Dead Etec - ideas please

[kitcat]

My boat, 'Crackerjack' runs a 2008 Etec 60, with very low hours. I put the boat in the water the other day, having briefly run the motor on the slip, and it started fine and ran perfectly well for the 20 minutes it took to get to my swinging mooring towing my inflatable behind.

As I approached the mooring bouy, I put it into neutral and picked up the mooring as usual, whilst doing this, I hadn't noticed that the motor had stalled, so when I went back, I thought I ought to check it started OK, well it didn't, there was no sign of life after the warning beeper had sounded. It didn't turn over on the key, nothing. I then noticed that the painter for the inflatable had wrapped itself around the prop, so I can only assume that instead of popping it into neutral it was still in forward gear at tickover revs, against the tide and gentle breeze, so wasn't going anywhere, but the dinghy must have ridden forward and put its rope around the prop. It wasn't a bad tangle, a few turns, that's all, and easy to unwind.

So, I'm wondering if there is a special cutout on the Etec, which senses when the prop. is caught up in something, and automatically cuts the motor and needs resetting? If so, how is the reset done, if not, what should I be looking for to fix it?

Thanks in advance for any ideas

Paul

[Fxwg80hd]

Based on your description of events, I would say that your cables might be slightly out of adjustment and your neutral safety switch is not getting engaged correctly. If the neutral safety switch is not engaged, it will not supply power to the starter motor so the engine will not crank over. Maybe try pushing the throttle lever from forwards to reverse a couple times and the back to neutral and see if it starts. If that does not work, try moving the throttle slightly both directions will trying to start and see what happens.

[Bobby T.-26X #4767]

sounds like it's stuck in forward, that's why it won't turn over.
need to find a way to make sure it's in neutral.

Bob T.
"DāBob"
'02X w/ '04 90-TLDI (14" x 11 pitch)
Dinghy Motor: '06 2.5-Suzuki

[kitcat]

Of course, how stupid of me, I should have moved the throttle back and forward a couple of times to ensure that I wasn't in a false neutral, just like a manual gearchange on a car.

Thanks guys, I'll be out on the boat tomorrow and give it a try, I'm 99% sure that that will be the problem. Sometimes you could kick yourself for not seeing what is right in front of you

Paul

[pokerrick1]

But you got the obvious answer FOR FREE here without paying a mechanic and then saying to yourself "@#$%^&"

Rick

PS Ain't this site GREAT

[quintamala]

Last year, it hapened to me.. But it was worse..

Once I moved my out in the midle of the river going backwards, my old Suzuki sudenly stoped when shifting to forward.
I don´t remember exactly what I did with the throttle lever, but the motor seemed to be dead.
The boat began to move faster due to water flow...
I had no time to analyze the causes of malfuntion trying to avoid collisions.
finally I drop the anchor that (I recommend) I always have close to cokpit.
Probably I moved the throttle lever to a false neutral in the worst moment (and for the first time on my experience).
I also said.. "what an stupid I am"...

[kitcat]

"PS Ain't this site GREAT "

It sure is, and not only for the more obvious things either

Paul

[March]

Yes, the ETEC has a sensor and it stops dead when the propeller gets fouled. Isn't that great?
We experienced exactly the same thing two years ago in the Apostle Island. The anchor rode (dangling overboard) got loose and wrapped around the prop. Engine stopped right away. We panicked, since we were motoring really close to a rock cliff and the wind was blowing hard in the wrong direction--couldn't even cast anchor.
We unwrapped the rope, and the ETEC started again right away. No resetting or anything. It's been running without a hitch for the second season now

[Boblee]

Don't think my 2006 Etec has a sensor or if it has it doesn't work but the motor will of course stall at low revs when fouled, I don't want my motor to stop if it gets fouled by weeds as I might need to try and power out for some safety reason.

[kitcat]

Thanks for confirming that March seems like a reasonable idea, as long as you can work out quickly why the motor has stalled, otherwise you lose faith in it.
It says nothing in the little manual about that happening, in fact what it really says is that if anything untoward happens, take it to your local dealer, a bit like all computerised engines these days

The update is that, now I have learned to put it into neutral, the engine is now starting fine, runs well up to around 4000 revs. but at the moment doesn't like to go over that, so whether I've damaged the plugs or it's still in some form of fail safe mode I'm not sure. I want to do a slightly longer run and gradually increase the revs a bit at a time, to see if it will clear itself.

[Boblee]

The revs will be governed by your load and prop and 4000 is too low, it needs to be over 5000 and some say 5600 but my mechanic suggested the lower figure and it solved the problem I was having.
What speed is it doing at 4000 rpm?

[bscott]

What prop are you using? It should be a 14 X 11 or 13 depending on how your boat is loaded. Go to the e-tec owner's group web site: www.etecownersgroup.com , I-2 forum. They have all the answers.

Bob

[kitcat]

No, no, when the motor is running properly it will pull 5500 easily, it's just since my rope winding incident that it won't open up cleanly, sorts of coughs and won't take more throttle.

I got out today, but it was such a beautiful sailing day with a breeze around F2-3 and really sunny that I just couldn't spoil it by starting the motor, even picked up my mooring bouy under sail [at the 2nd attempt, as I was sailing solo today]. This was my first sail since I fabricated an easy disconnect motor pin and when I last rigged, I'd wound the forestay turnbuckle hard down to get the mast a little more upright, and what a difference it makes - the steering is now really light without having the motor flopping about all over the place and the boat is almost perfectly balanced, just a little weather helm when beating in the gusts, I guess I can go just a little tighter on that forestay, if I can find another thread or two?

So, I'll have to wait another 10 days before I can get down to my boat again, maybe a little rest will work wonders, it often does for me

Paul.

[pokerrick1]

runs well up to around 4000 revs. but at the moment doesn't like to go over that, so whether I've damaged the plugs or it's still in some form of fail safe mode I'm not sure.

No - the only safe mode in an Etec keeps it under 1,000 RPM's - - - safe mode is NOT the problem now. I had extensive experience with safe mode when the oil sensor failed, and then after a new sensor(s) was installed (incorrectly, the tip was damaged at installation) the oil alarm kept going off turning on the safe mode until we got a new sensor installed without damaging the tip of it - - - a rather delicate operation if you've had no experience with it.

Rick

[Berber Boy]

My boat, 'Crackerjack' runs a 2008 Etec 60, with very low hours.
Paul

Hi Paul,

I have the same engine but bought in Australia. The other week I came across a Recall notice on this unit while browsing the web. No-one notified me of it however I took it to the dealers and they replaced t a piece of the fuel injection system. It is probably unrelated to your problem but it is worth checking out whether the recall was just Australia specific or based upon an international recall.

Hope you get it sorted

Cheers