GT-40 EFI - Dependability

[arondeau]

Guys / gals,
need some feedback on the GT-40 EFI system. Up to this point I have only owned carburated engines. Maybe I am just thinking Old-School, but I am purchasing my 9th Ski Boat and am apprehensive of "moving up" to EFI. I have always had the mind-set of "less is better", or KIS "keep it simple" and not had the desire to have EFI due to all the electronics. I really do not care to have to deal with this module or that sensor. Am I just being tunnel-visioned? Is there alot of maintenance or issues with these systems? Dependability? I am looking at mid-nineties boats. Were there any problems with that era of EFI? HELP!!

Andy

[Laptom]

RE: GT-40 EFI - Dependability

The only problems with a GT40 EFI I had was: - Broken starter relay (nothing to do with the EFI) and a bad first fuel pump. I'm using a EFI for 6 years now and I had less problems with it then the carburated engines before...

[M3Fan]

RE: GT-40 EFI - Dependability

I've heard nothing but legendary dependability from the GT40's EFI system specifically. I've replaced the low pressure fuel pump and the starter relay- nothing specific to the Ford EFI system though.

[Rick]

RE: GT-40 EFI - Dependability

I don't know what the first year of the GT-40 was but there are 2 kinds of EFI available. In the 94-95 era there was Throttle Body. In 96 I believe they went to Multiport. I believe if you search on Throttle body you will find some minor problems associated with it. Also do a search on the Protech ignition. I believe the early GT-40s had that as well. The parts for that are rare now and everyone seems to be doing conversions. Hope this helped. Oh yea I have a 2000 with 1400 hours on a GT-40 with multiport and it still runs flawlessly.

[TRBenj]

Re: RE: GT-40 EFI - Dependability

I don't know what the first year of the GT-40 was but there are 2 kinds of EFI available. In the 94-95 era there was Throttle Body. In 96 I believe they went to Multiport. I believe if you search on Throttle body you will find some minor problems associated with it. Also do a search on the Protech ignition. I believe the early GT-40s had that as well. The parts for that are rare now and everyone seems to be doing conversions. Hope this helped. Oh yea I have a 2000 with 1400 hours on a GT-40 with multiport and it still runs flawlessly.

A few corrections:

- The TBI motors were never called GT40's (though, to add confusion, some had GT40 heads). PCM GT40's were multiport only.

-GT40's never used the Protec ignition system (TBI motors did).

[NCH2oSki]

RE: Re: RE: GT-40 EFI - Dependability

GT-40 with Multi port is a great value. Turn the key and it fires everytime, in my experience. I'm on my second one and couldnt be happier. I did hear the 97 or 98 had a small Idle flair issue, but it is just a small issue. It seemed to idle a little high for just a second then drop back down to normal on start up. It was never an issue at sitting idle, just start up.

[tski97]

RE: Re: RE: GT-40 EFI - Dependability

I have a 97 with the GT-40 and have been very happy. My brother has a 95 with GT-40 and has also been happy. I would look at a 96 or newer because the 95 did not have the Fuel Cell and I know my brother has some starting problems that he believes is vapor lock from not having the fuel cell.

[DanielC]

RE: Re: RE: GT-40 EFI - Dependability

I have had experiance with two GT-40 motors that I care for. A 1998 Ski Nautique, with about 1274 hours, and a 1997 Ski Nautique with about 1967 hours.
Both engines are on their second raw water pump. I no longer try to get the drive belt ar tight as I can. The 1997 engine lost a low pressure fuel pump at 920 hours. The 1998 I had to replace the "not really a starter relay" two years ago. The 1997 still has the orginal "not really a starter relay" Knock on wood, or pray, whatever suites you. I replaced the spark plugs in the 1997 twice, the 1998 still has the original spark plugs, I will have to research that. I had a miss in the 1997 at the end of this year, and I replaced the distributer cap, the rotor, and the plug wires.
The one year I did not use STA-BIL in the fuel, I lost the low pressure fuel pump. I do not know if it is related, or just a coincidence. Both boats have had the fuel filters replaced a few times.
Both boats did develop a fuel leak on the fitting on the top of the FCC that has the wires that go to the high pressure pump. This happened around 900 hours.
I too was concerned about a fuel injection engine when I bought the 1997. I now feel those concerns were totally unfounded.
No pumping of the throttle to start the boat. No clouds of black smoke from a too rich engine. If I want to go sking January 1 when it is 37 degrees, and the boat has not ran since October, just turn the key, it starts. If it is 110 degrees on Lake Shasta, and I just ran the boat 10 minutes ago, just turn the key, it starts. No carb is going to do that.
The GT-40 engine takes about a 1/2 second to start, all the time. This is built in to the computer so the engine has some oil pressure before it fires. In some conditions, a carb motor will start sooner, this is not a problem, just a feature designed into the engine computer.

[arondeau]

....thank you all for taking the time to give me some (positive) feedback. I REALLY appreciate it. I feel better now about going this route. I was always apprehensive about EFI in a boat......Tski97....what's with the fuel-cell? There's a low-pressure fuel pump, correct? Is the pump inside the tank?

[DanielC]

The fuel cell is a canister about a foot long, and about four inches in diameter, located below the alternator.
There is no pump inside the tank. Fuel is sucked out of the tank by the low pressure pump, (pushed by air pressure actually) and it then goes into the canister (FCC). There is an outlet that flows back to the tank, and the low pressure pump keeps the FCC full of gas. There is a fuel filter halfway down in the FCC, and the high pressure pump is inside the fuel filter. The FCC can hold about 12 oz. of water, and keep it away from the filter, and high pressure pump. If your tank is almost empty, and you do a non recomended high speed manouver, and the low pressure pump draws some air, the FCC holds enough gas around the high pressure pump that the engine will not starve for gas. The high pressure pump maintains about 39 psi on the fuel rails that supply the injectors. There is a fuel pressure regulator that dumps excess fuel back to the FCC, and back to the tank.
Long story short, no fuel sits around the engine long enough to ever have a vapor lock. There is no pressure applied the fuel hose that goes from the tank to the bildge to leak.

[Nautiqueman]

I have owned and operated several Nautiques with GT-40's over the past 11 years, and cannot say enough about their awesome performance and reliability. The torque on a GT-40 is unsurpassable for a stock engine.