Power Pack

[Big Kat]

I need any info on the functions of a power pack on a 92 200 hp evinrude, and the effects of a bad pack.  If anyone has any info please fill me in.

[Way2slow]

they can give a whole range of problems. They can be totally dead and not firing at all. They can be dead on one bank so only the three cylinders on one side will fire, or it can be dead on one or two cylinders (there are other things that can cause this same problem). They can start breaking down at higher rpm's. Before you blame the power pack, you need to check the coils on the stator and check the timer base. You also need to check the input voltages to the coils, could have a bad coil or plug wire if only one of two cylinders are skipping. I've had power packs that would be hard to start the first time in the morning, when you finally did get the motor started if would only be running a a few cylinders for a short spell, goose it a couple of times and all of a sudden it would come alive and all six would start firing. They would run fine the rest of the weekend but let it a couple of days and it was back to the same crap.

If it is bad, Let me caution you on one thing. Only use the OM power pack, don't use the CDI by Rapair, they are not worth the time it takes to put them on and you really don't save that much.

Basically how your ignition system works. You have a couple of coils on the stator than are generating a voltage. that goes to the power pack and charges a bank of capacitors.  The timer base (the round black doughnut looking thing under the flyweel) controls when the capacitors discharge and fires the coil. The power pack steps that voltage up to approx 275 peak volts, (need peak reading meter or DVA to measure) and sends it to the primary of the coil. The coil steps it up to many 1000's to fire the plugs.

The power pack also controls the quick start function with advance the timing approx 10 degrees for so many seconds or until the engine reaches a certain temp.

[Big Kat]

Thanks for your advice.  Here is the situation, my motor seems to have lost some horse on both hole shot and top end. Checked compression on it and all is good.  Runs great out of the water on the dyno.  Runs good with just one person and empty livewells. Add another person and fill up the livewells, and I have to have the second person go to the bow to get it to break over.  It doesn't ever rev like it used to on the hole shot with the hammer down.  It revs to about 3000 and stays there until it finally breaks over then it will only rev to about 4800-4900.  It has always in the past run at 5300 rpms for top end speed.  Starts everytime without much problem except once,  it may have just been a fluke but cranked till the batteries were dead, pulled it out charged batteries for a little while, backed it back in fired right up.  New carb kits, new plugs and wires still need all the help anyone can give.  Thanks

[callyer]

I have a 1986 Evinrude XP200. and I did have a bad power pack, port side. It ran way worse than what you are describing. I had simptoms close to what you are having when I had a vacuum leak at the lines on the carbs. I am not saying that that is your problem ( I am not even sure you have the same type of lines), but it only took me about 10 dollars worth of hose to fix. Might be worth a shot! Hopefully you don't have an electrical gremlin, those can be time consuming, and sometimes expensive to chase down.

[Way2slow]

Have you checked the prop or tried another? First off, your killing that motor with way too much prop if your only turning 5,300 rpm at WOT. I don't know what size your running but it needs to be dropped two sizes. If you're running a 24, you need to try a 20. That motors needs to turn at least 5,800 - 6,000. It would be better to turn it 6,100 running lite than keep it loaded down like your doing. It's very easy to have bumped something and slightly rolled a leading eadge and loose a couple of hundred rpm, but as I said, when it was making what you considered full power at 5,300, that was still no where near what it needs to turn. Also, are you running a vented prop, it should have a controlled cavitation that would let the prop spin up and not just sit there and bog at 3,000 rpm.

Having been running it loaded way down like that, have you ever done a decarb, that thing is probably heavily carboned up if not. That could be some of your problem, causing too much ring blow by.

Have you done a leak down test or only a compression? What was the compression? Should be approx 90 psi on a warm motor and pretty even on all six cylinders. Bottom two will be a little less because of the head design.

I'm not saying you might not have some grimlins, but I know for a fact you need a different prop to start this process. What size and type boat are you running and what size and type of prop, Raker, Renegade, Shooter etc, are you running now

You need to do a spark plug check. The next time your at the lake, make a run and hold the throttle wide open for about 45 seconds or so and then turn the key switch off while still holding it wide open. If your boat gets a backwash if you stop too soon, run to the front of the boat as it starts to settle in to help minimize this. Take the cover off, trim the motor all the way up and take each spark plug out and see what color they are and if they all look the same. They should be dry and about the color of a paper bag, maybe even a little lighter. If you don't care to do this on the lake, since things have a way of ending up at the bottom of the lake, make your run toward the boat ramp and kill it befoe you get to the no wake zone and use the TM to load it on the trailer and check it there. A plug check will tell you volumes about how the motor is running and what cylinders might have possible problems.

Callyer's motor runs a different ignition system than yours so don't start looking for port and starboard power packs onl yours. His run what's called the butterfly packs, seperate power packs for each side of the motor. Yours only has one power pack mounted on the top rear part of the motor.

