Volvo 4.3 fuel injected died and will not restart

[whfh99]

Hello. We have a 98 Chaparral 18' bow rider with a 4.3 Volvo outdrive with fuel injection. The boat and motor have around 120 hours on it and we bought the boat from the original owner in March of this year. The boat has been running fine all season but suddenly lost power yesterday and died. When we tried to restart it, it tried to catch but then would not start. Fuel has been treated with Marine Sta-Bil as soon as I bought it and it is well maintained. When I turn on the key, I hear what sounds like the fuel pump working, then twist the key and it turns over but doesn't even try to fire.

So obviously it is a fuel or spark issue. Where should I start?

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[scooper77515]

Re: Volvo 4.3 fuel injected died and will not restart

Not trying to be a wise-***** but do you have fuel in the tank? Don't trust the gauge. Actually verify that there is fuel in there first.

Once you verify that, pull the fuel line off the carb, put it in a fuel tank, and turn the key, does fuel come out.

If so, then start looking at electrical issues. Are you getting spark?

 

[whfh99]

Re: Volvo 4.3 fuel injected died and will not restart

No problem! I did pour 5 gallons of fresh, treated fuel in before trying it. I did not have tools with me to test for spark but that was one of the first things I wanted to do. Also see if the plugs are wet to confirm fuel is getting in the engine. I was also going to replace the fuel filter/separator to rule that out. This boat is fuel injected which seems to make it more complicated than a carburated boat.

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[Don S]

Re: Volvo 4.3 fuel injected died and will not restart

You have to do 2 things to determine which way to go.
1. Check for sprark coming from the coil
2. Check for fuel and fuel pressure at the high pressure fuel pump.

Then, you have a direction to turn.
Without the proper service manual, the chances of finding the problem is going to be hit and miss, and throw parts at it and hope for the best.
If you post the FULL model number or the serial number of your engine, we can get you the PROPER manual and help you find the reason for no start.

 

[whfh99]

Re: Volvo 4.3 fuel injected died and will not restart

Does this help?

43GIPBXCCE41101608033868758

I am not onsite with the boat so I had someone look at it for me. If this doesn't look right, please let me know where to find the correct numbers.

Can you tell me how to best test the spark and fuel pressure?

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[scooper77515]

Re: Volvo 4.3 fuel injected died and will not restart

Use care at all times. Since gasoline is very flammable and can destroy you AND your boat. Disclaimer, sorry, I had to.

Open your engine cover and let it air out for a while. A fan blowing in there will help.

Pull a spark plug, put the plug wire on it, and lay it against the engine so the threaded part, or the "strap" the J-shaped piece at the bottom, is touching bare metal. Have someone just tap the key to START. You should see a bright blue spark jump across the bottom of the plug.

If that spark is there, we will assume you have compression (which is the third part of the equation we have disregarded, as your engine is pretty new), then you can check for fuel pressure. Personally, I like to put a 5-gallon gas can in there, and pull the fuel line and actually WATCH it flow into the can. Again, have someone else turn the key to START briefly, and fuel pump should start, and you should get a gallon of gas within a minute or so. Maybe less. If you don't have a gallon within a minute, you may have a problem with fuel delivery. It should come out in a steady stream about the size around of a pencil. there may be a slight pulse to the fuel stream, depending on the pump. This is all assuming it is an electric pump. If it is a mechanical pump, you will need to have the person at the key to keep the key on START for 5-10 seconds and see if fuel comes out.

I am thinking your coil is shot.

Do you smell gas in the engine bay after you attempt to start it?

 

[whfh99]

Re: Volvo 4.3 fuel injected died and will not restart

It looks like my boat has two fuel pumps, a low pressure and high pressure one. What is the easiest way to test these?

 

[Don S]

Re: Volvo 4.3 fuel injected died and will not restart

To check spark, remove the coil wire from the distributor cap, hold the end of the coil wire about 1/2" from a clean unpainted ground. Crank the engine over. The spark should easily jump the gap and be bright blue. Should be able to hear it.

To check fuel pressures, you will need a fuel pump pressure gauge for high pressure EFI systems. and attach it to the schrader valve for the high and low pressure pumps.

 

[scooper77515]

Re: Volvo 4.3 fuel injected died and will not restart

Hey, don't do what I said about squirting fuel into a bucket. I didn't catch that yours was fuel injected, and the pressures on an injected motor are pretty high, and gas will splash all over the place.

 

[whfh99]

Re: Volvo 4.3 fuel injected died and will not restart

Thanks guys. Any links to a good fuel pressure gauge online? I thought I saw one somewhere else in the forum.

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[whfh99]

Re: Volvo 4.3 fuel injected died and will not restart

Just wanted to post what the problem turned out to be. It was the low pressure fuel pump. Replaced and the boat fires back up.

Thanks for all the help.

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