SmartCraft Oil Warning Beeps

[Ramem52]

So while I was out on the water yesterday driving the boat my Smartcraft gauge started beeping at me blinking the oil indicator and check engine. Since I have only had the boat for a few months now and very unfamiliar with the motor itself I called a local boat shop and explained what happened. First thing the guy told me was to check and see if the oil reservoir on the side of the motor was getting oil. While the motor was running, I opened the cap on the engine mounted reservoir and I did not notice the level raising. I have been doing some research on the internet for a few hours and have somewhat of an idea on how the system works and somewhat of an idea of what to trouble shoot however I have some doubts with my abilities and understanding of getting the air to purge if I start disassembling the on board tank and checking for any blockages on the in tank filter. I am also not too certain where the crank case check valve is and see if that part is an issue either. On board oil tank is also about half full, not sure if it needs to maintain a higher level or not. Also after i had the original oil warning message I did open the on board tank just to look in and it was under pressure as air hissed out.

Any additional advice or photos would be very appreciated.

Boat is a 2002 17'10", motor is a 2002 Mercury 150 Optimax with 50 hours. I recently purchased the boat and the guy had not used the boat in about a year but had it serviced last November including new water pump, plugs, changed a fuel hose, new batteries and drained and swapped old fuel. I have had it out on the water about 6 times and put about 4 hours on it myself and it runs very well, even still with the oil warning message.

[mrdeath]

You might post this in the Mercury forum. Be sure to include your motor's serial number. A lot of knowledgeable folks over there that should be able to help you out.

The engine mounted tank should be full at all times and is pressure filled from the onboard tank (you probably already knew that). First thing I'd check is the screen on the bottom of the intake in the onboard tank. If it sat for a long time, there could be a bunch of sludge in the bottom of the tank that's clogging up the intake. If it's working properly, the engine mounted tank should fill when you crack the cap with the motor running.

[Ramem52]

Update: I ended up taking it to a local shop and they cleaned out the on board tank and hose lines and put it back together. The tank on the motor is now being refilled with oil however the sensor is still sending an alarm and they are going to replace the tank w/ sensor so hopefully that solves the problem.