Vessel View Fault HELP Transmission Overtemp!

bmay1909

Active Member
Nov 11, 2018
155
Lake St. Clair/MI
Boat Info
02 Sea Ray Sundancer 380
04 Sea Ray Sundancer 320 (sold)
Engines
Twin 8.1 Mercury Horizon V-Drives

Twin 6.2L MPI 320-HP V-Drives
I received the following error on Vessel View Mobile over the weekend.

"Transmission temperature switch A temperature sensor value is higher than normal"

An alarm on my Smartcraft gauge says "Fault Sensor."

Does anyone have any ideas on what could be causing this fault?
 

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It is overheating or a bad sensor.

I assume you do not have a trans temp gauge to read from. You are best to IR Scan the trans, at the sensor locstion and see how hot it is (do both sides). You may have a trans cooler blockage.
 
It is overheating or a bad sensor.

I assume you do not have a trans temp gauge to read from. You are best to IR Scan the trans, at the sensor locstion and see how hot it is (do both sides). You may have a trans cooler blockage.


Thanks for the quick reply.

This is all new to me. Where is this sensor located and what could cause a trans cooler blockage?
 
The trans itself will have the build plate with both model and serial number. You might also find it documented on a recent survey.



Good call on the survey!

I have ZF Hurth, model HSW 63 IV-2.0
 
Now locate the temperature sender and an infrared temp gun, run boat up to normal operating temp( drive the boat so the gears get up to temp) and then take the temp of both transmissions near the sender. Compare the results, if both trans are at same temp and monitor is still showing high temp you have a sender problem. If one trans is hotter than the other you have a much bigger problem.
 
Now locate the temperature sender and an infrared temp gun, run boat up to normal operating temp( drive the boat so the gears get up to temp) and then take the temp of both transmissions near the sender. Compare the results, if both trans are at same temp and monitor is still showing high temp you have a sender problem. If one trans is hotter than the other you have a much bigger problem.


Thank you!

I'm going to give this a try this evening and see what happens.
 
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I just had an alarm go off and code was for overheated transmission. Turns out filter/screen (looks like a bathtub drain with lots of small holes in it) on transmission cooler had most of the holes blocked with some sort of build up. Cleaned them out and no problems since. I was with him and seems like it took him about 15 mins to do both.
 
I just had an alarm go off and code was for overheated transmission. Turns out filter/screen (looks like a bathtub drain with lots of small holes in it) on transmission cooler had most of the holes blocked with some sort of build up. Cleaned them out and no problems since. I was with him and seems like it took him about 15 mins to do both.


Is this something that’s visible on the outside of the trans?
 
7A7B74EF-0B01-48F2-8A0F-585C9728B4FC.jpeg
It’s this the temp sender?
 
Is this something that’s visible on the outside of the trans?
Not sure about your engine but I have Horizon 8.1's and the transmission cooler is mounted on rear side of engine, directly above the transmission. Look for a heat exchanger like tube. This is part of raw water cooling system. On mine, raw water leaves the engine exhaust manifolds then is routed to transmission cooler.
 
BF2351FC-C911-4272-A971-89E296111385.jpeg
Not sure about your engine but I have Horizon 8.1's and the transmission cooler is mounted on rear side of engine, directly above the transmission. Look for a heat exchanger like tube. This is part of raw water cooling system. On mine, raw water leaves the engine exhaust manifolds then is routed to transmission cooler.


Thanks for the help, I appreciate it.

Does this look more like it?
 
View attachment 72253


Thanks for the help, I appreciate it.

Does this look more like it?
That on top is your temp sending unit. Bingo.

Just pull the hoses off both ends of the cooler. The holes need to be clean and clear. Use a flashlight on one end and look down the other.
There will be nearly zero water in that cooler. The system is self draining after about a half hour after the engine ran. Tell us what you find. If not plugged with something, then it's a bad sensor. Either way cheap fix.

PS, all the raw water self drains out the shaft dripless.
 
One more thing, the tranny filter should be inspected too. Its located on the port side. There is an allenrench bolt on the top. Turn it until the thump hits far counter, then pull the cap off. It's an oring holding it in place, so you may need to pry it off gently. Remember what the top side is when lifting the filter out. Inspect it closely, run a magnet inside along the edges. Check for any metallic which is bad. Clean with some diesel or thinner and dry 100%. Replace and be sure the oring seats before you tighten back the thumb the otherway.

Here is what metallic looks like on a magnet.
 

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