050 psi down to below 30 psi even though the commanded RPM's stay high.
 

muc

"Retired" Association of Marine Technicians...
Joined
Jul 7, 2004
Messages
2,284
I don't know how to convert these into .rec filed. Can anyone help me?
 

harringtondav

Commander
Joined
May 26, 2018
Messages
2,492
7. Just found out why the .rec didn't stick. This site didn't like them. No big. I ran new once tonight, on the new battery, will add them to this reply as .txt files. You'll have to download them and change the extension to .rec.
You can attach the .rec files in a 7z zip file.
Open the Diacom 'record' folder and right click on the file or files you want to attach. Select "Compress to...", and select 7z file.
It will take a few seconds before the 7z file shows in the folder. These can be attached.
 

harringtondav

Commander
Joined
May 26, 2018
Messages
2,492
5. Regarding the HPFP - Started with a new Volvo HPFP. Same issue. Then purchased 2 new GM pumps and tried them, replacing the fuel pipes each time. Same issue.
Interesting. I believe the VP 4.3 DI engine is a GM 4.3 liter v6 ecotec3 lv3 for the most part sans exhaust manifolds, cooling, ECM etc.
I wondered if you got the Delphi/Delco p/n from the VP HPFP. I was poking around an found the HPFP at a considerably lower cost than VP.
I buy only boat OEM parts when they're proprietary, like drive parts. But when they're stamped with other OEM p/n's like this I feel safe purchasing them and saving a lot on the cost.
 

Biz603

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Joined
Sep 14, 2025
Messages
24
Inte resting. I believe the VP 4.3 DI engine is a GM 4.3 liter v6 ecotec3 lv3 for the most part sans exhaust manifolds, cooling, ECM etc.
I wondered if you got the Delphi/Delco p/n from the VP HPFP. I was poking around an found the HPFP at a considerably lower cost than VP.
I buy only boat OEM parts when they're proprietary, like drive parts. But when they're stamped with other OEM p/n's like this I feel safe purchasing them and saving a lot on the cost.
The GM part number for the pump is not on the VP pump, but it's not on the GM pump either. After realizing the VP engine was the GM 4.3 V6, that you mentioned above, used in the Chevy Silverado 1500 (2014-2019), I ordered the GM HPFP (p/n: 12744840). It looked identical, QR codes and everything. Saved me a ton of $$'s. In fact, like you say, many of the parts on the engine are most likely GM parts. Injectors, fuel pipes / rails, spark plug coils, air intake manifold, many sensors, etc. Not the low pressure pumps, exhaust manifolds, cooling systems, or ECM.
 

muc

"Retired" Association of Marine Technicians...
Joined
Jul 7, 2004
Messages
2,284
Here is a zip file with the .rec files
Based on what I see in these files.
I can see two inputs and one output go crazy.
The inputs are fuel pressure and MAP.
The output is injector pulse width.
The fuel pressure drops at the same time manifold pressure increases. Both of them happen at the same time.
The injector pulse width seems to be a reaction that happens a little later.

Because I don't fully understand exactly how this system works. I have to look for something I see bad. What I see is the manifold pressure increase from a normal number to almost barometric pressure in less than a second. MAP rises way too fast for it to be anything other then a sudden massive vacuum leak or a bad MAP sensor/MAP wiring problem.

I would replace the MAP sensor. It doesn't seem to be rising smoothly along with RPMs like I'm used to seeing and then It suddenly jumps.

Is it possible that these crazy readings from the fuel pressure and MAP could be a EMP? When you did the first repairs, is it possible that some of the wires got moved closer to the coils and spark plugs?
 

Biz603

Cadet
Joined
Sep 14, 2025
Messages
24
Based on what I see in these files.
I can see two inputs and one output go crazy.
The inputs are fuel pressure and MAP.
The output is injector pulse width.
The fuel pressure drops at the same time manifold pressure increases. Both of them happen at the same time.
The injector pulse width seems to be a reaction that happens a little later.

Because I don't fully understand exactly how this system works. I have to look for something I see bad. What I see is the manifold pressure increase from a normal number to almost barometric pressure in less than a second. MAP rises way too fast for it to be anything other then a sudden massive vacuum leak or a bad MAP sensor/MAP wiring problem.

I would replace the MAP sensor. It doesn't seem to be rising smoothly along with RPMs like I'm used to seeing and then It suddenly jumps.

