High fuel usage, engine sync not working

Far57

Far57

New Member
Apr 9, 2021
11
Boat Info
2005 Sea Ray 48 Sundancer
8.3 540 Diesel
Engines
8.3 540 Cummings VDrive
Super excited to transport home my recently purchased 2001 410DA. Maiden trip from port Clinton, OH to Harrison Twp, MI. Very nice weather and trip. Even stopped for lunch at Put-in bay. My issue is that my port engine (7.4l) appeared to have a “miss” and burned twice the fuel as starboard. New plugs, wires, old cap, rotor to my dismay when we checked. Should I be concerned about any other issues?

Also, my synchronizer when’s crazy. Every time I turned it on, my starbord engine ran to full throttle. Any thoughts on that one also.

much appreciated if anyone can give me some ideas to follow up on.
Thanks.
 
It appears one of the Syncro's drive cables has broken and is not turning. That is if you have a Glendenning syncro. There is a little drive coupling that is designed to break if there is issues with the system.
The high fuel usage can be attributed to a host of things; burning twice the fuel is a real problem that needs fixing right away. Things like washing the lubrication from the cylinder walls and oil dilution are really hard on the engine. If this is an injected engine and it is fouling spark plugs then most likely an injector not closing..... Just some thoughts for you.
 
Far57 said:
Super excited to transport home my recently purchased 2001 410DA. Maiden trip from port Clinton, OH to Harrison Twp, MI. Very nice weather and trip. Even stopped for lunch at Put-in bay. My issue is that my port engine (7.4l) appeared to have a “miss” and burned twice the fuel as starboard. New plugs, wires, old cap, rotor to my dismay when we checked. Should I be concerned about any other issues?

Also, my synchronizer when’s crazy. Every time I turned it on, my starbord engine ran to full throttle. Any thoughts on that one also.

much appreciated if anyone can give me some ideas to follow up on.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
It could be the module for the sync gauge < its usually located inside the dash it might have a red plastic cap which you can remove to calibrate the gauge try That
 
Agree with Tom, likely have a broken flex shaft or other drive component failed. The good news is its pretty easy to fix, and parts readily available. Here's likely what you have. Also attached the whole troubleshooting guide.

If/when you buy parts, make sure you buy the $10 alignment tool, as it will make the replacement easy and the new parts last MUCH MUCH longer.

upload_2021-6-6_10-32-14.png



upload_2021-6-6_10-34-6.png

https://www.glendinningprods.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Synchronizer_-_Troubleshooting.v1.pdf
 
On your fuel burn, how did you determine the port engine was burning twice the fuel? Twice the fuel burn would be very odd. If by the fuel gauge, they are pretty unreliable/inaccurate.

With new ignition components installed, it could be as simple as having the wires attached to the wrong plug. On a new to you boat, don't assume the PO did it correctly. Trust, but verify!!

Hoping its something simple!!
 
Thanks for the tips. Going do do some investigation and report back. Also, on the fuel burn, we were initially looking at gauge, but we compared fuel used at gas dock and determined 20 gal. Spread between the two for a three hour run.
 
Fuel issue could be a bad valve.
 
Far57 said:
Thanks for the tips. Going do do some investigation and report back. Also, on the fuel burn, we were initially looking at gauge, but we compared fuel used at gas dock and determined 20 gal. Spread between the two for a three hour run.
Click to expand...

A 20 gallon spread in 2 hours of run time would be pretty extreme. I'm curious - how much total fuel did you pump when you filled up after 2 hours of running +/-? Max should have been right around 80 gallons. Ideally, 40 per side +/-. A bit more to starboard if your generator was running but that would be worth 2 gallons difference...not 20.

Did you have both tanks full before you left? Your port tank is 158 gallons, starboard is 173 gallons. That could also explain some of the difference if you didn't get her 100% topped off on both sides before leaving.
 
It was a 3 hour run and I topped off before we left. Full disclosure, I wasn't taking into account the tank size difference and that would cause the port gauge to move quicker. We did not run the generator during this run. That being said, we observed about a 20 gallon difference when we stopped for fuel. Yes, its worrisome. I have a mechanic scheduled to look at it next week.
 
That much difference should have other symptoms like a raw gas smell especially at idle/low power, maybe slow acceleration. Short if that I would not make a decision based on a single fill up. Boats tanks can seem full but really not be depending on the routing of the fill line and vent line. You may see gas come from the vent but you can get more fuel in.

I'd get the missed fixed and run a few more tanks. Keep good records.

Getting the sync fixed makes running the boat easier. Don't rely on the sync getting up on plane. The slave will lag the master by a couple seconds and put a big load on the sync.

I usually be the boat up on plane and roughly at the RPM I want to run at. Then I engage the sync, and push the slave throttle all the way forward. The sync will match rpm pretty quick, unless I forget to push the slave up...puts too large a load on it.
 
Good suggestions. No gas smell, so I will monitor it further and discuss with my mechanic. Lots of systems on these boats. I am learning so such here. Thanks.
 
Far57 said:
It was a 3 hour run and I topped off before we left. Full disclosure, I wasn't taking into account the tank size difference and that would cause the port gauge to move quicker. We did not run the generator during this run. That being said, we observed about a 20 gallon difference when we stopped for fuel. Yes, its worrisome. I have a mechanic scheduled to look at it next week.
Click to expand...