Another thing that's common to happen on these motors is a magnet or magnets in the flywhell come loose and slide together. This messes up the charge cycle and also the timing on one or more cylinders. Might want to take a flash light and look under the flywheel and make sure each of the magnets have a 7/16 space between them. You can do this without removing the flywheel if you find the right spot to see them.

Just to let you know where I'm coming from, I've been building and hotrodding these motors for a number of years so I know just a little bit about them.  I've got two motors and several powerheads I play with, just the biggest difference is my 200's make over 300 hp between 6,200 and 6,500 rpm and 295 pounds of torque at 4,000 rpm.

[Garnet]

Mine was a 175 intruder with electrical ghost. It might run good and then just slow no alarms just slow. Sevaral power packs and bunch other stuff. Theres 7 sensors on that motor that are in series so tracking a problem is tough.

After 4 months the cheapest sensor is the 1 that runs your alarms it was $14 and just weak enough to cut cylinders down but not bad enough to sound alarms. It's located under your dash.

Garnet

[Way2slow]

The Intruder 175 is a Totally different motor, totally different ignition system.  About the only thing they have in common is they are both two stroke outboards.

[Garnet]

You sure isn't that rude the Johnson venom if it is you check the part # they are identical.

Garnet

[Way2slow]

Not sure what you are using for a parts manual but I don't want to anything out of it.

The 175 was either a 90 degree crossflow carb motor, a 60 degree carb looper motor, a 60 degree DFI looper, or the Etec, all depending on the year model you are talking about. The 200 Venom is a 90 degree carb'd looper motor, again as I have already stated, there in nothiing similar about the 200 Venom to those motors powerheads other than the fact thery are two stroke V-6 outboards.

Just in case you have doubts about that, if you would like to check, up through 1991, the were 90 degree Xflows,  92 - 98 they were 60 degree carb motors.  In 99 they took the carbs off and coverted them to Ficht DFI.  Somewhere along the way they have been converted to Etecs.  

The venom has been a 90 degree carb'd looper motor from it's first day on the market until it's last day on the market.

[Garnet]

This is electrical and you are jumping thru 3 models from 4 years and talking piston cranks ect. good luck and hire a mechanic.

Garnet

I'm modifying this guys talking about 1992 200 rude. Same Motor as 200 Venom. The Ficht was not out until 1996-7 and Etec into the 2000 thats about 8 years sbread.

The Faststrikes were about 1994 and up.

My rude was a 1993 I just checked a bill for a power pack.

[Way2slow]

My error on crossing up and refering to his 92 200 rude as a 200 Venom but both are still the same identical motor.

You said yours was a 175 rude, and as I have said several times already, your 175 is nothing like his 200. Never has been.

Not sure how you got where you got off into talking pistons and cranks when the only thing that was mentioned was power packs, but none of that is the same in a 175 either to a 200.

You should also make it sound at least a little like you know what your talking about when you start giving out information.

The dates I posted for the different versions of the 175 are correct. The FastStrike (a carburated 60 degree Eagle block) was first on the market in 1992. Before that was the 2.6 litre 90 degree Xflow. Before that is was a 2.4 litre 90 degree Xflow. They kept the carburated eagle block through about 1997 or 1998, Then they converted it to the Ficht. They kept it the Ficht for several years until the converted to the Etec, close to the mid 2000's.

His motor is the 3 litre block. They put that block in production in 1986 as a 2.7 with bridge port exhaust. In 87 the converted the electric system from the twin packs to the single pack but left it a 2.7. In 88 they opened it to a 3.0L and changed to oval exhaust. It stayed this way until 92 when they changed it from an open deck block to a closed deck block. In 93 they added auxillary ports (better known as finger ports). Other than a few other small changes they kept the block the same until 1999 when they coverted it to the 3.0 Ficht motor. So basically, when you look at any 200 hp Evinrude or Johnson motor from 1986 to 1998, they are going pretty much the same and absolutely nothing like your 175

Now, enough said, I didn't get on here to get in a ticking contest with you and your lack of knowlegde on a motor I happen know extremely well. I only rebuted your sensor post to keep him from making a wild goose chase looking for things that are not there.

If he want's my help I'll be glad to try and help him but I will not get on here and argue. I've made several attempts to explain why your 175 is nothing similar to his 200 and to argue with an idiot, I have to come down to and idiots level and just don't care to do that.

[Garnet]

I just read your whole post and I'm idiot...............what ever buddy

My info is lived the nightmare with my 1993 rude and about 6 buddys that had 200's and 175's. Electrical gremlins with these motor were a thing and the common fix was throw power pack's at them. The most expensive part.

Me and my buddy's learned the hard way to replace the cheapest sensor and thats the one that controls your beeper system and cuts down cylinders before the power packs.

The real clue is to go thru the diagnostic procdure and if it doesn't make sence change this part and start again.

Garnet