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In both cases – without the computer – I’d simply have been aware of the engine losing power, with no simple way of knowing what was causing that loss. In my case the fuel pressure fault turned out to be a faulty sensor, which required a replacement, while the water-in-fuel was a valid issue that I needed to clean. One downside of all these electronic sensors is that you cannot always tell if the device is faulty, or whether the sensor is telling you there’s another problem. Dyi simple battery monitor for trolling motor battery code#Previous faults have also been easy to pinpoint (fuel pressure sensor, water detected in fuel, and others) and although some are more complex to rectify the computer code at least identified the problem. In the case of my Volvo Penta D4-260 engines, rectifying this is a simple process of re-calibrating the throttle lever positions. ![]() Print a copy and keep it on board!Īrmed with this weighty document, when you suddenly get say, a ‘MID 164 PSID 95 FMI 2’ code, looking it up will identify it as a fault with the throttle lever not being detected properly. Dyi simple battery monitor for trolling motor battery manual#Depending on the manufacturer, the manual may have quite detailed and helpful steps for troubleshooting and rectifying the problem, even showing you exactly where on the engine the offending component is. This can take a bit of finding but thanks to Google these are available for just about every make and model of engine. Not the Owner’s Manual, but the detailed, technical manual that lists the fault codes and their causes. The engines often require proprietary computer interface cables, and it’s hard to make sense of the numeric code without an actual computer to plug in to it.īut there is a way to make sense of a computer code/fault that doesn’t clear – a workshop manual. Manufacturers of modern engines seem to go out of their way to make it hard to diagnose a fault, providing codes rather than actual details. And invariably dirty hands and oil over the deck. Of course, this did require a degree of experience and competence with mechanical devices, a comprehensive set of tools and knowing the location of all the critical components on the engine. But for both a competent home mechanic with a few basic tools could do a good job of diagnosing the fault and correcting the issue. The petrol equivalent is a little more complex – it also requires a spark, of the right size and at precisely the right time. With enough cranking it will eventually start. ![]() A diesel engine needs fuel, air and a way to turn it over. But when the computer is uncooperative, nothing works.Īrguably, in the good old days things were simpler. And then it automatically adjusts the amount and timing to keep her running as she warms up. How is it that a diesel now starts instantly? Because the computer senses the temperature, injects just the right amount of fuel into the engine at precisely the right time to initiate ignition. So many components on a modern engine are now directly controlled by a computer. If not you switch to the second approach – unplug and re-plug all the computer cables. Like a desktop computer, the first step in troubleshooting is a reboot. Troubleshooting is now a standard sequence: check the battery, turn the engine master switch off and back on again. This doesn’t actually tell you what is wrong. You turn the key and get nothing – maybe a couple of beeps and a dreaded computer fault code on the gauge. Which is fantastic – until they don’t work any longer. They have two other significant benefits: they consume considerably less fuel than their predecessors, and smaller (and lighter) engines generate the sort of power that previously required a bigger displacement. ![]() Modern boat engines no longer create clouds of fumes and generate far less noise and vibration. And you can drive off pretty much immediately, without having to wait for them to warm up. Modern engines are much simpler – turn the key (or push the button) and they start. In either case the engine would usually fire up in a cloud of smoke, and you’d leave it idling for a few minutes while it warmed up (and stopped smoking), before applying any load. When did you last have to use the choke lever before cranking the engine, and push it back slowly as the engine warmed up? With diesel engines, do you remember holding a button for about 10 seconds to heat the glow plugs before cranking? Those of us with more than a few decades under our belt will remember the days when starting up an engine – diesel or petrol – required a few manual steps. Everything seems to be controlled by a computer these days, including boat engines. ![]()
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