G23 550 Low Power

[Cpan13]

So I picked up a used 2015 G23 2 weeks ago with the PCM XR7 550 engine. First 10 hours were totally trouble free. Now we have a serious lack of power.

-Can’t get onto plane with anything more than 3/4 ballast in boat (wake pro or back to dock)
-Issue started after burning 3/4 tank of fuel so I don’t think it’s a fuel issue (always filled with premium)
-Strong smell of rich exhaust gas
-Slight vibration at 1200-1600rpm, almost like it’s missing
-Will still run up to 5400rpm/40mph with no ballast so I don’t think it’s limp mode
-Supercharger coolant pump running as it should
-No codes

Any ideas? If it’s just a sensor or something I’d like to be able to fix it myself since my dealer is 6 hours away.

[nyryan2001]

I had that happen one time on mine..it was when my supercharger coolant pump was unplugged after a service.

ensure it really is pumping. You should see movement in the coolant reservoir for the supercharger.

Just talked to a G23 550 guy today that had to replace his pump recently, he has 700hrs on his.

[Cpan13]

I had that happen one time on mine..it was when my supercharger coolant pump was unplugged after a service.

ensure it really is pumping. You should see movement in the coolant reservoir for the supercharger.

Just talked to a G23 550 guy today that had to replace his pump recently, he has 700hrs on his.

It’’s pumping. That was one of the first things I checked. Going to check spark plugs on it and report back.

[Mahnal]

I had a similar issue after an oil change. Make sure you are not over full on oil. Mine was not over full, and the problem was less severe than yours and resolved after running the boat for a while. But I have heard that can happen if over filled.


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[charlesml3]

Strong smell off raw fuel, vibration. Both are indicators of ignition issues. Most likely it's a bad spark plug. Best to just replace them all.

[Bevostein]

I had the exact symptoms you describe and a new set of plugs fixed it. Boat had around 300 hours when this happened. Dealer said it was common for the 550s to need a new set of plugs earlier than the other engines.

[thedude]

Same exact issues with XR7 on a friends boat. Changed all plugs and he was back to 100% as mentioned above.

[nyryan2001]

Cpan, do you fog your engine for winterization?

[Cpan13]

For the interested, new plugs did nothing for me.

Nyryan, I don’t fog when I winterize but this boat is new to me so I don’t know what the previous owner had done. I had 10 solid hours on it before this issue.

[Cpan13]

So I got my boat to the dealer to check this out. They’re saying everything is fine and I simply didn’t have NCRS active. Doesn’t sound right to me. Can anyone with a lake that’s not still frozen confirm that their boat can get on plane with full ballast and NCRS not activated?

[nyryan2001]

100% false. 550hp will blast onto plan immediately even with 3000lbs ballast.

You’ve got another issue at hand. Multiple recommendations were listed to you above.

[Cpan13]

100% false. 550hp will blast onto plan immediately even with 3000lbs ballast.

You’ve got another issue at hand. Multiple recommendations were listed to you above.

Yup I agree. Need to wait a few weeks for the dealers lake to thaw so they can see themselves I guess. I’ve addressed all the recommendations from above so we’ll see what they find on a lake test. Thanks for the quick feedback Ryan.

[nyryan2001]

Yessir. When my supercharger circulation pump was unplugged... I went from 550hp to like 250-275hp. It was a dog.

no codes, no error messages.

my vote? Something with your supercharger. Ensure the supercharger circulation pump is running and it’s engaging. I plugged it in, instant back to normal full power.

all the other injector, O2 sensor, and other engine issues would throw error codes.

another option, call PCM direct and ask for help. They’re gonna want to get the Diacom scan to get all the engine data before they do anything. Between now and when that file gets to PCM... you’re just wasting time. Get it to a dealer, any PCM dealer and get it scanned and get it moving.

[Mahnal]

So I got my boat to the dealer to check this out. They’re saying everything is fine and I simply didn’t have NCRS active. Doesn’t sound right to me. Can anyone with a lake that’s not still frozen confirm that their boat can get on plane with full ballast and NCRS not activated?

My 2014. G25, with full ballast and some extra weight, will struggle to get on plane with NCRS not active. I had the same thing happen. So I don’t know this is a good diagnosis, but it isn’t ridiculous.


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[blueroom]

100% false. 550hp will blast onto plan immediately even with 3000lbs ballast.

You’ve got another issue at hand. Multiple recommendations were listed to you above.

I don’t know that I would say that it will always blast on plane, there are a lot of variables. I can see a scenario where NCRS could affect this.

If the supercharger wasn't working would the boat be able to plane at 3/4 full?

I have the 550, and while it is definitely a strong motor and I love it, I am not sure it is quite as epic as some people make it out to be.