Rolling Idle

[LakeAnna]

My 99 Epic 22 has had a rolling idle since it was new.  It fluctuates about 200 RPM, which strikes me as very odd for a FI engine.  It's enough to make the low oil pressure warning chirp a little when it goes to the low side of the idle when the boat has been working hard and we come to a stop.  Oil pressure is normal at any speed over idle.  The voltage also fluctuates a lot on the boat.

Any tips/easy fixes?

Steve

[matthewf]

engine ecu would rely on a steady voltage to correctly read some inputs.. not sure which ones but read about it some time ago.. eg. air mass flow etc   

[sailtl]

Per Toyota service 200 rpm flucuations is acceptable. This is due to the water temperature that the engine monitors on the input side and the output side. I have the chirping also after pushing hard. I have found that if the chirping persists or gets worse the solution is an oil change. The oil is starting to thin out. I find that the max hours I get on oil changes is 75-80 hours using synthetic oil. Also smell the oil. If it smells of gas change it and think about changing the spark plus. You may use Autolite plugs #3923 per Rick Cohn (Toyota rep). But if you use the Autolite plugs you must change them yearly.

[matthewf]

i have never seen any efi motor fluctuate at idle and be normal..  temp of water does mean diff air fuel ratios and maybe diff rpm but not fluctuating. have it checked out.

[cyclone]

The rolling idle is not normal, even if the manual says so. I'll bet it's a sticky throttle cable. I'd like to replace my throttle cable, it's been sticky since new. I lubed it with some graphite cable lube that I bought at the local Harley dealer, that helped. When the idle is high, try opening the clamshell and pushing the throttle mechanism where the cable attaches forward, see if it moves a tiny bit, dropping the idle. Be careful and make sure the boat is in neutral.

I know that the throttles on the V drives and on the 21 ft boats have nice smooth action, but the 22 ft D drives have a different cable routing. I'd like to find out if I am the only one with this problem or if it is common to this model. I didn't realize how screwed up mine is until I drove a couple of other Toyotas. My throttle action has been stiff since day one. It doesn't matter that much to me, it actually makes it easier to drive with PP if the throttle is a little stiff.