98 merc 175hp weird warning beep please help!!!

[BassAssassin]

Howdy,<br />I have a 1998 mecr 175hp nitro series outboard. I have owned this boat and motor for about 2 years. When I got it had an intermittent warning beep that I finally isolated as being a loose ground. Now on my last outing where I spent 3 days at Clearlake I got the same type of beep. Only this time when I checked all my grounds, that I could locate, they were all tight. In addition the beep started the first day, got worse the second and was better on the third day. I don’t know why I think it had to do to the roughness and choppiness of the water. Because it only seemed to beep when I went through rough or real choppy water, never calm water. Some times it would beep once and some times it would beep.......beep beep beep beep..beep. Their was no pattern whatsoever. And it is not the overheating constant beep. I thought for sure it was another grounding issue but like I said I couldn’t find anything. The only thing I changed, about 3 weeks prior, was a gps unit. But I had been out 4 or 5 times with no problem after the installation. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.<br /><br />BA

 

[LubeDude]

Re: 98 merc 175hp weird warning beep please help!!!

because of the intermitent beeping, and the rough water issue, I would think that its a bit of air in your under cowl oil tank. Losten the cap while running and let a bit of oil come out around the cap and then tighten it.<br /><br />Here again we have someone still running there engine with a warning beep going on??????????????????????????? <br /><br />Premix untill you get it figured out or you are going to have a lot more to complain about!

 

[KCLOST]

Re: 98 merc 175hp weird warning beep please help!!!

To add to LubeDude's point... That intermittent alarm is an indication of an oil injection problem. Without oil you are going to burn up the motor. The alarm can be caused by a few things.<br /><br />Low oil in the oil tank mounted on the motor, the cap has a sensor on it (this is what LubeDude wants you to check). That tank should always be "completely" full... <br /><br />Second, there is an oil pump rotation sensor, that if the pump is not rotating properly in relation to the rpms the motor is putting out the alarm module will send out the same intermittent alarm.<br /><br />Third, you could have a switchbox problem. The alarm module recieves electric impulses from one of the switchboxes and uses that information to compare to the signal from the oil pump rotation. If they don't "match up" so to speak, the alarm will sound. If the switchbox is not working properly it has been known to be the cause of an alarm, even though everything on the oil injection system is still working properly.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: 98 merc 175hp weird warning beep please help!!!

Before we get lost, don't overlook the obvious. Where is the oil level in the oil injection system sump? You get a periodic beep when it is low and needs refilling. Bouncing around in a chop would make the level fluctuate, hence the beep when maybe it wasn't dangerously low.<br /><br />On mine it took me awhile to hear the beep then understand that I was hearing a warning buzzer (never heard it before) then what it was trying to tell me.......but I know now.<br /><br />Mark

 

[BassAssassin]

Re: 98 merc 175hp weird warning beep please help!!!

Well first of all let me start by saying that i checked all my oil levels and kept a close watch on them. I do know that was not the smartest thing but i was fairly confident that i wasnt going to burn up the motor. BUT YES I SHOULD NOT HAVE RUN THE MOTOR WITH A WARNING GOING OFF.<br /><br />That said, i did notice the the motor mounted oil tank was not staying completly full. before when i would open it, regardless of if it was runing or not oil would overflow, but i just checked to make sure and it is sitting about 3/4 full. So i assume i have a pressure problem. right! what is my next step? i do appreciate the help regarless of whats implied. so i do thank everyone for their help.<br /><br />BA

 

[KCLOST]

Re: 98 merc 175hp weird warning beep please help!!!

Yes, the most likely culprit in that case would be a pressure problem from the motor to the oil resevoir in the boat, or a restriction...<br /><br />Either you have a leak in the pressure hose going from the block, that starts on the starboard side down low behind the carbs and goes to the tank, or the tank has a leak ( but you should see that easily)... I had a problem once with the pressure line actually disconnecting from the block, so check that for a leak... <br /><br />Also check the line going from the resevoir to the tank on the motor (but you should see a leak there also easily)... <br /><br />And there may be a filter on the pick up tube in the resevoir, if it is dirty or clogged, that could restrict the flow also even if you have good pressure.<br /><br />I assume that you have oil in the resevoir, correct...?

 

[KCLOST]

Re: 98 merc 175hp weird warning beep please help!!!

I forgot to mention, that the cap on the motor tank could also be the problem... Check for a crack in the cap that could allow air intake.. This is a very common culprit for oil alarms on Black Max motors...

 

[BassAssassin]

Re: 98 merc 175hp weird warning beep please help!!!

