Low outdrive oil alarm

[pstew96]

I know the audible alarm goes off for low gear oil and overheating, but twice in one trip the alarm went and the boat stalled, the temp looked fine between 173 and 175, the gear oil res said it was at the low bar of the bottle, could it being at the low end cause it to do this Im wondering?

 

[j-d]

If it's the typical MerCruiser, Alarm sounds on:

1. Low Engine Oil Pressure - This is why it alarms till you start the engine.

2. High Engine Coolant Temperature - Sensor at Thermostat area.

3. Low Outdrive Lubricant - I'd guess it's low enough to trigger that Alarm. I think ours sounds the alarm when it's down to about half full.

BUT! None of these will shut the Engine down. If I had to guess why the Alarm sounded about the time it stalled... I think the Engine RPM had dropped to where the Oil Pump wasn't able to provide the (very)few PSI the Oil Pressure Sender wants to NOT trigger the Alarm.

 

[pstew96]

Thank you for your input, I wouldn't have thought it would blast/stall me if the level was above the low mark, so I added more, see what happens, I use the boat 3 or 4 times a week and the engine and outdrive are only 1 and 2 years old..

 

[j-d]

If you've recently changed the outdrive oil, it's likely the reservoir will drop level till all the air is worked out of the system.

Was thinking of last weekend... Pulled the throttle back too quickly, engine tried to stall right about the time the shift interrupt hit. Engine caught, didn't quit, but I got a BEEP out of the alarm system. Had to be Low RPM ==> Low Oil Pressure ==> Alarm Beep.

 

[jtybt15]

The most important part of an engine is the oil. Whether it be too low oil pressure or too low oil in system...which would cause too low oil pressure. Not enuff oil can litterally destroy an engine, that's why there's an alarm for it. Some systems can put the engine in 'cripple' mode or shut down the engine before something freezes up or bearings get eaten.