Warning Buzzer on Merc going off

[fishn]

Changed the water pump and thermostats a few weeks ago, got the boat out for the first time today, started really (thank the Good Lord) after sitting since Oct or so. Motor is a 1988 200 hp. It has always had very low pressure at idle, which is what we did when we launched. We fished for a while, started idling out of a cove and buzzer went off. We waited a while, started it up, didn't go off. Ran a short ways at 30-35 mph or so, got almost to far shoreline and buzzer went off. Water pressure across the lake was good. Turned it off, fished for a while, no buzzer. Ran back (talking mile or so) got back to original cove. Buzzer went off. We had this issue one time while on vacation at Ky Lake and it was the oil cap on the motor-mounted oil tank. That was probably 12-15 years ago. Do these caps go bad, or does it sound like something else? It is a constant buzzer. Very frustrating, this motor starts good and runs strong, but I don't trust it. I cannot afford another motor, I am about ready to buy a 2 man plastic boat and be done with outboards, as we have had issues (none major, but almost always involving the buzzer or water pump) about every other year it seems (it seems, probably not that frequent) since we bought it in 1995 or so. Thanks for any help you can provide.

[Wildcat Dude]

Really need the serial # when you're asking motor questions. Impeller should be changed out every other year, more frequent if used a lot. Complete water pump if it shows ANY signs of wear along with the appropriate gaskets. Yes, water pressure would be low at idle generally not more than 3 psi. Its the WOT and what the pressure is then that's more important, but even if you had good water pressure, it still wouldn't alert you to the cause of overheating. I usually like to change out the plastic housing for the stainless steel version. Might have to reinspect all the water passageways to make sure there's no blockage of any kind. Motor that age it wouldn't hurt to do a flush on it either.

[Mickstix]

Buzzer going off? Solid buzz/beep, or short buzzes/beeps?? Could be as simple as low oil in your remote reservoir grabbing air when you hit a wake.. (solid beeeeeeeeep is temp sensor, short fast beep, beep, beeps is your oil sensor)

[fishn]

Wildcat Dude, S/N is OB 332898. We changed the upper housing, gaskets beneath it and the impeller and the short water tube with Quicksilver parts. I think it was a plastic housing with a stainless insert over the impeller. Seemed to have good pressure at speed. Also changed the thermostats. How do you do a flush on the motor?

Micskstix, it's a solid buzzer (beeeeeeeeeep) that doesn't go off until I shut the motor off. Remote reservoir is over half full.

Thanks guys, I appreciate the help, it's frustrating to think it's good to go and then have problems.

[Wildcat Dude]

I don't know if this would apply to you but it won't hurt until Don can verify http://www.bbcboards.net/mercury-3-l...r-present.html

[RiverRatMD]

Solid tone = overheat. IMO - you need to re-drop that LU and re-do the waterpump and gaskets. Something likely happened during that process. You need to be sure to verify correct gasket orientation (hugely important) and impeller installation (vanes all going the right way). You also need to be sure to guide the pump onto the water tube correctly. THIS is where I would start and go from there.

[fishn]

Thanks RiverRat, I may do that, but I feel confident we did this the right way. Don posted a link we based it on, although we did not remove the prop. I put the new gaskets on and in the same orientation as I took the old ones off, and I rotated the shaft the correct direction when sliding the housing over the impeller. We had a difficult time getting both the water tube and the shift shaft lined up correctly, so I am sure we did that right took because we were really careful to make sure they were correct. Could I have gotten a bad thermostat(s)? Thanks for the suggestion, though, may still do it, just hate to because we had so much trouble getting things line up when we put it back together.

[wentbroketryingtogopro]

Changed the water pump and thermostats a few weeks ago, got the boat out for the first time today, started really (thank the Good Lord) after sitting since Oct or so. Motor is a 1988 200 hp. It has always had very low pressure at idle, which is what we did when we launched. We fished for a while, started idling out of a cove and buzzer went off. We waited a while, started it up, didn't go off. Ran a short ways at 30-35 mph or so, got almost to far shoreline and buzzer went off. Water pressure across the lake was good. Turned it off, fished for a while, no buzzer. Ran back (talking mile or so) got back to original cove. Buzzer went off. We had this issue one time while on vacation at Ky Lake and it was the oil cap on the motor-mounted oil tank. That was probably 12-15 years ago. Do these caps go bad, or does it sound like something else? It is a constant buzzer. Very frustrating, this motor starts good and runs strong, but I don't trust it. I cannot afford another motor, I am about ready to buy a 2 man plastic boat and be done with outboards, as we have had issues (none major, but almost always involving the buzzer or water pump) about every other year it seems (it seems, probably not that frequent) since we bought it in 1995 or so. Thanks for any help you can provide.

I feel your pain.the last two years I have had the same issues you are having.very frustrating indeed.my engine is a 2000 model 175 efi.thanks to don weed I finally resolved my buzzer problem.it was the oil injection.thanks,good luck and good fishing

[fishn]

Thanks Wentbroke. I am almost positive it was the solid beep when the oil cap was bad on the engine-mounted tank. I have heard some say on the model I have to do away with oil injection, but don't know how to do that and prefer to not have to mix. Thanks for the post, I appreciate it.