Yes both tanks, as of right now, are 3/4 full. When i inspected the tank in the boat, not on the motor, earlier i noticed that the line used to fill fill it laeks a little around the coupling. it looks as though it always did this though because it has been repaired once already atleast. I would assume that small leak could cause the pressure loss. I will check all the leads right now like you mentioned though and post back when i am done. my main concern is that little plastic gear that everyone keeps posting about. do you think that is or could be the problem?<br /><br />ohh i was wondering what compression should the cylinders be? this is a 97 or 98 merc 175 nitro series. ill get the serial too. thanks<br /><br />BA

 

[BassAssassin]

Re: 98 merc 175hp weird warning beep please help!!!

Ok their is no leak from what i could see with a flashlite. I checked the tank on the motor and the hoses running to the block and to the tank in the boat. The only thing i could find that resembled a leak was on the tank in the boat but when i began to unscrew the cap i could hear it depreasurising. so that tank has and holds pressure for the most part. the cap looks good and i replaced it when i bought the boat when i had the grounding issue. So i am thinking maybe the line or filter/screen like was mentioned here is my next bet. i guess i should take the tank on the motor off and check the filter for any clogs. any other ideas you guys?<br /><br />thanks<br />BA

 

[LubeDude]

Re: 98 merc 175hp weird warning beep please help!!!

With the engine running, pull the hose from the under cowl tank and see if any oil comes out. Make sure that the tank under the cowl is allways 100% full at all times, there can be no air in it at all.

 

[gss036]

Re: 98 merc 175hp weird warning beep please help!!!

You mentioned taking the tank off of the motor, no reason to do that, there is no filter there, it is more of a gravity feed. 3/4 full does not cut it, it should stay 100% full all the time. Could be that since your remote tank is holding pressure, it is pushing the oil into the motor some way. There are two small hoses one from the tank to the oil pump and then one that feeds oil mix, they have been known to get brittle and break. You could cook you motor if that happened.<br />The filter that Klost was referring to is in the remote tank on the boat. It does have a tendancy to clog after a couple of years.<br />There are 2 check valves in the system also. You should not have had pressure in the tank after the motor has been shut down, it is designed to bleed off any pressure after a few minutes. Maybe it is time for a manual.

 

[BassAssassin]

Re: 98 merc 175hp weird warning beep please help!!!

Ok i think i got it. the filter on the tank in the boat was basically growing with what seemed like fuzz. i scrapped it all off with my fingernail and then ran it for about 1 min. then i took off the cap on the tank in the motor compartment and it filled right up. Do you guys think thats all of it? it smokes like a bandit when i start it up and i did pull the plugs. it looks as though it might be a little rich so i guess i am getting enough oil. <br /><br />also what type of compression should i have i want to buy a compression tester and test my cylinders. thanks<br /><br />BA

 

[KCLOST]

Re: 98 merc 175hp weird warning beep please help!!!

Sounds like you found the cuprit.. Just make sure that you have the same success running on the lake...<br /><br />If I were you I would run that oil out of there as much as you can (as long as the engine isn't giving you any alarms) and then drain it, clean it, thoroughly clean the filter and start fresh...<br /><br />Let us know what you find...<br /><br />But note, extra smoke indicates that the tank on the motor is more pressurized and allowing more/sufficient flow to the oil pump...That is a good sign...

 

[KCLOST]

Re: 98 merc 175hp weird warning beep please help!!!

Oh, Go to napa, or Orilies, or Advanced auto type places and they will have the compression guage you need... It's a guage with a 45 degree bend on the tube and has a rubber tapered sleave that fits into the spark plug hole (with a little pressure applied by you)...<br /><br />Works great...

 

[gss036]

Re: 98 merc 175hp weird warning beep please help!!!

Now that you found the problem, pull intake tube out of the tank and wash it in an empty 12-16 oz tin can (like veggies come in), let it drain and then reinstall, I've had to do that in past.<br />No need to disconnect anything, just get it cleaned.

 

[BassAssassin]

Re: 98 merc 175hp weird warning beep please help!!!

Damn you guys are great! I have a tournament i was going to cancel this weekend bu i think ill go out and fish it. ill take an extra bottle of oil just in case. ya ill go buy the compression tester any thoughts on what the compression should be? is there a range i should run in? i know my dirt bikes run anywhere from 150 to 200 but i can imagine this bad doggy to be that high. thanks for all the help. next round of drinks is on me

 

[gss036]

Re: 98 merc 175hp weird warning beep please help!!!

Probably 120psi +-10-15#, should be fairly even across all 6 cylinders.