Gotcha. You mentioned "twice the fuel" and 20 gallons difference. So I'm assuming you burned 60 gallons total in 3 hours? I assume your 3 hours included a bit of time at hull speed. You should be ballpark 35-38gph when you're cruising along at 3500rpm +/-.

Was she running straight and true when you'd take your hands off the wheel? Were you hearing the "humm" of perfectly sync'd engines?

I also like the idea of putting a little more time on her, especially if it's running straight and proper.
 
Congrats on the boat!

I'd like to make a case for installing fuel flow meters. I've had mine for a long time, but I regret not installing them sooner. I've always kept records, so I was confident ten years into ownership that I had gleaned a decent picture of the consumption curve.

I hadn't. Accurate, real-time data offered several surprises regarding cruise speed efficiency, but has other important benefits. Having meters also:

- Allows me to avoid carrying unnecessary fuel
- Predicts how much fuel I'll take on at the pump
- Can be an earlier predictor of an engine problem, or bottom growth issue
- Serves as a back-up to the (notorious) fuel gauges

These days the assumption is an NMEA-2000 solution that displays the data on a compatible MFD. One method is a paddle-wheel style meter installed in fuel lines. (Garmin and Lowrance for example). Another is tapping info the ECM diag port with a Fox Gateway. The former is less expensive, but the latter offers more data than just fuel.

y4m5qid2baZb6i_E_6NC6mQ0g5ZPoh6ZsOSA02VOJEa-ndAgcBO796u2cTNSYfzRSNDH7Ap5oTypBznef0ioKPxmESS6lecrPdxm5j4iAukLslfoVTZiEFxBDpta0vIdl3ns6aQlmbkc05fx04jLUDAAyak5nj_vuo9x8pISDvxns4
 
RollerCoastr said:
Congrats on the boat!

I'd like to make a case for installing fuel flow meters. I've had mine for a long time, but I regret not installing them sooner. I've always kept records, so I was confident ten years into ownership that I had gleaned a decent picture of the consumption curve.

I hadn't. Accurate, real-time data offered several surprises regarding cruise speed efficiency, but has other important benefits. Having meters also:

- Allows me to avoid carrying unnecessary fuel
- Predicts how much fuel I'll take on at the pump
- Can be an earlier predictor of an engine problem, or bottom growth issue
- Serves as a back-up to the (notorious) fuel gauges

These days the assumption is an NMEA-2000 solution that displays the data on a compatible MFD. One method is a paddle-wheel style meter installed in fuel lines. (Garmin and Lowrance for example). Another is tapping info the ECM diag port with a Fox Gateway. The former is less expensive, but the latter offers more data than just fuel.

y4m5qid2baZb6i_E_6NC6mQ0g5ZPoh6ZsOSA02VOJEa-ndAgcBO796u2cTNSYfzRSNDH7Ap5oTypBznef0ioKPxmESS6lecrPdxm5j4iAukLslfoVTZiEFxBDpta0vIdl3ns6aQlmbkc05fx04jLUDAAyak5nj_vuo9x8pISDvxns4
Click to expand...

Might as well have his mechanic toss the Fox gateways on while he's trying to find the miss!

That is such a sweet setup...
 
Stee6043 said:
Might as well have his mechanic toss the Fox gateways on while he's trying to find the miss!

That is such a sweet setup...
Click to expand...

Stee, have you taken the plunge? I'm considering "upgrading" from my GFS-10's to Fox. I'm having a hard time justifying it, but a friend of mine might help offset part of the cost my buying my current ones...
 
RollerCoastr said:
Stee, have you taken the plunge? I'm considering "upgrading" from my GFS-10's to Fox. I'm having a hard time justifying it, but a friend of mine might help offset part of the cost my buying my current ones...
Click to expand...

Not yet...not yet. I blew my boat money on a dinghy and platform this year. But it's still on my list of future upgrades...
 
Far57 said:
Super excited to transport home my recently purchased 2001 410DA. Maiden trip from port Clinton, OH to Harrison Twp, MI. Very nice weather and trip. Even stopped for lunch at Put-in bay. My issue is that my port engine (7.4l) appeared to have a “miss” and burned twice the fuel as starboard. New plugs, wires, old cap, rotor to my dismay when we checked. Should I be concerned about any other issues?

Also, my synchronizer when’s crazy. Every time I turned it on, my starbord engine ran to full throttle. Any thoughts on that one also.

much appreciated if anyone can give me some ideas to follow up on.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Hello and we are going down to Catawba island Ohio to get a 2000 410 DA next Friday and coming back to Harrison township, wondering how happy you are with the boat and also those engines as ours has the same set. Wondering if you feel it’s underpowered, or doesn’t get on plane well?
Thank you and congrats on the purchase
 
We are enjoying our boat very much. I don’t feel it is under powered, but I really don’t push it much. Very pleased with this power package for my type of cruising. Only issue I may have given more consideration if I did it over are bow thrusters. But, that’s because I am used to I/O and 15 feet shorter, LOL. I am learning though. Good luck.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,172
Messages
1,427,835
Members
61,084
Latest member
AntonioJamm
Back
Top