2018 V6 200 J Oil pressure dropping and alarm

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
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Too much oil could cause frothing from the crank beating the oil which would cause low oil pressure
 

Mjroyalty

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May 6, 2023
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Too much oil could cause frothing from the crank beating the oil which would cause low oil pressure
Makes sense.

Now that I think of it. I did add a bottle of Liquid Moly Ceratech. It’s 300 ml. Would that over fill it or contribute to this issue?
 

muc

"Retired" Association of Marine Technicians...
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Wow, okay! Thanks for the advice! I’ll be doing the oil change this weekend and will measure the old. If it had too much oil, would that cause the drop in pressure? Also, is the alarm triggered by the gauge or the pressure sensor?

On the gauges. This is a Regal 2000 ESX with Faria gauges. The oil pressure is in a single multi gauge with oil, temp, battery, fuel. The Speedo is right next to it. I will upload a pic of the dash.

Where would you recommend attaching the pressure gauge on the motor?
Yes, too much oil can cause low oil pressure as @Scott Danforth said. But this would be a constant problem, not intermittent. And usually only at higher RPMs. Alarm is triggered by the ECM, how that data makes it to the dash horn depends on the gauges.

If I wanted to confirm oil pressure with a mechanical gauge, I would remove the sensor and replace it with the gauge.

But as a technician I need to be able to justify all the costs of troubleshooting to the customer. So I wouldn’t start with oil change and mechanical gauge. I’m more interested in why the ECM is setting a warning horn. This can only be done with a scan tool. This engine has a lot of sensors and a lot of trouble codes. Any time a warnping horn is set the ECM will log why. At this point you are focusing on oil pressure but you don’t know for certain. I honestly believe your time and money is best spent by purchasing a scan tool, the 3 workshop manuals and acquiring the knowledge needed to troubleshoot this problem or finding someone who already has these 3 things.

If your engine really is experiencing low oil pressure. This can cause very serious problems. You might be money ahead hiring someone to diagnose this problem. This engine is very powerful and efficient for it’s size, but it’s also very complicated and nowhere as easy to diagnose as older engines.
 

Mjroyalty

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Okay, I will start with the oil change and pressure test.
Every time the alarm sounds, it has been at a highe RPM. If I turn the key off and restart it will sit at idle showing about 30 on the gauge. I let it idle for nearly 30 minutes in the water without alarm or fluctuations and then it alarms when I accelerate to get on plane.

I will start with the oil change and. Pressure test. Then do a lake test to see if it duplicates. If it does, I will more than likely take it to a shop.

Thanks again for all the help!
 

Mjroyalty

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May 6, 2023
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Update:
Changed the oil and filter with Volvo parts. I couldn’t believe it, I removed 5 3/4 liters of oil! Manual specs at 4.5 quarts so I was shocked at this! Ran the motor in the lake and it’s repeating the same intermittent low oil pressure. Next step is to hook up the manual pressure gauge and see what I see.
Also, I found the problem with the speedo, the tube had come off the fitting on the lower unit, so that’s working now.
 

muc

"Retired" Association of Marine Technicians...
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Pretty sure your engine is 6 qt /5.7 L
What do you see on the dipstick?
 

Donald0039

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Jun 11, 2022
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I hope you are using the dipstick with respect to checking the oil level not by going by the manual and adding xx QT of oil as listed in manual. Manual is a starting point, the final say.

Forget any oil additives.

Hopefully you have lots of money so spending $500 or $600 on a Dicom scan tool is not a big deal. And another $400 for a laptop.
 

Mjroyalty

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May 6, 2023
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Fixed the issue, thanks!
It was the oil pressure sensor. Replaced the old and I’m running normal pressure with no alarms.
Also found the issue with the speedometer, the tube had disconnected in one place and it’s working perfectly.
Appreciate all of the input!!
 
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