8.1 rough cold start/lower idle RPM once warmed up

Jmac572

Active Member
Dec 20, 2016
212
Plymouth, MA
Boat Info
2004 Sea Ray 390 Sundancer "Freedom"
Engines
Twin Mercury 8.1
How's it going all... I have twin 8.1 Horizon's with the port having a rough cold start. Additionally it idles at about 50-100 rpm lower than the starboard motor once it's warmed up. Before I started the engines today (they were cold, hadn't been run in 24 hours) I wanted to see what the smartcraft gauges read (photo below)... The port engine coolant pressure reads 43 PSI dead cold prior to starting, I feel like it should read 0 PSI like the starboard motor, could this sensor be bad and be causing the rough cold start/lower idle RPM? Thanks for any input.

temp_photo_1d4a9e2336ad465813d4ee33c2d1e5c3f8817ffa.jpg
 
Found other posts that a coolant pressure of 43 (43.4 to be exact) may indicate corroded contacts/grounds on the sensor. Going to try cleaning it tomorrow. I'll update if that fixes the problem in hopes it helps someone else out in the future.
 
Does the sensor reading read normal PSI after engine is started? 43 PSI is extremely high, so your find ref corroded contacts may have some merit.
 

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