91' V6 200hp Evinrude VRO has ran like crap since day 1

posmotor

Recruit
Joined
Jun 13, 2003
Messages
2
My Dad bought this motor new and it hasn't ran well since day 1. It has always smoked terriblly at start-up, loaded up easily, stalled at low rpms, missed like crazy unless running on the main jets, fouled plugs like it's its job and has often been difficult to start. When under warantee it spent more time at the dealer than in our driveway. The rep was adamat that the engine should be able to run for long periods of time @ low revs w/ out loading up or fouling out, but it never delivered as promised. I have numerous questions so please bear w/ me.<br /><br />1- What octane fuel should this run on? We were told by the factory rep that we should use the highest octane available, but bc the compression is so low, would 93 octane cause problems?<br /><br />2- We are still using all of the stock recommended components like champion plugs, wires etc. Are ther other aftermarket components that could help?<br /><br />3- The engine usually runs ok at the beginning of the year. our best guess for this was bc of the cooler air and water leaning out the engine. by the dead of summer, it would always run rich. do we simply need to rejet for warmer weather? The Rep insisted that changing low speed jets was not necessary and could cause damage. Any thoughts?<br /><br />4- the fouling appears to be from gas not oil. after idling in the harbor and pulling plugs we will always have plugs soak w/ gas. is this normal?<br /><br />5- will changing to a better quality splitfire or NGK v-power help to burn this excessive fuel? What about ignition upgrades if any are available? can doing this cause a lean condition that will cause damage?<br /><br />in the pre internet days when this engine came out, word of mouth was that these engines were always a headache, but we found this out too late. are we expecting too much from this motor or did all large displacement loopers have major low rev operating problems?<br /><br />thanks
 

echozulu

Seaman
Joined
Jun 12, 2003
Messages
69
Re: 91' V6 200hp Evinrude VRO has ran like crap since day 1

hey when your running this queen at idle ? the carbs are minlon ( plastic ) junk.. remove the air silencer.. trim engine all the way down..see if fuel is welling up in throats of one or more carbs. in my opinion these engines herald omc's demise whoever came up with all that plastic s*** ought to have it stuffed up their a** for what they did to a once great co, beancounting preppy sh**s
 

ob

Admiral
Joined
Aug 16, 2002
Messages
6,992
Re: 91' V6 200hp Evinrude VRO has ran like crap since day 1

posmotor,There may be several issues with the performance of your motor since it is no longer as new as it once was.Have a compression test performed so that you can rule out any weak cylinders that may be contributing to your low speed problem.Next the carburetors need to be removed and thoroughly cleaned to include all of the fixed orifices and reassembled.Next ,you need to perform a link and synch procedure to insure that the carburetor linkage timing is properly atuned with the ignition curves.Don't know what plug you are currently using but the Champion your engine calls for is QL77JC4 gapped at .030".Anything but 87 octane is for the most part not going to solve any performance issues.There are also no magic sparkplugs or ignition kits that will allieviate an improperly setup engine as well.If you choose to have your engine serviced at a dealer and the one you have currently been using can't solve your issues ,take your business down the road.
 

Joe Reeves

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Feb 24, 2002
Messages
13,262
Re: 91' V6 200hp Evinrude VRO has ran like crap since day 1

PosMotor.... Ditto on OB's reply. A general compression and spark check is needed before going further. Compression should be approx 100+ psi and even on all cyls. Spark with the plugs out should jump a 7/16" gap with a strong blue flame on all cyls.<br /><br />Possibility exists that the stator may be melting down, and/or have been faulty since day one (it happens). Stator (35amp model) is located under the flywheel and runs very hot, and is prone to melting down.<br /><br />The smaller visible coils pertain to the charging system, but the larger black coils provide approx 300v AC to the powerpack(s). If faulty, when cold, the stator will deliver the proper voltage to the pack(s), but as it warms up, the voltage drops, the ignition becomes erratic, the engine loads up with fuel along with other symptoms.<br /><br />This may not be the cause of your problem but it's worth looking into.
 

posmotor

Recruit
Joined
Jun 13, 2003
Messages
2
Re: 91' V6 200hp Evinrude VRO has ran like crap since day 1

all, thanks for the feedback.<br /><br />i was wrong about the age of the engine. it is actually an 89'or 90', but i don't think much was changed between then and 91'.<br /><br />this engine is old by the number of years, but it has less than 200 hours on the engine as far as run time. my point is that i doubt it has any compression issues bc the engine has always had the same problems as described in my 1st post since it was new.<br /><br />it is possible that the carbs are out of sink, but i would think that the 4 different dealers that we took it to while it was under warrantee would have realized that this was an issue. so it has been down many roads in the quest of a solution.<br /><br />the plugs we are using are the same as you have mentioned and they are gapped .030". in 200 hours i seriously think we have gone through 10-15 sets of plugs. all of them were fouled.<br /><br />we run 93 octane as recommended by the rep. we will likely go bac to 87 or 89.<br /><br />JOE, as for the stator, i will look into that. it has never been replaced. if it is damaged will there be visible evidence of a problem? is there a way to check it?<br /><br />thanks again guys!
 

Joe Reeves

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Feb 24, 2002
Messages
13,262
Re: 91' V6 200hp Evinrude VRO has ran like crap since day 1

Pos.... Checking the stator for visual damage can be done by simply looking under the flywheel at the stator, at the larger black coils. If a melt down is in progress, there will be a srickly substance dripping out of them down onto the block area.<br /><br />That sticky substance could also cause the timer base to stick, adding to your problem (retarded spark).<br /><br />The stator can be checked with a ohm meter, between the brown wires leading from the stator to the powerpack, but I don't have those readings with me. Hopefully someone else will jump in here with whatever they are.<br /><br />There should be NO reading between either brown wire and ground.<br /><br />Keep in mind that even with a stator melting down, you could possibly obtain a proper reading when the unit is cold.
 

ob

Admiral
Joined
Aug 16, 2002
Messages
6,992
Re: 91' V6 200hp Evinrude VRO has ran like crap since day 1

Pos ,The Ohm range between the two brown stator wires Joe speaks of should read 765-935 Ohms on 89'thru 99' model 200 hp John/Rudes.I believe one of the wires is brown and the other is either brown/yellow or brown/white.Good luck.
 
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