Water in Fuel Alarm

[Pedrofu]

Hello,

I have a 2001 Mercury Optimax 150hp. I suspect the boat was sitting for a while since I bought it last week. The tank was empty when I bought the and I filled it with fresh gas. The engine runs fine, however on the smartcraft panel I get a bell and a gas pump icon flashing. I looked for it online and I see that it is related to water on the gas. I called a local mechanic and he replaced the fuel filter inside the motor and suggested i replace all fuel lines, since he found a lot of sediment on the filter. We put in new lines and filters. He connected the scanner and reset all alarms. However the icons flashing in the panel are still there when I start the engine. Is there a way to reset that alarm? Or do I really have water on my tank? How can I tell?

Best Regards,
Pete

 

[sxmerc]

Re: Water in Fuel Alarm

Empty the filter into a clear glass cup or jar and let it sit for a few minutes. If there is any water in the fuel, it will settle out and be visible, after your sample has sat undisturbed for a few minutes. This icon will also flash if the calibration for the fuel tank was not set up properly. Which Smartcraft gauges do you have? Also, I have seen instances where over stabilized fuel, will set the alarm off as well.

 

[Pedrofu]

Re: Water in Fuel Alarm

You are absolutely right. I called a second technician and he checked the fuel and connected the laptop to the motor. He found no codes and the fuel was fine. However it seems that the previous owner changed the gas tank sensor and did not link it to the smartcraft, hence the alarm. He recommended to update my smartcraft dial's since they are pretty old. So that is what I am going to do. Any recomendations on which ones are good?

 

[sxmerc]

Re: Water in Fuel Alarm

I don't know how much room you have, or how many gauges you want, but I like the system tach and speed. Stay away from the chrome bezel ones if you are in a salt water enviornment. The salt tends to attack the chrome.