Whistle noise

[Jim Machacek]

I have a 1999 Merc. 30ELHO #OG183113 that developed a whistle type sound! I checked my ownes books and have even talked to a dealer about this issue. The books call for a horn type devise as a warning tool but this sure ain't a horn! My water pump is working like a new one, it is mixing oil and it does not throttle down to 2500 rpm as the book says when there is a problem. This came about all at once when out fishing and the thought of not knowing what it is drives me nuts! The motor is electric start with a push button on the engine! It's a tiller motor with a built in oil tank. Can anyone shed some light on this issue? Thank you!

 

[ehenry]

Re: Whistle noise

Have you checked to make sure something hasn't gotten lodged in the air intake that could be causing the noise? <br /><br />Just a thought.

 

[Jim Machacek]

Re: Whistle noise

I appreciate the reply! Yes I had it all apart this morning! The intake was clear as a bell, nothing is missing on the motor itself and as far as that whistle, I can not pin point where it's coming from! One of the local dealers is as stumped as I am. I need to get this resolved post haste! My brother is coming down on the week end of the fourth and his last words were, "Lets Fish"! Might end up taking it in to a dealer but I sure hate to do that. It might take till August for them to figure it out! Thanks again for your thought!

 

[KCLOST]

Re: Whistle noise

Put it on the muffs and rev it no more than 2000 rpms with the cowling off and find it!

 

[Jim Machacek]

Re: Whistle noise

Tried that! Had the cowling off, the fly wheel cover off, the oil tank off and the air intake cover off! Having only one good ear ain't an asset on this deal! My guess is that if I plan on entertaining my brother when he gets here, I better rely on the dealer's touch. I will post the results in case others have the same problem! Thanks for your help.

 

[Moody Blue]

Re: Whistle noise

Is the sound present at all rpms ? Does it matter whether you are in gear or not ? Still making the sound with cowling off ? Might be a bearing going bad ?

 

[Jim Machacek]

Re: Whistle noise

Been through all the tests as suggested! I took the boat out on the lake a couple of days ago. It was working and sounded perfect for about 200 yards +/- then I noticed the whistle sound. Slowed down, took it out of gear and the sound persisted. It did not get louder or quieter. All RPM ranges remained the same, a constant whistle! The pitch and tone of the whistle do not change with the RPMs. Being half deaf or I should say only being able to hear out of one ear, I began to think it was just me. Brought the unit home and hooked up the ears and tried to find the problem. Couldn't find anything and the Merc. book says there is a warning horn not a whistle. My local dealer confirmed the horn thing so now he has the unit in his shop. Whats really baffling is when I took off the shrowd a small coil spring like the ones used on needle valves was stuck to the insulation of the shrowd. No where on that engine was a spring missing that I could see so now the pros have it to figure out! Thanks for your concern and I will post the results, if any!

 

[Jim Machacek]

Re: Whistle noise

Got the word from the Pros yesterday as to the problem with the whistle sound! It appears that the float in the oil tank let go and the engine is telling me I'm low on oil! The oil tank is full and it is using the oil as it was designed. I make it a practice to keep the tank full so I know I'll never get stuck. The options were to disconnect the alarm or pop for a new tank. As long as the system is working I opted for the disconnection. Replacement of the tank was $100 in parts alone to say nothing about lost time on the water or labor to do the switch out. I Hope this helps anyone who has a similar malfunction!