2008 185 Sport - Temp Alarm?

Hi Dennis,
Nope, I didnt run the boat with the outdrive fluid alarm wire disconnected (yet). I will certainly do that this weekend to see if it occurs again. I did check the drive fluid level and it was fine, btw.

I was even thinking about running a slightly cooler thermostat too. Any thoughts on that?

Ron...you are a clown!!! Thanks for the levity. I need it about now...
 
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Well, I wouldn't put a lower temp t-stat in. If the engine was indeed overheating, you wouldn't really be fixing the underlying cause. Early in the posts, you mentioned the t-stat was 2 years old (I think). Did you change it to a new one?

However, if my memory serves, the alarm for oil psi and high temp will sound continuous while the drive lube will sound intermittently. Unless, of course, the psi or temp sensor is malfunctioning.

That brings us back to narrowing down which sensor is causing the alarm. At least this way we'll have a better handle on things instead of guessing. Give your mechanic friend a call and see if it would be OK to disconnect (assuming you use some electrical tape over the bare plug) the oil psi and water temp sensors... would anything negative happen? I know it's OK to do the drive lube sensor, I'm just not 100% positive on the other two.
 
I just changed the thermostat/gasket/sleeve with a spare one I purchased. That was 3 weeks ago. I am confident that is good to go.

As you said, I will try again and isolate which alarm is going off. It definately is just an intermittent alarm/beep. Drive fluid sensor will be disco'd first. To be honest, my buddy isnt a professional tech. just a really knowledgeable and handy guy to have around. I would feel better if perhaps a mercury or sea ray person could clarify the question of whether or not the sensor could be disco'd (while the ignition & battery switch is off) then started and run safely without frying something. Do you think the merc hotline # would clarify or sea ray? I could also ask the dealer... any thoughts on that tack?

Thanks for all your good advice.
 
My gut tells me that Merc and Sea Ray may just play the "CYA" card and tell you to contact a dealer. But it can't hurt to try. Depending on the dealer, they may CYA, too ("You'll have to bring it in"). I'll try to remember to ask one of our technicians, but it might be a bit as I'm not there a lot over the next week or so (taking the family on some mini-vacations with the boat!!!:smt001)
 
I figured that would be their response. but it wont hurt to ask. hoping you can get a response from one of your guys. one that doesnt cya... :)

FWIW I love boat vacations! My wife hates them. says its like housework with the kids. she likes Disney. I have had my fill of that mouse. LOL.
 
Go to town! Just make sure you tape up any bare metal connectors (even ones inside a protective sleave) so nothing grounds/arcs to the engine/metal.

The only question that was raised was whether or not simply disconnecting the oil PSI or engine temp sensor would cause the alarm to go off (just from disconnecting). But, you'll figure that out real quick. You won't do any damage to anything.

The drive lube sensor will not cause the alarm to go off.
 
So I went out this Sunday and just disconnected one of the drive lube sensor wires. Drove it about 15 miles at 3200 rpm (varied the rpm between 2800-3300) without a peep, until I trimmed in the drive in to turn around to go back to port... suddenly got one short BEEP. I shut the boat down (turned off batteries) and put back the drive lube sensor connections back to normal. I then unplugged the Thermostat weather-pak connection and taped that off. Started engine with NO alarm, and ran it for another 31 miles, again varying speed and doing turns, trimming in/out etc. NOT ANOTHER PEEP. The temp gauge didnt vary either, consistently running at/near 170 (or slightly a tick past). I probably ran the boat at even a slightly higher RPM, near 3400 to try to cause it to beep.

I think I can safely eliminate the drive sensor causing the beep. Seems to me like either a bad sensor or my gauge is incorrect and I am running a bit hot.... Any thoughts Dennis and others?
 
GEEZE MARK! Did you check temps with the IR temp gun yet? That's gonna tell you what temp the boat is running at without any question.
 
Not yet. I was amiss and didnt buy one since I swore I had it pegged with those check balls. Now I really do have to get one. Whats your take Ron? Faulty sensor?
 
Honestly, can't say. You know what we did with my boat all those years ago. I wasn't getting any alarms but was getting scary high temps at the gauge. You drove, I shot readings and confirmed the problem to be with the engine, NOT the sensors or senders. Pick one up and it will answer all your questions!
 
FWIW, I just picked one up at Sears yesterday. It was a cheapo unit, only $39 but seems to work great. The readings will go from -4 to +500 F. I have to try it out this upcoming weekend. will take some readings an post back.
 
Seems like you're on the right track.

If we wanted to nit-pick, we could say that it would have been best to have only one sensor connected at a time (instead of two) as that would do a better job of ruling things out. But, running it as long as you did, it does seem as though you've narrowed down your problem to the cooling system.

Keep us posted - I'm curious to see the end result.
 
