Faulty water pressure sensor

F

freddie

New Member
Jan 29, 2009
12
cayman islands
Boat Info
2008 Sundeck260
Engines
350 mag Bravo III
My dealer just diagnosed a water pressure sensor has failed on my new 260 searay. I've read posts that this is not necessarily uncommon. Is this something I can replace myself, especially if it could be a recurring problem? Based on the posts I've read, I believe the sensor is located at the water pump/imprellor. Any suggestions? Great posts by the way-nice to be part of the club. freddie in cayman.
 
You didn't say what year you have or if you are talking about the freshwater system or the seawater system, so I didn't look it up, but most freshwater pumps are diapgram not impeller pumps. The pressure sensor is part of the pump and a rebuild kit costs almost what a new pump does.

If you are talking about the seawater system, I haven't had outdrives in about 20 years, so I cannot help much there. But, if it is a new boat and part of the seawater system, isn't it covered by your warranty?
 
Hi there
i had same fault water presure showing low psi on my smart craft gauges i removed my sensor from power steering cooler that were my was fitted on my sundancer 24 da 2004 260bhp bravo 111 50 l mpi gave sensor a good clean and been ok
good luck

yo yo
 
I have a 2008 searay 260 i/o bravo 3, 350HP. Sea water cooling system. The smartcraft guages show proper pressure , and so the dealer did confirm the sensor was faulty. It should be covered by warranty, however if it is a repeatable issue, I wouldn't mind knowing if I could take care of it myself. I checked the manuals that came with the boat, but for a "fault" like this it just says see your dealer. I also could not find anything in the manual or on the web that indicates the location of this sensor. Thanks for your input.
 
I have a 2008 searay 260 i/o bravo 3, 350HP. Sea water cooling system. The smartcraft guages show proper pressure , and so the dealer did confirm the sensor was faulty. It should be covered by warranty, however if it is a repeatable issue, I wouldn't mind knowing if I could take care of it myself. I checked the manuals that came with the boat, but for a "fault" like this it just says see your dealer. I also could not find anything in the manual or on the web that indicates the location of this sensor. Thanks for your input.
 
If it is a 2008 let the dealer do it under warranty. why worry with it.
 
I had mine replaced under the warranty. So, I'm sure 2008 would be covered as well. So, good thing they found it, now it's their job to fix it. Verify that your warranty covers it before making the commitment, but man 2008 with failty sesnor that doesn't sound good.
 
66pony said:
If it is a 2008 let the dealer do it under warranty. why worry with it.
Click to expand...

Sometimes it's just nice to know how to do it yourself-reading the posts on this site tells me there's lots of boat owners who are quite capable of assisting in the maintenance of their own boat-I'd like to be one of those. PLus warranties only last so long; not too mention my dealer charges me $100 every time he lifts the boat out of the water, and he's the only one on the island. Lovin' the Searay, but those maintenance fees add up. Cheers!
 
They don't need to haul out the boat out of the water to replace the sensor. If i am correct, the sensor is located on the hose at the rear of the engine. I'll see if I can find a diagram.
 
papogator24 said:
They don't need to haul out the boat out of the water to replace the sensor. If i am correct, the sensor is located on the hose at the rear of the engine. I'll see if I can find a diagram.
Click to expand...

Thanks-I appreciate that-and all the replies to this thread. There ain't nothin' more hospitable than a crew of boaters.
 
papogator24 said:
They don't need to haul out the boat out of the water to replace the sensor. If i am correct, the sensor is located on the hose at the rear of the engine. I'll see if I can find a diagram.
Click to expand...

I'm not so sure about that. Remember the sea water pickup hose coming from the BIII through the transom is below the waterline. Removing the sensor while the boat is in the water might then breach the system creating a leak that is under pressure. If he pulls the sensor out and can't get the replacement back in time he may end up wishing he paid the $100.

Henry
 
I may be wrong...for my 5.0L my sensor is above the water line.


Freddie, your fault sensor should be covered under warranty and your haul out fee should be covered as well.
 
freddie said:
Sometimes it's just nice to know how to do it yourself-reading the posts on this site tells me there's lots of boat owners who are quite capable of assisting in the maintenance of their own boat-I'd like to be one of those. PLus warranties only last so long; not too mention my dealer charges me $100 every time he lifts the boat out of the water, and he's the only one on the island. Lovin' the Searay, but those maintenance fees add up. Cheers!
Click to expand...

No need to take the boat out for such a small repair. I didn't even have to take my boat to my local dealer. Instead, I asked them to send me a mobile unit. The technician did some checking and replaiced the sensor within 10-15 minutes. He had to drag some time to make it billable at least for 1 hr. The total bill was $225 and like I said it was all taken care of by warranty.

So, first before even starting creating some inconvenience for you ask the dealer for mobile units and if it's covered. If they're to stricked the least you can do is make them fix it without taking the boat out of the water. You're not fixing the trim tabs or props, so the rest of their story is total BS.
 
Guys above are correct. Replacement can be done while boat is in water: just unplug, unscrew old sensor and screw in and plug in new one.
 
Update to my water pressure sensor in case anyone's reading this thread. I finally located the sensor behind the engine-it screws out like a spark plug and costs $160 for part and $160 for labour (1 hour min charge-actual time about 5 minutes to replace). Mine has gone twice now and covered by warranty each time. BUT the mechanic says it is something that will keep on going since it just seems to get clogged-it's a problem with many mercruisers he says-warranty is great-as long as it's stays on warranty???? At least I can replace it on my own-but i'm looking forward to doing it 1-2 times per year.
 
I had mine replaced 4 times in 2 days how's that for failure. According to the Service Manager Mecruiser has some new sensors he's trying to get a hold of to fix this problem. You will have the same issue with the PITOT sensor. Mecruiser initially thought it was a static charge build up so they had my tech add more grounding but that didn't help.
 
Do the sensors just go out or do they start reading low?
 
In my experience they just went out. If it's reading low you could have a clog or a impeller going bad.
 
I have '05 350 mag/Bravo III
Sensor is reading 0.3 psi on idle and 0.7 psi on 3000 rpm
Boat runs great, temperature is around 158-165 F
Impeller is in great shape, so as the water pump, pipes are all clear.
What is the operating range for sea water pressure?
Is it a faulty sensor???
 
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