ignition alarm/ Quicksilver

Cruising around my boat yesterday the ignition alarm came on for no reason. My friend pulled out the kill switch to see if it would stop the alarm, and it didnt, also it didnt stop the engine either. So know the ignition alarm is stuck on and i can't put the kill switch back in. Any advise to turn off ignition alarm and how to put the kill switch back in.

Re: ignition alarm/ Quicksilver

You might tell us the year and HP of that motor. Merc usually has an overheat alarm. Some hoave low oil alarms. Kill switch grounds balck/yellow wire, however, that system depends on the motor year and model.

Re: ignition alarm/ Quicksilver

The "ignition alarm came on for no reason!" There is no such thing as an ignition alarm and the alarm that did come on definitely came on for a reason. As was mentioned, the alarm can signal an overheating condition and depending on the year is also tied into the oil injection system and signals lubrication related issues (such as low oil level in the oil resevoir). Just trying to turn it off is not a solution to the problem that caused it to turn on.

Re: ignition alarm/ Quicksilver

Chris1956 said:

You might tell us the year and HP of that motor. Merc usually has an overheat alarm. Some hoave low oil alarms. Kill switch grounds balck/yellow wire, however, that system depends on the motor year and model.

Click to expand...

My boat is second hand, the motor 60HP MARINER 2008, it has plenty of oil. The frame is fibre glass STEBER and ignition is made by QUICKSILVER. When you first turn the key over there is beeping sound until the motor starts. So its the beeping sound that is stuck on and beeping sound is very loud and nearly like a high pitch sound. The beeping sound is definetly is coming from the ignition / throttle area not from the dash.

Re: ignition alarm/ Quicksilver

fliss said:

My boat is second hand, the motor 60HP MARINER 2008, it has plenty of oil. The frame is fibre glass STEBER and ignition is made by QUICKSILVER. When you first turn the key over there is beeping sound until the motor starts. So its the beeping sound that is stuck on and beeping sound is very loud and nearly like a high pitch sound. The beeping sound is definetly is coming from the ignition / throttle area not from the dash.

Click to expand...

That alarm is tied into the oil alert system, and also the overtemp alarm switch. The alarm circuits ground the circuit, and the supply 12 volts is normally supplied by the key on 12 volts. If the boat is miswired and the 12 volts goes directly to battery, the power on test will still sound normally, and the alarms will work normally, but will not shut off with the key switch.

And the safety kill switch malfunctions, that's scary.

The engine either is overheated, or if it is cool, there is a short in the alarm circuit. Judging from all the other symptoms, it sounds like the boat is just plain miswired. The short could be in the oil alert module, the overtemp switch, or anywhere in the wiring to the alarm sonalert.

hope it helps
John