This is really turning out to be a heck of a long thread. I ran the boat with all of the sensors/wires back to the original position. New updates from the infrared temp gun I bought:

1) Saturday Night Cruise (3 mile long creek) at Idle speed to about 1200 rpm (for 1 hr):
Port elbow. 92-105
Stbd elbow. 98 - 133
Port exhaust manifold 171 - 188
Stbd exhaust manifold 170-187
Water pump 133-161
Thermostat readings
- Top of assembly cover by lifting ring=162-165,
- T fitting feed to elbows=94
- Hose to stbd elbow = 103
- Hose to port elbow = 97-105
- Top of assembly by T. 162-165.
- Front of assembly by big hoses 160stbd, 100 port on same fitting.
Exhaust port after riser - 116
Exhaust stbd after riser - 130

2) While Under way at 3100 RPM for 1.5 hours pulling a tube - NO ALARM WENT OFF ALL DAY
Port elbow. 93
Stbd elbow. 93
Port exhaust manifold 210-220
Stbd exhaust manifold 215-223
Water pump 166-171
Thermostat readings
- Top of assembly cover by lifting ring=171-173,
- T fitting feed to elbows=94
- Top of assembly by T. 172 - 173
- Front of assembly by big hoses 166stbd, 101 port on same fitting.

This whole thing is very odd. As I said, I have everything back in stock format, and received NO ALARMs all day. My thoughts...

First - I was able to confirm that my temperature gauge is pretty much dead nuts on. The thermostat housing assembly and the readings from the gun and gauge match.

Second - There is definately a large disparate reading from where the water enters the thermostat housing (at 92-96 degrees) to where it exits from the housing (166 degrees) to flow into the engine water pump. To me this seems normal since the thermostat has slowed the flow down to a temp that will optimally allow the engine to function...no?

Third - The readings on the elbows are way off. I have switched the check ball and rod around and the higher temp readings definately follow the checkball config. Meaning, when I switch the balls from right to left (inside the T fitting) the higher elbow temp follows that change. I dont know if the one riser should be hotter than the other with proper operation. Can someone say for sure?

Anyone see anything else obvious or out of whack with these readings?

Thanks!
 
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Mark
I'm confused - you say the elbow readings are way off. What do you mean by that? I see at low RPM they are higher than at high RPM. That could mean something - I just don't know what. Why the temp range on the low rpm readings. Did they fluctuate or was one shot at minute 10 of the ride and the other at minute 60?

I think it's normal to have one hose to the thermostat hotter than the other by nature of the circulation of the cooling water (you're FWC or RWC?).

I still don't follow the whole "ball" thing but all your readings seem within normal limits. If you have two senders coming out of the therm housing, figure out which one controls the alarm and replace it. That is probably your culprit.
 
One of our technicians told me that an indication that these "balls" are not working properly is higher temps at idle. Here's an "unofficial" fix: Stretch the spring out a little bit by hand.

However, all of those numbers seem fine to me. Even those numbers on the elbows seem fine - I wouldn't classify them anywhere near way off. Those numbers may be showing that the balls are starting to go (or something else), but there really isn't a big enough disparity between the two readings (as they are right now) to be worried.

You do know that it will likely only act up when you don't have the IR gun with you, right?:smt101

It is normal for one riser to be hotter (or cooler) than the other.

It is also normal (and expected) that the intake hose on the t-stat housing be cooler than the rest.
 
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Just a layperson view, but being that you've been trying to solve this for two months now and have been running your boat during that time and haven't done any collateral damage anywhere, I'd start replacing sensors one at a time (starting with the most probable culprit) until the problem stayed away. But that's just me.
 
Hi everyone. Thanks for chiming back in.

Ron - what i meant to say is that the stbd elbow is now always cool at idle now that I switched ends on the check ball. The port is now hotter. That indicates to me that the stbd ball is being displaced pushed out while the port side is not. Again, at idle. At normal operating speeds (3100), both are similar which is a good thing I think.

Dennis - Thanks for the spring trick. I might try that too. It is funny that all that time went by and it never went off... frustrating too. Its odd to hear you say that 1 elbow should be cooler than the other since those check balls should be balanced....no? but then again, this is boat logic :)

ZZ13 - you could be right. I may yet replace the darn sensor to see whats what.... any ideas how much one is?
 
Mark
I replaced the one on my boat (port engine - same one as yours) and it was around $25.
 
Dennis - Its odd to hear you say that 1 elbow should be cooler than the other since those check balls should be balanced....no? but then again, this is boat logic :)

Mark, go back and look at post 53 - I was wrong with my original theory of balanced flow. The balls simply are meant to increase flow at idle speeds. Once you get going, the housing acts like any other housing (since both balls are (supposed to be) now open) and now water will simply follow the path of least resistance. Yes, the balls are still there, but it apparently doesn't take much water pressure to unseat them.

For whatever reason (the way water flows through the t-stat housing... circulation due to water pump... a lot more stuff that I don't know about!), water will always flow to one side a little easier than the other.
 

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