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2011 DF90A sporadic limp mode

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douglasdm

New member
We have a DF90A and it generally runs really well. However, the last 3 times we have been out and been pulling the tube it has gone into what feels like limp mode. It will idle fine and run up to just under 3k with no issue. The rpm feels like its being artificially constrained and it feels like its skipping. This only occurs after an extended high RPM(5k-6k) run pulling tubers and making a lot of turns working to through off the tubers.

We can make long runs, 20 minutes or more at high RPM(5k-6k) without going into limp mode if we are not pulling the tube.

Once we go into this state, if we sit around for about an hour it seems to come back and run fine. We never see any warning lights, no codes blinking in the tach, nothing.

I have taken to our outboard guy and he says it works fine for him and he can see no issues.

I am thinking there is no way we are the first people to run into this sort of situation with one of these engines or one in the DFA family.

Thanks in advance for the answer to this problem. ;-)
 
When you turn the key to on, not start, does all the warning lights light for 2-3 seconds and the warning buzzer sound as the ECU does it’s self check?

The fail safe mode limits your rpm to 3000rpm which sounds like you are experiencing. By waiting an hour to restart the engine sounds like overheating but you should get a code for that assuming your self check is working.

Pulling tubes and bouncing thru the wake will shake everything up maybe a loose wire or connection plug is not making a solid connection but one would think that would be an on/off issue not going into fail safe mode. Likewise with the fuel system, a loose clamp or perhaps a bit of dirt swirling around and restricting fuel flow but again that shouldn’t put you in fail safe mode if in-fact you are going into fail safe mode.

By your description it sure sounds like bouncing thru the wake is causing your issue or overheating with the additional load of a tube being pulled. Have you checked for low voltage? Maybe a loose/corroded wire resulting in excess heat causing high resistance reducing voltage. Once you wait an hour the wires cool down. I’m kind of grasping at straws here.

Sorry I can’t be more help.
 
There is a lot in what you say and it helps me be more clear in my description.

It has stopped in mid stride so to speak, but only after we have stopped to pick up tossed riders and are beginning to pull again. It has not been the cause of us stopping in the first place.

I have watched for codes when switching the engine on it looks like its just flashing the lights to let me know they work and then going dark. No buzzing or alarm sounds that I have heard.

I have a line on a device for hooking a computer to the ecu and reading codes like a car.....We shall see if that thing says anything new....
 
I had a similar issue on a 2011 DF115, randomly just not let you get full throttle. What I put it down to was an issue with either the ECU and/or the neutral switch. I'd literally switch the engine off, restart and away it would go. Would happen maybe 1 in 10 trips but sometimes several times in the one trip.... Odd. Same thing, no codes, no logged faults, very intermittent.
 
Thanks for the responses!

My mechanic suggested we may be having a fuel starvation problem when we keep it pinned for extended periods while pulling multiple young people on the tube and trying to sling them off. We have made a modification to the vent system on the fuel tank to see if this will help. Have not been out with tubers since. It runs fine without the extra drag of the tubers back there.

We have swapped out the water separator until and when I dumped it into a bucket all I saw was gas......

We are staying in on Father's Day weekend due to the lunacy that seems to come this weekend.......

I will keep yall posted....

Happy Fathers Day Weekend!
 
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