Can you tell me what components are emissions with this engine, and which ones usually would fail or cause a problem?
Thank you
This is an easy and also complicated question. Easy answer is --- anything from the fuel in the tank to the propeller. Yes bad fuel or bad fuel delivery can cause an emissions fault. A badly damaged prop can also, as can anything in between. Crankshaft, pistons and or rings, any one of the 3 thermostats. It can be something very simple to something very complex. That’s why a good tech with the proper diagnostic tools can be very important.
As far as common causes. These are highly dependent on your geographical location. Different areas see different problems. In my area the exhaust thermostat was a common issue on these engines, in other areas those thermostats lasted forever. When I was a dealer tech. I would see boats that had been at a less trained and equipped shop. The customer has finally got tired of paying for parts to be swapped and other assorted guesses and brought the boat to us. One of the things I would be told was the oxygen sensors had already been replaced. I always found this both funny and sad. These sensors can be tested with a good scan tool and if they are bad, often times it was something else that caused their failure. Many times my bill was less that what had already been dumped into all the guesses that were done by the techs that had worked on the boat before it came to our shop.
Catalyst motors are very interconnected. This can be a very good thing because the lights and horn will alert the operator to a problem they might have missed and thereby saving them money in the long run. But I have seen them cause many problems due to under trained techs. I’m old enough to remember the days of points and condensers. Electronic ignition caused problems for many mechanics (myself included) until the techs who were unable to learn were weeded out. But now we look back and I don’t think there are many people who want to go back to the yearly maintenance that points needed.
You have a some options.
1.Find a good shop to service your boat.
2.Buy the service manuals, correct tools and spend the time to learn how all these systems work.
3.Or, try guessing at what parts might cause the problems you’re having. If you go this route, please save all the replaced parts. The trained tech will probably want them to repace the cheap crap parts that were installed. I know I did, I felt bad charging the customer to replace those crap O2 sensors.
If you decide to go with the good shop, here is the 6 step procedure they should follow.
6 Step Troubleshooting Method
The following 6 step diagnostic process is a proven method using logical steps to arrive at a proper diagnosis and repair.
1. Verify the customer’s concern – Operate the boat or the system the way
the DTC Freeze Frame and Extended Freeze Frame and/or the customer states that the boat was being operated to duplicate the customer’s concern. This way there is no confusion as to what the problem is and both the repair shop and the customer agree on what problem needs to be addressed. Make sure that whatever the customer is concerned about is abnormal and not a normal condition.
2. Determine any related symptoms – While verifying the customer’s concern watch for anything else that may not be working so that you can determine if the other malfunctions are related in any way to the customer’s concerns.
3. Analyze the symptoms – Determine how or if the symptoms relate to each other. What are the possible causes? This is one of the areas that requires a well trained tech.
4. Isolate the problem – Use approved diagnostic steps, tests and methods to arrive at a diagnosis. Part replacement is rarely an approved diagnostic method. Any part replaced should be replaced because some test has indicated that it is faulty. Ensure that you have found the “root cause” of the problem not just the damage that resulted from the problem.
5. Repair the problem – Repair or replace the faulty/damaged part(s) using approved repair and replacement methods.
6. Verify the repair – This step is similar to step 1 because you need to re-operate the boat or system under the same conditions that it previously failed to verify that what you did fixed the problem. Do not use the customer to check your repairs. Nothing destroys customer confidence faster than having to make several trips to the repair shop to have the same problem “repaired” again.
This 6 step method can be adapted for any repair situation. Repair situations are different and this process could only take minutes for simple problems but for more complex diagnoses and repairs it could take much longer.
A little more info on what the light you’re seeing.
The MIL is required to be illuminated anytime an emissions related active code sets and must remain lit for 3 consecutive engine run cycles (3 good trips) that the code does not reset. The MIL will be extinguished upon the next startup after the three “good trips” have occurred. The number of “passes” or “good trips” that have occurred can not be seen with the scan tool. There is also a “MIL on timer” inside the ECM. This is a lifetime accumulated timer. Anytime the MIL is on and the engine is running with an active emissions related code, the “MIL on timer” will be counting up MIL on time. This timer can be seen with the scan tool and will be recorded by Diacom when recording using the “Engine Data”, “O2 Feedback” or the “Misfire” monitors. MIL on time is also stored in every extended freeze frame. This timer can not be reset
