Logo
FULL SITE MENU

Alarms at wot

F

flipflops

New member
"can low coolant level cause a

"can low coolant level cause an alarmat WOT and stop alarm when i back off? 6.2mpi fwc inboards 74hrs used from spring 04 to dec 05 than winterized and sat till now . boat was surveyed 2 weeks ago with rinda/merc scan port 165 @ idol 176@4596rpm starb. 163@idol 170@4722rpm WOT. since than oil/filters ,h2o sep/filters,and seawater impellors replaced and changed now analog port is 175 and starb is 180. again analog. also the hull sea strainers which were slotted were replaced with scoop type great south bay strainers(smaller holes to prevent eel grass in pumps(long island so. shore problem)would the smaller holes mean i need a diff. thermostat since merc say it comes w/170 deg stat i think.? oil psi on gauges is good. coolent level i will check tommorow morn. but resivoir on both sides looked low and starb almost empty..can low coolant cause hotter temps w/o overheating? at what temp does merc alarm sound?? 180?190?175? if coolant level is good than where do i go next...thanks in advance guys..."
 
"Those temps sound fine, and y

"Those temps sound fine, and your T'stats are likely OK. Any level at all in the overflow tanks is fine. It means your exchangers are full and that is good.
If your overflow tanks are losing fluid, that is not good. So watch them closely for any change.
The high temp alarms are usually at 190 or 195, so I don't think you are tripping them.
Newer IO engines (and I assume inboards also) including the 6.2 MPI have a low raw water pressure alarm. If you are sucking up crud or if your new intake screens are too restrictive you may not have enough water pressure at high power settings.
If you can find a fitting to install a manual gauge in the cooling water, this would be a good test.
Otherwise a Merc dealer can likely read your ECM's for codes and see what the alarms are.
Rod"
 
Don't you just love having

Don't you just love having to go to the dealer for these Mickey Mouse items that Merc. should provide with the engine?
 
now that you mention it the bo

now that you mention it the boat was originaly equipped with larger slotted sea strainers with bail strainers inside...i conplained to dealer that i wanted so.bay strainers installed on hull because bail strains were tough to get to to clean out...now i have both screens on hull and screens in bail strainers...i will remove screens from bail strainers and test ....you guys think that may be it double the screens/ half the water flow...right???
 
"Too many restrictions will de

"Too many restrictions will definitely impede flow, and you may well be getting low water pressure alarms.
I would try removing the screens on the bail strainers and see how it behaves.
Rod"
 
well i removed the screens and

well i removed the screens and still the same...i did notice that when alarm sounds i felt a slight power loss and the sync gauge read low power on starb. engine so i guess starb. is the problem child...any idea where i would get this fitting for a gauge and where on the engine it would go? otherwise going to the dealer to see if they want to fix it for free or give me my 1st raping on my new used boat.
 
"It sounds like the stbd engin

"It sounds like the stbd engine went into mild Guardian mode.

The dealers around here will read the codes for free if you take the boat to them, I guess they figure if you need repairs you will likely get them to do it, or at least buy the parts there.

You could unscrew the pressure sender and fit a gauge up there with a length of rubber hose.
You will need a 1/8" NPT to 1/4" hose adapter. The pressure is quite low; not more than about 10 psig. If you have a fuel pressure gauge in your tool box that would work well, or a manifold vaccuum/boost gauge with a 15-20 psi boost range.

On my 6.2 IO the sender is located on top of the PS cooler; which sits crosswise right behind the intake manifold below the distributor, on top of the bellhousing. Yours may be different being inboard. The PS cooler will have rubber water hose running out both ends.
Your sender could also be bad, causing erroneous alarms.
Hope that helps,
Rod"
 
hey rod thanks again...i decid

hey rod thanks again...i decided to be the squeaky wheel and take the boat back to marinemax where i bought it...i was all set for a fight and they said ok we will pick up the boat and check it..than fixed it(bad rev limiter sensor going off at 4700rpm)filled tanks w/40 gallons of gas washed it down and returned the boat to my slip free of charge...completely unexpected...thanks again for your help...
 
"Wow, it's nice to know th

"Wow, it's nice to know the Boat Gods will smile down favorably on us once in a while!
Don't lose their phone number!
Happy boating.
Rod"
 
well i spoke to soon...i went

well i spoke to soon...i went today to test my boat which was half full of fuel and all clean and was told that it was the water pressure sensor was bad in the straboard motor and that the girl on the phone who told me it was the rev limiter was mistaken...so they claimed to have replaced the h2o psi sensor and bay tested it @wot for almost 10 mins. straight w/o any alarms...when i took it out of course it sounded almost immediately @wot.lololo i took it back to them and they said they would hook up the laptop and checkit again....it was way too easy the 1st time...previously u said to watch coolant level in resevoir...what does it mean it i loose some and is there an acceptable amount of loss?
 
"The closed cooling system is,

"The closed cooling system is, well, closed, and there should never be any loss, just like your car. If it is losing even a small amount regularly, that means there is a leak somewhere, and that is cause for concern, especially if its getting into the oil.
It could be a leaky exchanger, hose, head gasket, or something else.
If if persists, you should get the closed system pressure tested, meanwhile watch your engine oil for any mysterious increase in level.
Rod"
 
"ok back...coolent levels are

"ok back...coolent levels are fine so far...dealer said h2o pressure w/new sensor was rea ding 12-13psig but when @wot it would drop considerably caosing alarm and with trim tabs in full dwn pos. psi was good-no alarms. they hauled boat and had to drill slightly larger holes in the so.bay strainers that i insisted they put on in the begining of negotiations.now i tested it and it ran perfect and temps were better too. funny how everything comes full circle. it seems this boat was a great deal after all. 04' 3260 regal w/twn 6.2mx mpi inboards( 74hrs.),genset and every other option available from regal..than marinemax gave me dockspace for two mos. winter storage ,wrap, paint, detail,oil,fuel filter changes incl.gen, new impellors incl. gen, new strainers, new trans fluid and v drive fluid, new canvas and 40 gals of gas for $108,500.00. oh and 2 hrs lessons w/sea capt.(my first twn eng. anyone have a used boat value other than nada? thanks again..."
 
"anthony;
Sounds like all is

"anthony;
Sounds like all is well that ends well (or something like that!)
Its funny how sometimes we create our own problems by adding or changing something that we believe will help, only to find that we have created unforeseen problems elsewhere.
In the end its a good thing the cooling water pressure sensors are doing their job, otherwise you may not have known there was a problem until too late.
Anyway, happy boating.
Hope the love affair with the new boat continues.
Rod"
 
Back
Top