Beeping alarm

[Axhammer]

I have a 1998 Ranger R-91I with a 1998 Mercury 200 EFI motor. After leaving the boat ramp about 10 minutes run time I noticed a beeping sound while running about 4000 RPM. I stopped and pulled the cover off to see if the engine mounted oil tank had oil in it, and it appeared to be full. I decided to go back towards the ramp, and stopped about half way and fished for about an hour. When I started it up to go back to the ramp, it was running fine, water streaming out as normal, and no alarm. A couple minutes into the short run back to the ramp the alarm went of again, steady beeping. At this time there was no water streaming out like normal. I’m guessing the impeller let loose. The impeller was replaced about a year ago, according to the person I bought the boat from. Is there something else I should be checking in this situation?

[ride.race.live]

You may want to add the Motor Serial number on here as well.

Run the hose through the flushing plug on it and see if you get water coming out of the tell tale. If no water or really weak stream something is clogged somewhere.

if you do have water i'd suspect water pump for sure.


No matter which way you go on this though... i'd be changing the water pump. If its clogged it means debris got in and that can wear out the impeller.

[Axhammer]

So the water hose connection on the back is for flushing? I run in fresh water most of the time, although sometimes I put the ears on the lower unit and flush at the end of the day. Your saying I can connect a fresh water to the back of the engine and troubleshoot?

[ride.race.live]

Next to the tell tale there should be a 4 sided cap / plug you can remove that plug and screw in a garden hose and just run the water through it for as long as you want really.

Doing this way you do not run motor.

[Axhammer]

Thanks for the help, I don’t have a manual for the motor. It’s a 1998 200 EFI s/n 0G680217. The beeping was a constant “beep-beep-beep”, it was not a steady tone. I bought the boat|motor last winter and both work well. This new “beep-beep-beep” alarm is new to me. Other than having to replace six spark plugs due to sluggish performance, this motor has always run well, and with the new plugs it runs like a champ again. Does this motor have a low oil sensor in the main oil tank? I haven’t added oil since I bought it, but I have been keeping an eye on the oil level in the main oil tank, and it has dropped from full to about half tank since I’ve owned it. The motor mounted tank always looks full. I have probably run three or four tanks of gas since owning the boat. I’m going to top off the main oil tank and see how much oil I have used. I’m going to flush the motor using the built in connection to see if water exits the tell tale. Eventually I’m going to run the motor with the hose/ears on the lower unit to see if water comes out of the tell tale, and whether or not the alarm is still going off.

[Axhammer]

I put in one and a half gallons of two stroke oil in the main oil tank. Guessing it’s capacity is about four gallons using a transmission funnel to dip it. I don’t think I was anywhere near being low on oil in that main tank. I connected the garden hose to the flush port. Water came out from behind the both zinks and the lower end of the water intakes on each side of the lower unit. No water from the tell'tale hole. I’m going to remove the lower unit to see what the impeller looks like. I think it bought the farm, so to speak.

[Axhammer]

Pulled the LU and impeller looked good. Must have a sensor problem,

[ride.race.live]

If you connected hose to flush port and no water came out if tell tale its clogged

Does it constantly bleep beep beep non stop or does it beep 4 times every 2 mins or...

You need to get water coming out the tell tale tho hook hose back up to flush port and find something you can stick in the tell tale hole to unclo it

[Axhammer]

With the LU removed, and garden hose attached, all the water goes out of the main water feed to/from the LU. I put my thumb on the main water feed it and water went through the engine and out of the tell tale. Going to buy new impeller today and reinstall after work. I don’t get it, the old impeller looks good, but it quit pumping water, so I’m going to replace it. The beeping was constant beeping, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, not steady tone or intermittent, constant beeping.

[buster502]

put a complete water pump kit in it not just the impeller,i am guessing that the gasket is bad below the water pump lower plate

[JOE54]

intermittent beep is not heat is oil problem

[ride.race.live]

Yeap sounds like the water impeller housing is leaking out as buster mentioned.... Get a COMPLETE water pump kit that should fix your no tell tale.

As for your constant beep, beep, beep.... that type of alarm should be oil related as mentioned by Joe.

[JOE54]

also remember tell tale is thermostat contrled

[Axhammer]

I bought a complete impeller kit, and two thermostats for $80. Didn’t have time to work on it yet, plus it’s forcast to rain for the next decade.

[JOE54]

send some rain this way

[ride.race.live]

also remember tell tale is thermostat contrled

A tell tale should be present whether motor is hot or cold, maybe I am reading your post wrong but the tell tale / Tstat have no direct effect relation and you can not know if T stat is working by tell tale and vise versa.


on that note, T stats are a fairly cheap insurance to swap out. I changed them on my new to me opti just because I didn't know how old they were, rather be safe then sorry.

[JOE54]

if you have almost instant water from tell tale at start up when cold thermos are stuck open or removed,when cold there will be lil to no discharge from tell tale until stats open 143 degrees so there is direct effect, yes safe than sorry

[JOE54]

opti tell tale is different comes from compressor, make sense?????

[Axhammer]

Agree on the thermostats not opening until motor is warmed up, and the tell tale is controlled by thermostat. At least that’s the experience I’ve had with my motor, and the guys at the boat shop concurred.

[JOE54]