Tweet
I have a 2005 SV211 with ZR6 utilising a MEFI4 B ECM. I got my boat back in the water last Friday evening and everything went fine, returned to it on Sunday morning and it would not start. I noticed that the fuel pump was not being activated to prime the rail when turning on the ignition and began to investigate, eventually discovering that it would appear my MEFI 4 ECM has failed as we are unable to connect to it with Rinda Software and following the troubleshooting guide for my symptoms it leads to the ECM being at fault. I have shipped the ECM to a specialist to bench test and confirm my fears but am confident it is the issue.
I purchased the boat in 2021 through a Nautique Dealer who had replaced the ECM earlier that year for a customer and having done about 40hrs since then. I have spoken to the dealer I purchased the boat through as well as another and a few MEFI specialists and the general consensus is that the MEFI's are very unreliable and it is common for them to have these types of issues, as they have little protection against any voltage spikes/fluctuations.
I have sent the ECM over to a PCM dealer who will test the unit and is going to reach out to PCM to see if they have any stock available, supposedly this is the only (expensive) option to get a genuine MEFI 4 B with the original Engine Map for this era of ZR6. This specialist has advised me that if we can get a replacement I should get the boat running and sell it on as it's not a question of if but rather when the ECM will fail again. This is potentially further supported by the fact that the newly fitted ECM in 2021 failed after approx. 90hrs.
I now find myself in a bit of a dilemma as I really do love my boat and have invested a bit of money in it over the past few years so am not keen on selling, but on the other hand also can not justify the cost of having to replace an ECM (which is not readily available) on a regular basis either.
Are these MEFI 4 ECMs as bad as they are being made out? Having done some research I have came across examples on forums of people suffering from failed ones but it doesn't appear to be as prolific as I am being led to believe, maybe I have just been unlucky with the new ECM in my boat failing prematurely?
My options seem to be to replace the ECM like for like or look at changing over to a different brand of ECM. I see in 2007 Nautique moved over to an EControls M5GCP ECM on the ZR6. After looking at the parts diagrams there is a number of notable differences with a Fly By Wire throttle body, a number of different electronic sensors and of course a completely different wiring loom to communicate with the different ECM. But maybe it is possible to retrofit some things and upgrade to this different ECM, although I can find none of the ECMs available online so it may not be possible to purchase them either.
Has anyone else went through this problem and made a change from MEFI 4, or does anyone recommend other standalone ECMs that I should potentially consider as a replacement. I don't mind spending the extra time and money redoing looms etc and I have some one who would be more than capable of mapping the engine for me but just not sure if I am being overcautious about the MEFI 4 or if now is the opportunity to fix a potential reoccurring costly problem once and for all.
I purchased the boat in 2021 through a Nautique Dealer who had replaced the ECM earlier that year for a customer and having done about 40hrs since then. I have spoken to the dealer I purchased the boat through as well as another and a few MEFI specialists and the general consensus is that the MEFI's are very unreliable and it is common for them to have these types of issues, as they have little protection against any voltage spikes/fluctuations.
I have sent the ECM over to a PCM dealer who will test the unit and is going to reach out to PCM to see if they have any stock available, supposedly this is the only (expensive) option to get a genuine MEFI 4 B with the original Engine Map for this era of ZR6. This specialist has advised me that if we can get a replacement I should get the boat running and sell it on as it's not a question of if but rather when the ECM will fail again. This is potentially further supported by the fact that the newly fitted ECM in 2021 failed after approx. 90hrs.
I now find myself in a bit of a dilemma as I really do love my boat and have invested a bit of money in it over the past few years so am not keen on selling, but on the other hand also can not justify the cost of having to replace an ECM (which is not readily available) on a regular basis either.
Are these MEFI 4 ECMs as bad as they are being made out? Having done some research I have came across examples on forums of people suffering from failed ones but it doesn't appear to be as prolific as I am being led to believe, maybe I have just been unlucky with the new ECM in my boat failing prematurely?
My options seem to be to replace the ECM like for like or look at changing over to a different brand of ECM. I see in 2007 Nautique moved over to an EControls M5GCP ECM on the ZR6. After looking at the parts diagrams there is a number of notable differences with a Fly By Wire throttle body, a number of different electronic sensors and of course a completely different wiring loom to communicate with the different ECM. But maybe it is possible to retrofit some things and upgrade to this different ECM, although I can find none of the ECMs available online so it may not be possible to purchase them either.
Has anyone else went through this problem and made a change from MEFI 4, or does anyone recommend other standalone ECMs that I should potentially consider as a replacement. I don't mind spending the extra time and money redoing looms etc and I have some one who would be more than capable of mapping the engine for me but just not sure if I am being overcautious about the MEFI 4 or if now is the opportunity to fix a potential reoccurring costly problem once and for all.
Comment