Dodged a bullet on my '99 115 HP Fitch

TinBoats.net

Help Support TinBoats.net:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

nowgrn4

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 24, 2015
Messages
260
Reaction score
3
Location
Florida
I use my Jon at my lake place at least 50-60 days a year so my Pro-Line at my other home just sits.....and sits, been over 3 years since it's moved. I usually start it on the hose at least every 3 weeks and run ethanol free 91, Stabil blue and Sea Foam in it. Always fires right up but not last week. I figured it was the over 2 year old fuel.

I siphoned out all 8 gallons and it smelled like paint thinner. The external fuel water separator filter looked great but the little spin on filter at the lift pump under the cowl was full of rusty bits when I poured it out. Crap, I'm thinking $500 for a new downstream recirculation pump and $300 times 4 for new high pressure injectors and the PITA of recalabrating the EMM/injectors with my software.

This morning I refueled with 15 gals of fresh fuel then topped off the new filters and installed. I removed the schrader valve on the high pressure side and pumped at least a half gallon through the recirculation pump with the hand pump bubble until it came out clean without any specks of rusty crap. It took about 3 20 second cycles (with a one hour battery charge in between) for it to fire up. Idled perfectly for 5 minutes with head temps between 102-105 degrees. Ran it a good 5 minutes after the thermostats opened at 1,600 RPM with all 4 head temps reading between 99-101. It just purred. Idled it for a few minutes more and it sounds perfect.

I'm tickled. Gonna dunk it next Mon. and leave it docked all week behind a friends house and use it everyday. Use it or lose it.
 
You are a lucky man having a FITCH that is actually still running! Not many left that still run
 
One of the failures was the pistons were not the right alloy. Bean counters got involved and outscored the pistons from Mexico and they were burning holes through them. The v4's did not have as many failures but they were using the same alloy in the pistons as the v6.
 

Latest posts

Top