Is it possible that these crazy readings from the fuel pressure and MAP could be a EMP? When you did the first repairs, is it possible that some of the wires got moved closer to the coils and spark plugs?
Great read on the data and feedback.
I'll get a new MAP.
Not sure the wiring moved as it's mostly in a large harness running up both sides of the air intake manifold. But I will check.
I'll circle back once both are completed. It might be a couple days.
Again, thank you for looking into this deep into this with me.
 

Lpgc

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jun 17, 2023
Messages
327
See posts above. I replaced both O2 sensors and all the fuel injectors and the bank 2 trim fault went away. It did seem like it was in limp mode, but it turns out its just this problem we're trying to troubleshoot now. Basically the engine dies at >4300 RPM because the HPFP pressure is dropping from around 2050 psi down to below 30 psi even though the commanded RPM's stay high.
Sorry I missed that.
 

Lpgc

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jun 17, 2023
Messages
327
Based on what I see in these files.
I can see two inputs and one output go crazy.
The inputs are fuel pressure and MAP.
The output is injector pulse width.
The fuel pressure drops at the same time manifold pressure increases. Both of them happen at the same time.
The injector pulse width seems to be a reaction that happens a little later.

Because I don't fully understand exactly how this system works. I have to look for something I see bad. What I see is the manifold pressure increase from a normal number to almost barometric pressure in less than a second. MAP rises way too fast for it to be anything other then a sudden massive vacuum leak or a bad MAP sensor/MAP wiring problem.

I would replace the MAP sensor. It doesn't seem to be rising smoothly along with RPMs like I'm used to seeing and then It suddenly jumps.

Is it possible that these crazy readings from the fuel pressure and MAP could be a EMP? When you did the first repairs, is it possible that some of the wires got moved closer to the coils and spark plugs?

I don't have Diacom (so can't read the .rec files) and I'm not familiar with this particular engine. I'm not even fully versed with exactly how some direct injection engine fuel systems work with their multi-pressure stage fuel systems.

I do know that on some direct injection engines there is command fuel pressure and the low side pressure affects the high side pressure. Command pressure might be related to engine load. The fuelling system needs to inject a certain amount of fuel to keep mixture correct. The amount of fuel an injector will flow is affected / controlled by both fuel pressure and pulse duration. Increase fuel pressure but keep pulse duration the same and the amount of fuel the injector will flow will increase. Increase pulse duration but keep fuel pressure the same and injector flow will increase. There might be command fuel pressure but actual pressure might not be quite at command pressure so the ECU has to compensate pulse duration for fuel pressure reading - If actual fuel pressure is below command fuel pressure the ECU might compensate by increasing injector pulse duration.

If the engine has an accelerator pedal / gas pedal / boat throttle lever that acts like a kind of cruise control, by which I mean the electronics try to achieve an engine / prop speed that is directly linked to the throttle lever position (as opposed to a conventional throttle lever), then if RPMs suddenly drop below intended RPM the electronics might very quickly open the throttle (try to bring rpms up to command rpm) causing an almost equally quick rise in MAP. Map can change very quickly, almost as quickly as the electronic throttle can open, if I connect to my car OBD system with a fast sample speed scan tool and 'blip' the throttle the map sensor shows an sudden increase in map from idle pressure (around 0.3bar or 0.7bar vacuum) to almost atmospheric pressure (1bar) in a few milliseconds.

It wouldn't be surprising if map were to suddenly increase if the engine suddenly started making less power than expected due to some other problem, such as fuel pressure suddenly falling off and the engine running lean because the injectors couldn't possibly flow enough fuel to the engine despite increasing pulse duration in response to the low fuel pressure reading, this could be in response to the ECU opening the electronic throttle to try to make more power to increase rpm. In this case we should expect to see a sudden drop off in fuel pressure reading, then almost immediately a sudden rise in injector pulse duration, then almost immediately a lean mixture reading and experience a sudden drop off in engine power but a scan tool / diagnostics might not show events happening in the correct order, the diagnostics system has a sample speed for each of the values. In this case the issue wouldn't be the map sensor or petrol injector pulse, they would just be responding as expected. The issue would be the drop off in fuel pressure and the question in that case would be why is the fuel pressure dropping off. Maybe fuel pressure dropped off due to a fault with a low or high pressure pump or maybe the ECU intentionally caused fuel pressure to drop off in response to some other detected fault, like deciding to go into some sort of limp mode.
 
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