Do you have a happy 225 or 250 OX66?

family affair

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I thought I'd share my story after lot of bad and misleading information.

Our 1999 Yamaha 225 ran rough since we got the boat last fall. Many including us suspected it was from old gas. Running the old gas out and replacing it with new did not seem to make much of a difference.

After only a few hours of operation the engine died at idle and would not restart. We had to have it towed. We found one bad low pressure fuel pump and replaced all 3 with Mallory pumps from wholesalemarine.com (after my return, I can no longer find the part on their site?!). The boat would not run for more than a few minutes at idle, then die. It was not getting fuel. We checked filters, air leaks, anti-siphon valve, primer bulb etc. and came up with nothing conclusive. We replaced 2 of the new Mallory pumps with 2 of the old Yamaha pumps and the stalling at idle went away. The Mallory pumps would not pump at low RPM. Mid and up, they worked fine. We returned all 3 Mallory pumps, bought one new Yamaha pump and 2 new diaphragms.

The engine ran again, was much smoother at idle (thanks to the new LP pump) but missed terribly from ~1400-2200 rpm's. After 2200 it ran like a champ. Many commented (from other sites) that the OX66's all ran like this because they drop 2 cylinders below 1800 rpm's and the condition was "normal." Only one person claimed BS and said the engines should run smoothly regardless of rpm's.

I had suspected that the TPS might be a little off causing the rough transition condition. According to the books this required a special jumper wire assembly to make the adjustment. Tired of chasing for parts, I used my intuition and SLIGHTLY rotated the TPS in the direction that I thought would correct the issue. Sure enough the "rough" spot is entirely gone and the engine now runs smoothly from idle to WOT.

If your OX66 has never had the TPS adjusted, you aren't doing your engine any favors. If you have this "rough" spot and people have told you it is normal, tell them otherwise bc it isn't. Even if you need to pay someone else to do this for you, you will be glad you did it.

I hope this helps someone else avoid a headache!
 

Salinity Now

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Good info, Im bringing my pair of 2001 250s back to fresher life!! Just changed LP pumps on one of mine too, Ive gone from no high RPMs to idling to low 4-300 then stall, die.

Thinking of just turning up the idle adjustment, but seeing how it still has intermitent higher RPM pegging out early symptoms, I might look at the TPS instead, can you give more details on adjusting it?
 

grady33

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Several years ago I ordered some parts from Andy Munao on the hull truth (Shipyard Island Marine) and he filled me in on things you want to replace and check on the OX66 engines. They will run forever but you need to do preventative maintenance. His list included:

All filters including the VST Filter
Low Pressure Pumps
Checking TPS
Replacing Sparkplugs
External Oil Tank Pump & Filter

Regarding the last one, I had one of the pumps go out five years ago while offshore. Mine is under the live well and rusted up. If you haven’t checked these, I would! If rusted up, go ahead and replace them so you can avoid a bad day on the water.
 

family affair

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Salinity Now,

You might want to look fuel delivery restrictions before you start playing with the TPS.
As for the adjustment, it is simple. If facing the engine from the boat, the TPS is on the upper right side. A rod from the throttle linkage inserts into the TPS. Loosening the 2 TPS screws will allow you to rotate the assembly. I rotated mine ~1/16-3/32" counterclockwise. I would not make big position changes and I would also mark EXACTLY where you start so that you can go back in case things get worse. The small rotation I made changed my engine from a very rough runner in the mid-range to smooth.

Good luck

grady28,
The oil pump rusted-up in the tank?
I think you have a good list of the problem areas for these engines. Good maintenance will eliminate most issues!
 

grady33

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Family Affair - my 272 sailfish has 2 oil tanks and the pumps are actually on the
Outside and there is a filter from the pump to the tank. They actually fit in a groove on the side of the tank. A5 least one failed after 7 years or so so I replaced them both. I'd probably do it again but we are moving up to a 33 in the coming weeks.