2007 Mercury Optimax 200hp

bflfishing

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Apr 17, 2011
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I know that this question gets asked frequently but mine is a little different. While fishing a BFL tournament this weekend I had to run approx. 40 miles from the ramp. After my run I had to idle through a no wake zone. About 30 seconds after coming off of plane a solid warning tone was going off. My non-boater told me he had heard it about half-way through our run, I did not. I immidieately shut the engine down and gave it about an hours rest. I checked to make sure I had oil pressure, water was coming out of the P tube, oil in the tank and the small resevoir, etc. After an hour we decided to move. I started the motor, no warning signals, got up on pad and ran approx. 1 mile before the engine signal went off again. I immidieately stopped and called a mechanic. He stated that he thought that the boat had overheated and to give it a while and try again. After about 3 hours he called and told me to try again. I made it about 5 miles before the warning signal went off. The motor is running strong, not going into guardian mode or anything. The night before and during the tournament we had approximately 3 inches of rain. Could the rain cause the warning to short out and go off? What other problems could I have?
 

CharlieB

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Apr 10, 2007
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5,617
Re: 2007 Mercury Optimax 200hp

How MUCH water comes out of the P tube?

How old is the water pump and impeller?
 

bflfishing

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Joined
Apr 17, 2011
Messages
4
Re: 2007 Mercury Optimax 200hp

There is a good flow of water coming out of the P tube, the water pump and impeller are not quite a year old probably 10 or 11 months old.
 

CharlieB

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Apr 10, 2007
Messages
5,617
Re: 2007 Mercury Optimax 200hp

Do you have a water pressure guage installed? Knowoing pressures at RPMs goes a long way in determining cooling problems and you always know the condition of your cooling system at a glance.

Any cooling problem first consider the water pump, disassemble, inspect the stainless plate and cup for 'grooving', and the condition of the impeller.
 
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