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Post by jjregal on Jun 21, 2020 7:05:47 GMT -5
Hi! Just purchased first 2017 Regal ES2000(used w/ 40 hours on engine). The boat seems to be considerably slower than I had anticipated and I wanted to get some advice as to whether my expectations are unrealistic. We have the Volvo Penta 225hp engine (gen 4?) and it barely gets to about 3800 rpm and 35-38 mph Wide open with 2 or 3 people on board. Should it be able to go faster? Thanks.
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Post by kdubya on Jun 21, 2020 7:35:13 GMT -5
The RPMs are very low. That motor should run at 4800 RPM wide open. The issue could be the prop pitch, fuel delivery issues, fuel issues, throttle cable needing adjustment, to name a few.
Other than low RPMs and low speed, what else was experienced while running the motor?
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Post by jjregal on Jun 21, 2020 9:12:12 GMT -5
Other than the low RPMs and low speed it seems like it is running okay. We did have an issue that the fuel pump was whining for a while. It sounded like a bad bearing but the dealer took a look and said that it was a bad electrical connector in the fuel pump. They fixed it and it sounds fine now. Just doesn't go very fast. At one point we felt that the engine sounded like it had the ability to go to a much higher RPM,,,kind of like it showed glimpses of wanting to go to a much faster rev for a few seconds but now it just seems to top out at around 3700 RPM. It just feels really sluggish. You reach what ends up being full throttle WAY earlier than it seems like you should. To be honest, it feels like you're at about half throttle and then you push the throttle and realize it's all the way up. The engine does sound what I'd characterize as "pretty normal" when cruising wide open, just really slow.
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Post by kdubya on Jun 21, 2020 9:16:26 GMT -5
My guess, not being a marine tech, throttle cable or a module connected to the throttle are the likely culprits. Sounds like a visit with the dealer.
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Post by tc33obx on Jun 21, 2020 9:44:29 GMT -5
I with Kdubya, I think the prop is not the original setup. I'm thinking someone but a prop on it that would help with yanking people out of the water wake boarding or something. I did that with my 22 foot Bryant with the 5.7 EFI Merc Alpha one. Got rid of the 3 blade original prop and put a 4 blade on it to help pull skiers and wake boarders. Couldn't pull both my boys out of the water with wakeboards at the same time with the old prop, not a problem with the new. The issue is that I lost something like 5 to 7 mph at the top end. Which wasn't a big problem since we almost never the motor that hard.
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Post by matts19 on Jun 23, 2020 14:41:02 GMT -5
You should be hitting at least 45 mph with a 3 blade 19" pitch prop and probably 4500-4800 rpm. I suspect you might have a bad fuel pump. The Volvo pumps are known to be a bit sketchy and they usually whine when they are on their way out because they get clogged from flaking paint inside the pump. I believe I have seen where a bad pump can cause a big decrease in performance.
I have the "next gen" Volvo in mine with only 200 hp and can do a gps verified 46 ish mph with two people on board, full tank of fuel, and a 19" oem Volvo Penta stainless prop.
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Post by jjregal on Jun 23, 2020 16:22:47 GMT -5
Hi Matts,
The fuel pump was my guess as well, especially when it started whining. Took it to the dealer and they worked on it and said it was just a bad electrical connection and that all was fine. Put the boat in the water and the whine was gone but it still struggled to get to 35-38MPH and no higher. RPMs would not go past about 3800. I emailed the former owner who had traded it in for a bigger jet boat and he said that when he owned it the boat went 48-50mph with two people riding and he guessed the RPMs were something like 5000-5200 wide open. It just feels like it's got no energy now. Frustrating that my 17 year old Glastron out-performed this new (to me) Regal. I appreciate everyone's guidance on this as I attempt to go back to the dealer one more time.
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Post by matts19 on Jun 24, 2020 9:44:51 GMT -5
I am not a mechanic, but I can't help but think your fuel pump is bad. What kind of prop is on the boat?
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Post by jjregal on Jun 25, 2020 6:38:46 GMT -5
It's a 3 blade prop that I'm assuming is the original that came with the boat when new. I'll have to check to confirm.
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Post by jjregal on Jun 27, 2020 7:52:03 GMT -5
It was a bad spark plug. All seems to be good now!
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Post by kdubya on Jun 27, 2020 12:48:46 GMT -5
A spark plug! That is good news that it was not something more complex. Time to boat!
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Post by gofast24 on Jun 28, 2020 10:09:28 GMT -5
Just a FYI = Never fully believe what you see on any helm gauge, engine RPM's,boat speed (MPH), oil pressure, battery volts, etc.. I have had Too many years in the engine R+D/ Test/Development field.
Glad it was just one spark plug, who/how did you determine that?
Thanks
Stay Safe!!
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Post by Av8ator1 on Jun 30, 2020 8:20:54 GMT -5
A bit odd but good for you!
A bad spark plug, should present more indications than just loss of RPM.
When I dropped a plug on my 4.3, it was obvious just by the idle of the engine and it’s behavior.
Keep us posted
One other cause is too much oil which will float the pistons.
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Post by jjregal on Jun 30, 2020 20:12:25 GMT -5
It was probably obvious to the mechanic who figured it out. I had never heard the engine running properly so I wasn't sure what to expect. I sensed that something was wrong but did not know the engine well enough to be able to accurately diagnose it on how it sounded and behaved. Fortunately the mechanic figured it out within minutes.
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Post by gofast24 on Jul 9, 2020 10:24:38 GMT -5
It was probably obvious to the mechanic who figured it out. I had never heard the engine running properly so I wasn't sure what to expect. I sensed that something was wrong but did not know the engine well enough to be able to accurately diagnose it on how it sounded and behaved. Fortunately the mechanic figured it out within minutes. Great, what did it cost to have one spark plug replaced? Yes, you probably paid for the diagnosis and that was most likely 10X the cost of the one spark plug? |
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