2002 90hp Evinrude Fitch Ram Skips, need advise

[Murf the Surf]

I am having skipping problems when motor is running over 2000 rpm's.

The motor was running ok until yesterday when I topped off the tank with 11 gallons of fuel. I took the boat out and it started skipping after being on the water for less than a half an hour or so. It skips pretty steadily when over 2000 rpm's but doesn't seem to skip when at idle or when getting on the throttle. It does skip at mild throttle accelerations and once a steady rpm is achieved it skips steady about every 20-30 seconds or so throughout the rpm range.

The Evinrude Service tech says it could be bad fuel. He suggested putting
K100 into the tank and change the fuel filters in an attempt to see if it is indeed bad fuel. If this does not work then bring it in and they will check for a variety of other possible causes such as the Fuel lifting pump, injector nozzels, plugs, timing, ECM etc.

Does his advise seem logical? Is it safe to run this motor while it is skipping? Any advice would be appreciated?

Thanks,

Murf

 

[Murf the Surf]

Re: 2002 90hp Evinrude Fitch Ram Skips, need advise

Update:

Second Service Tech says he thinks it's the "Dog Tooth Gear" in the lower unit because it does not happen at low RPM's or at idle and based on my discription "it sounds like I'm hitting a rock every 30 seconds or so but the engine sound fine". He thinks it could be the throttle cable adjustment and says he will not know until he opens up the lower unit and shaft housing. He also says that it's possible that the "Dog Tooth Gear" has been damaged but will not know until he opens it up at roughly 4-5 hrs labor cost.

I did have the throttle cables replaced over the winter because they where very tight and difficult to make fine throttle adjustments when docking. This Service Tech took the hood off and had me move the throttle both forward, neutral and reverse positions as he inspected the cable connections and spun the prop. He seems to be firm in his brief diagnoses but suggested that I take it back to the dealer where I bought it and also had the cables installed.

Does sound logical? Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Murf

 

[noelm]

Re: 2002 90hp Evinrude Fitch Ram Skips, need advise

it is possible that it is the cause, but if it is indeed "slipping" then it will be a very hard knock at those RPM (I reckon), a no cost way to test it would be to engage the gear manualy with the cable disconnected to make sure it is going fully into gear.

 

[Murf the Surf]

Re: 2002 90hp Evinrude Fitch Ram Skips, need advise

Thanks for the input noelm, I'm taking it into the shop for a closer diagnosis. I'm hoping that there isn't any damage to the lower unit and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for it to be a cable adjustment.

Murf

 

[wilde1j]

Re: 2002 90hp Evinrude Fitch Ram Skips, need advise

What the tech is talking about is the clutch dog and fwd gear and your description seems to square with that. The tech only needs to ride in the boat for a few minutes to confirm it's slipping in and out of gear. It can then be a) an adjustment (cheap) or b) new parts (expensive). Caused usually by slow, tentative shifting, but can be caused by misadjusted cable/linkage.

The above condition would exhibit a fairly violent lurch periodically, but not a miss or skip.

 

[Murf the Surf]

Re: 2002 90hp Evinrude Fitch Ram Skips, need advise

Thanks for the input guys.

The service tech re-adjusted the cables and it's good to go. The first thing he did was drain the lower unit fluid to inspect it and checked the magnets for signs of damage. Everyting looked clean with zero shavings found, thank god.

This officially closes this thread.

Murf