1996 Evinrude Intruder 150 idles to high

[4strokes]

I've posted this on 2 other forums & have yet to find to find the problem, maybe one of the resident OMC guru's here can shed some light on the subject.


My elderly neighbor just acquired a Ranger with a 1996 Intruder 150 (E150ELDB) QuickStart Model, it seems to run perfectly except it idles higher than normal.
I researched what I could & found out the previous owner recently replaced the power pack with a CDI Electronics brand ( blue case with red sleeve ). According to the CDI Trouble Shooting Guide this particular power pack will allow the timing to be set using a timing light, remote starter, spark gap tester, piston stop tool and a jumper wire.

I followed their trouble shooting instructions to a tee & found the timing reading @ 9-10 ATDC & 19-20 BTDC @ WOT. I set the neutral timing to 6 ATDC.
When water tested the motor runs great but still idles high @ 1100 RPMs in gear after the thermostats open.
The QuickStart feature seems to be working correctly, meaning it comes ON for a minute or two when the motor is first cranked cold & then for 5-7 seconds after each warm start & goes back OFF again.

There are no air idle screws to adjust on these carbs (thought maybe they were adjusted to lean) & the motor seems to run well thru all RPM ranges but it simply idles to high. No sneezing or popping just a high idle.
I sprayed WD40 around the carb bases & manifold but didn't find any air leaks whatsoever.

The color of the NEW QL78YC spark plugs after a WOT throttle run kind of scare me, not white but high gray with what looks like a lite coating of carbon already on the electrodes/tip after no more than 5 miles on them.
However, I did pour in a full bottle of StarTron when he filled up the fuel tank before we ran the motor on the lake, so maybe what I'm seeing is some carbon cleaning going on ?

I've read that the idle speed can also be set via the timng but when I adjusted it enough to actually lower the idle it caused the motor to sneeze a little, enough so that I could see it on the tach needle so I set it back to spec.

We have since carefully checked the link & sync on the carbs & timing linkage & it is correct & even tried another tach today with the same results.

Any suggestions ?

 

[daselbee]

Re: 1996 Evinrude Intruder 150 idles to high

Throttle butterflies must be completely closed. The idle is NOT adjusted by using the idle stop screw to prop the butterflies open a bit. The idle speed is adjusted strictly and only by adjusting the timing at idle.

This is an optical ignition model, but still requires that the rotating base under the flywheel be absolutely free to return to "home" as the throttle is reduced back to it's idle position.

As you slow the idle down with the timing setting, if the engine starts to lean sneeze, then you have carb work to do.

 

[jwellcraft]

Re: 1996 Evinrude Intruder 150 idles to high

I've posted this on 2 other forums & have yet to find to find the problem, maybe one of the resident OMC guru's here can shed some light on the subject.


My elderly neighbor just acquired a Ranger with a 1996 Intruder 150 (E150ELDB) QuickStart Model, it seems to run perfectly except it idles higher than normal.
I researched what I could & found out the previous owner recently replaced the power pack with a CDI Electronics brand ( blue case with red sleeve ). According to the CDI Trouble Shooting Guide this particular power pack will allow the timing to be set using a timing light, remote starter, spark gap tester, piston stop tool and a jumper wire.

I followed their trouble shooting instructions to a tee & found the timing reading @ 9-10 ATDC & 19-20 BTDC @ WOT. I set the neutral timing to 6 ATDC.
When water tested the motor runs great but still idles high @ 1100 RPMs in gear after the thermostats open.
The QuickStart feature seems to be working correctly, meaning it comes ON for a minute or two when the motor is first cranked cold & then for 5-7 seconds after each warm start & goes back OFF again.

There are no air idle screws to adjust on these carbs (thought maybe they were adjusted to lean) & the motor seems to run well thru all RPM ranges but it simply idles to high. No sneezing or popping just a high idle.
I sprayed WD40 around the carb bases & manifold but didn't find any air leaks whatsoever.

The color of the NEW QL78YC spark plugs after a WOT throttle run kind of scare me, not white but high gray with what looks like a lite coating of carbon already on the electrodes/tip after no more than 5 miles on them.
However, I did pour in a full bottle of StarTron when he filled up the fuel tank before we ran the motor on the lake, so maybe what I'm seeing is some carbon cleaning going on ?

I've read that the idle speed can also be set via the timng but when I adjusted it enough to actually lower the idle it caused the motor to sneeze a little, enough so that I could see it on the tach needle so I set it back to spec.

We have since carefully checked the link & sync on the carbs & timing linkage & it is correct & even tried another tach today with the same results.

Any suggestions ?

Make sure the cam roller isn't being touched by the throttle lever on the top which could have the throttle plates slighlty open and would make it idle high. If it is touching, just back it off with the cable adjustment wheel.

 

[4strokes]

Re: 1996 Evinrude Intruder 150 idles to high

The timing base rotates freely, there is NO stop screw for this carb set & butterflies do close completely. Carbs had a kit put in them last year but I haven't pulled them off yet to give a good going over. This motor runs to good to have carb problems IMO. I can see it being an air leak but haven't found any stopped up jets or air passages.

And for what it's worth, I am aware that the idle speed is set with the timing but it doesn't seem to make much difference "on the hose anyway" but we'll see on the next lake test. Just for chits & giggles I adusted the low side timing again today to 10 ATDC after a new link & sync & it only dropped the rpms by 150.

Thanks

 

[4strokes]

Re: 1996 Evinrude Intruder 150 idles to high

Make sure the cam roller isn't being touched by the throttle lever on the top which could have the throttle plates slighlty open and would make it idle high. If it is touching, just back it off with the cable adjustment wheel.

The cam roller is set with good clearance between the throttle lever @ 0.08, set with cable adjuster so I know it's right.
Thanks

 

[jwellcraft]

Re: 1996 Evinrude Intruder 150 idles to high

Ok, are the thermostats installed? I know if these motors are ran without they tend to stay in a cold loop. I had one which was bought used and didn't have any (previous owner removed them) and the idle was erratic and high until I installed the thermostats and it improved the idle and dropped once proper temps were reached.

 

[4strokes]

Re: 1996 Evinrude Intruder 150 idles to high

Yes Sir ... both thermostats are installed & have been tested good, one of the first things I thought of too.

Thanks

Ok, are the thermostats installed? I know if these motors are ran without they tend to stay in a cold loop. I had one which was bought used and didn't have any (previous owner removed them) and the idle was erratic and high until I installed the thermostats and it improved the idle and dropped once proper temps were reached.

 

[4strokes]

Re: 1996 Evinrude Intruder 150 idles to high

UPDATE,
OK ... this is wierd, I have the same year motor on my Stratos so as a last ditch attempt I swapped out the power packs to see if anything changed.

It did, after the QuickStart cycled through the motor idled down to 900 rpms on the hose. So this gets me thinking the power pack is the bad guy, right ?

Wrong, when I changed them back around & started the motor & it went thru the QuikStart cycle & then idled @ 900 rpms again.

Only thing I can figure is there must have been a poor connection somewhere that didn't show up before. I'd previously unplugged & plugged back up every connection on the power pack & all of the temp sensors too but didn't find anything !

Oh well .... hopefully this nighmare is over.