[EuropeanAM]

Solid tone = overheat. IMO - you need to re-drop that LU and re-do the waterpump and gaskets. Something likely happened during that process. You need to be sure to verify correct gasket orientation (hugely important) and impeller installation (vanes all going the right way). You also need to be sure to guide the pump onto the water tube correctly. THIS is where I would start and go from there.

+100!!!

I suspect you will find the gasket UNDERNEATH the impeller plate (or the one underneath the water pump base) has been TORN or DAMAGED.

Very critical that the water pump retaining NUTS be properly torqued with an INCH LBS torquewrench (50 INCH LBS).

[fishn]

Don, the kit had more gaskets to it than what I took off. I replaced the (2) fiber gaskets and the stainless steel one (if you call that a gasket , as that's what was in there before. Can you tell me so I know for sure the order these should be placed back on the unit? Also, is there a certain side that goes up? Also, there were some O-rings, where do they go, as I did not use them? Also, when I asked Sherm's about ordering some silicone with the kit, they said it's not needed, they don't use any. Is that correct? We put it on last time we did the water pump and had no issues. I have no problem taking it apart, but we had trouble getting it back together, getting the water tube and shift lever lined up were a major pain. So my questions may seem stupid, but I want to get it right. Thanks

[EuropeanAM]

I would suggest that you lookup your engine on our website, using the engine serial number. This will show you the Parts Diagram, so you can see how the parts and components stack up:

European Marine- Parts Department

You should have utilized a traditional silicone sealer across the exhaust dam (just behind the water pump).

[fishn]

Thanks Don.

[fishn]

Well, got it fixed last year, thank God above and all of you, but same issue this year. I will probably replace the impeller with a new kit again, but what I don't understand is this: the motor was putting out water, and yet it starts sending out steam. We fish a big lake that is about 1/2 idle zone, and most of the time this happens when idling. Yesterday my Dad suggested putting it in neutral when it was steaming ("sizzling" is what it sounds like) and increasing the throttle to try and pump more water thru. I did this, it kicked the PSI up to about 10, shooting a good stream out, and quit steaming/sizzling. So if the impeller is bad, as I imagine it is, why is it throwing out such a good stream of water? I changed the thermostats last time too, so don't think it's that. Am I missing another problem if I only change the water pump kit out? Thanks

[EuropeanAM]

Water pump is definitely the first place to start. COMPLETE kit, Part# 96148A8.

Make sure you use an Lbs/In torque wrench to torque the NUTS for the housing to 50 lbs/in. Improper torque there can cause failure of gaskets (especially the one UNDER the impeller plate). Also critical that all surfaces for gaskets be clean, and in PRISTINE condition. If that plastic water pump base (doubles as the seal carrier) is nicked, gouged or damaged, REPLACE it.

Water coming from that telltale (WHEN the thermostats open at approximately 143 degrees) will indeed be PIPING hot. If the engine gets even slightly warm... it will be STEAMING hot.

[fishn]

Don, if I register to log-in, can I order from your website or do I have to call in, and does it show a schematic of these parts? Does the kit you listed include the plastic water pump base? We have changed the water pump the last couple of times but did not replace the base, as it looked ok, but maybe we will just change it to be safe. Does it make any sense to you why putting it in neutral and revving it up caused it to clear the steaming action and we (thank the Good Lord) were able to idle back in? We did buy a torque wrench last time based on your suggestion and used it torque it, will do so again. We also replaced the thermostats both times, think we ought to do that too? Thanks Don.

[EuropeanAM]

Increase speed of the water pump impeller increases volume and pressure, so that would resolve the overheat if it's caused by LOW water pressure or volume.

You can certainly log into the site, choose parts from the schematics, and add them to the cart for purchase.

I would recommend replacing the base this time, as a precaution (purchase separately from kit).

Thermostats can be inspected/tested (though that particular thermostat is not that expensive).

[fishn]

Don, it's me again. Did the complete water pump kit last year. This year, only had the boat out once since last October, so it had sat for a long time. Same problem. When we idle for very long, it seems to stop pumping water, starts steaming, hear the hissing and then the solid alarm. I can rev it up in neutral and get the water flowing and it quits. Run for a while longer, does it again. We have had this boat/motor since about 1995, had water pump replaced multiple times by multiple mechanics/shops, and still have this problem over and over. I think I changed thermostats last time again too, and I know I changed them the time before. When we're idling, pressure is probably in the 2-3 range. Can there be anything else I need to check on this? This motor starts well after sitting so long, thank the Good Lord, but it is unreliable due to this issue. I can't count on going a mile or two on the lake without worrying about it acting up. Can it be because it sits so long out of the year it needs replaced every year? A mechanic told me one time that this model ('88) was not designed with a big enough impeller and it just has trouble with water pumps. I can't afford a new(er) motor, should I give up and take it to the mechanic again instead of me doing it? Seems like we might sometimes get a few good months out of it and then back to the same problem over and over and over. Thanks Don.

[EuropeanAM]

I wouldn't put much faith in what was done last year, or the year before.

In a fishing application, water pump should be changed ANNUALLY.

Did you address the items recommended in this thread (especially posts# 15 and 17) this year, during the discussions in this thread?

[fishn]

Don, I am not 100% clear on what you are asking. The posts you reference are from last year, and yes, at that time, I did what you suggested in items 15 and 17, and bought the parts from you. But I had no idea it needs to be changed every year. I was told (not by you, by local mechanics) it ought to be changed every 2-3 years. So I did not change it again this year (yet).