RPM Issues

trich11trich11 Member Posts: 108 ✭✭✭
First opportunity actually get the boat out and run yesterday. Five people, nearly full tank and plenty of beer. Had some storms come up so I decided to run south to get away and when I powered up I noticed the port engine was producing more RPM's than the starboard. Did the tach tap, several times at different levels and nothing. Even at 7-8 MPH it was two hundred higher. Second thing was the port engine seemed to be louder than the starboard. Ideas on where to start?

Comments

  • craigswardmtbcraigswardmtb Member Posts: 1,015 ✭✭✭
    Are the engines synced and do you know they're trimmed evenly?
  • trich11trich11 Member Posts: 108 ✭✭✭
    Trimmed properly. Tried it at various trim settings. Sync'd properly.
  • Black_DiamondBlack_Diamond Member Posts: 5,439 ✭✭✭✭✭
    You'll get odd sounds when they are out of synch. Assuming your tachs were correct, it could be a throttle adjustment. I'd start with making sure they were in synch as noted above.

    Past owner of a 2003 342FV
    PC BYC, Holland, MI
  • brianluckbrianluck Member Posts: 174 ✭✭✭
    I've got issues similar when I have a bad fuel filter makes it harder for me to match Rpm's
    1994 300fv "General Madness"
  • trich11trich11 Member Posts: 108 ✭✭✭
    It seems that a fuel filter would cause it to run poorly at all times. The engines both start properly and idol smoothly. Any thoughts on a cap and rotor?
  • mvnmvn Member, Moderator Posts: 744 mod
    trich11 said:
    It seems that a fuel filter would cause it to run poorly at all times. The engines both start properly and idol smoothly. Any thoughts on a cap and rotor?

    Not necessarily true.  At low speeds, the filter can pass enough fuel.  At higher sppeds, the filter can't flow enough.

    Mark

    Good,  fast,  cheap.... pick two. 
    2019 MTX20 Extreme

  • trich11trich11 Member Posts: 108 ✭✭✭
    This bears checking out as I have not changed the fuel filters on the boat in 3 years. Any ideas on the fuel filter location on a 2002 342?
  • mvnmvn Member, Moderator Posts: 744 mod

    Seriously??!?  What engines do you have.  Chances are they will be located on the starboard side of the engines down low near the front engine mount.  But then again, I'm not familiar with cruisers per se.

    Mark

    Good,  fast,  cheap.... pick two. 
    2019 MTX20 Extreme

  • trich11trich11 Member Posts: 108 ✭✭✭
    350 mags. If they are down that low that means holding the wife by the ankles and putting her to work.
  • mvnmvn Member, Moderator Posts: 744 mod

    Have a look here......

    Mark

    Good,  fast,  cheap.... pick two. 
    2019 MTX20 Extreme

  • trich11trich11 Member Posts: 108 ✭✭✭
    I thought you meant there was a separate fuel filter besides the fuel water seperator. I changed my separators last fall and used Stabil. I will get out the glass bowl and give them a look. Thanks Mark. 
  • mvnmvn Member, Moderator Posts: 744 mod
    edited June 2013

    You may also have separate in-line filters (see attached). Someone here with an '02 342 and 350 Mags will probably have better advice.

    Mark

    Good,  fast,  cheap.... pick two. 
    2019 MTX20 Extreme

  • rinker312rinker312 Member Posts: 255 ✭✭
    I have the same problem, my RPM gauges are always different, sometimes way different, but after cruising for a while they usually settle between 100 and 200 different from each other.  I have always ignored them and just kept the synch gauge in the middle, never really noticed one engine being louder than the other.  What exactly does the synch gauge do differently than the RPM gauges?  I always thought it was reading the RPM's and my RPM gauges just suck. 

    2004 Rinker 312, 5.0 Merc's, Bravo III, Lake Wheeler, AL

  • trich11trich11 Member Posts: 108 ✭✭✭
    The stock Faria tachs' are known to be a pain in the a** but in the past if a tach went a bit heywire I could to the tach tap and it returned to normal. This time I am pretty certain they were reading right as the port engine sounded like it was turning around 800 more RPM than the starboard thus the louder sound. In the past, my engines when attempting to plain ran up at a pretty equal pace with the throttles aligned side by side. This time to achieve an equal RPM display I had to offset the throttles over an inch. This is a new condition.
  • l-skynyrdl-skynyrd Member Posts: 178 ✭✭✭

    Trich....

    I might be wrong, but I think the sync gauge is measering the thrust from each engine, not RPM. I got into some weeds about month age and used the sync gauge to determine which drive had the weeds on it. Did a bunch of carzy things and got rid of the weeds. When the drives are not in sync with nothing on the props you can hear the difference in the engines when they are in sync. This is how captains used to do it before electronic gauges. When I have the drives in sync my tac's never read the same (cheap guages).

    So I think you might have a problem with the props or it might be an engine problem or in rinker 312  problem it might be cables.

     

    Len

    You have to love the water....

    Len & Robyn   342 FV  Freebird

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