www.iFourWinns.com

over the last 2 months, my little 3.0 doesn't seem to want to idle when cold, which it never had a problem with before. I did adjust the idle setting up a bit, which now leads to the idle being a bit fast when the engine is warm. The problem seems to be getting progressively worse.

I know the manual suggests to replace the plugs every year on this engine, as opposed to every 3 years on the 4.3 and V8 engines. I am going to replace the plugs, and ad some water eliminator to the fuel tank as well to see if it will solve the problem. Anybody have any other ideas, in case the plugs don't solve the problem?

Boat and engine is a 2007 by the way....

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2009 H180 w/3.0 Merc
Homebuilt Minimax Hydro
2011 Zodiac Cadet 310

Chris,

My '06 H180 with the Volvo 3.0L had exactly the same problem. I could never find a happy compromise between the cold idle setting and after it had warmed up. I found that as the boat warmed up the idle would speed up and I had to turn it down. When I launched the next time the idle would be too low and I had to jack it back up. The cycle continued until I traded to MY '07 220 with EFI.

This occurred both before and after I had the carburetor recall completed. I changed the plugs first to new AC Delco's and then to Bosch Iridium and it made no difference. Sorry I don't have the answer but I don't think plugs are going to make any difference from my experience.

Maybe a choke adjustment is in order?

Steve

Does this engine use a throttle position sensor? Seems like either that or a choke problem.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

You might try removing the flame arrrestor temporarly and see if the choke closes all the way when you open the throttle all the way with a cold engine. It should close all the way after you advance the throttle all the way foward and then back off to the fast idle position (1/4 throttle or so). When you start it, the choke should open just a faction to keep the engine running. If not that could be your problem, there is usually a vaccum operated linkage the pulls the choke open slightly after a cold start.

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Well, I think I found my problem guys!

I checkked the plugs then placed them right back in the head, as they looked brand new! I kinda figured that would be what they would look like, but the manual says every year......

So, I continued to check back from the plugs, checking the wires for cracks and whatnot, no problems there either.

When I get to the distributor cap.... there's a problem; It's loose enough to wiggle it back and forth! So, I pull the cap to see if there is any damage to it or the rotor, but it all looks good. The only thing I found fishy was some oil inside the cap. I wiped it clean, put it back on snug and started her up. It started smooth and after 30 seconds or so of warming settled down into idle just like it should.

So there you have it, I think the problem is solved. I am going to go out for another ride today, so I'll find out if it starts well again.

Thanks guys for your suggestions!

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2009 H180 w/3.0 Merc
Homebuilt Minimax Hydro
2011 Zodiac Cadet 310

Sweet! I hope you found it and glad it was an easy fix!

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Troy
2008 Centurion Avalanche
1994 Four Winns Horizon 180 SE 5.0L OMC Cobra (Sold)
2002 Ford F150 Harley Davidson Edition (http://www.nhtoc.com) 378 hp & 465 tq at rear wheels
2008 Honda Accord EX-L w/Nav

I'm going to keep that in mind if mine starts doing some funny things. glad you found the problem hope it works

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2006 Horizon 180 3.0 Volvo SOLD
2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee

thanks guys

I ran the boat last night again without problem, so I think I have found the solution.....

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2009 H180 w/3.0 Merc
Homebuilt Minimax Hydro
2011 Zodiac Cadet 310

The good and the bad of the carbed 3.0 I guess - difficult to run smoothly but easy and cheap to fix. I noticed a big difference in idle quality when I had to put in some ethanol-blended gas. I've tried to find that new Stabil ethanol treatment but like everything else I see in US magazines, I can't find it here.

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2007 180 Horizon

How would oil get into the distributer cap?

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2007 Horizon 200
4.3L GXi/ SX 225 HP

I'm not sure how oil got under the dist. cap. in the first place..... The only thing I can think of is that there is a seal in the distributor assembly that is leaking, or the oil dripped in there from a spill during an oil change.

Now that I have run the boat a few times, I am going to pull the cap again, and see if there are signs of oil or not.

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2009 H180 w/3.0 Merc
Homebuilt Minimax Hydro
2011 Zodiac Cadet 310