Alarm driving me crazy...

[clinche]

Re: Alarm driving me crazy...

can anyone please confirm whether water coming out of the outdive should be very hot. one side is so hot that i cant keep my hand in there. engine idle on muffs and good water pressure coming in.

 

[intrepidvoyager]

Re: Alarm driving me crazy...

first off .........IMPORTANT ... its hard to tell much running on muffs as the raw water pump may not be getting all the water it needs. exhaust water temp can vary because of age of manifolds/risers but should not burn your hand .....hotter on one side than the other on the hard may just be lack of pressure as you are feeding the pump from a hose, however as per previous posted tests .....if your raw water pump has 18/20 gpm at its disposal and is operating properly and you still have riser temp issues ......then its got to be blockage somewhere thermo/hoses/manifold/riser. Your IR thermo riser temps are way out of wack!!!

HOWEVER .....with normal hose pressure on muffs you should get equal discharge on both sides and be able to hold your hand in exhaust water ....our boat ramp has slightly higher 20 % than normal house hose pressure and on our big block you can do that.

SORRY ....you got to check for cooler blockage ..... one way is to disconnect the raw water hose at engine and at raw water pump then stick a hose in the "going to engine end" and back wash the line .... if there is debris it will be on the water pump side of the cooler .......

 

[las165]

Re: Alarm driving me crazy...

I have had a boat with closed water cooling and one with raw water cooling. With both boats the risers were warm/hot to the touch, depending on the type of boating I was doing during the day. As to water exhausting through the drives, the raw water exhaust was hotter then the closed cooling exhaust water, but both got warm. In my opnion this is normal (I've only expierenced this with the boat on land and flushing the engines with muffs). I've been in a few engine compartments, the guy that's always small enough to get into the tight spots, and in the ones I've been in the risers have all been warm-hot to the touch after a trip. If your thermostat is set for 160 or higher and your raw water is cooling the engine I would think that your exhaust should be close to that tempature during the exchange in the cooling process.

 

[fossill]

Re: Alarm driving me crazy...

I've said the same thing. My boat which has a Merc 4.3L V-6 is brand new and the risers are very hot to the touch, and I highly doubt I have a problem with a little over 10 hrs on the boat. In fact after a good run I cant touch them at all without burning my hands. I've also noticed the same thing with several friends boats running a Merc 5.0L and a 5.8L. I'd say from that the risers being fairly hot is normal. Good luck sorting it out and make sure you let us know how you made out.

 

[intrepidvoyager]

Re: Alarm driving me crazy...

If you only have 10 hrs on a brand new boat and really "hot to the touch' risers I would take it back to the dealer and show him this ......

http://www.acms-usa.com/bulletin_files/hotItem.htm

 

[clinche]

Re: Alarm driving me crazy...

Hi interpidvoyage

with all the info i got i feel so motivated to go and fix my hot riser and alarm problem. Got exams coming up beginning of Dec so i will be able to check her out 2nd week of December and let you know on all tests done and results achieved.

Thnaks a lot for your help

 

[Fisnfool]

Re: Alarm driving me crazy...

yes the old one was fine however there was a white plastic tube which was a bit deformed indicating that somethin was overheatin down there but mechanic just threw it away and said that this piece was irrelevant..is this the plastic fitting you are refering to?

I tried removing and checking the oil cooler however i cant manage to work behind the engine..its impossible to work over there..

Thermostat was replaced and no junk in there however i will be replacing the stat gaskets because my temp gauge gives erratic readings. the culprit im thinkin are the gaskets..no ground..while im in there i will be also replacing the stat and temp sender and temp alarm switch..

any more ideas please let me know..

I don't think any one else noticed that your "mechanic" threw out the new plastic tube. It is important. If it was not needed it would not be in the impeller pump kit.

It seals against the O ring in the impeller /water pump cover and directs the water up the copper pick up tube. Without it, you are just pumping water from the impeller back into the stern drive casting.

That tube is called The Water Tube Guide and makes sure the metal water tube is seated in the impeller cover properly.

 

[clinche]

Re: Alarm driving me crazy...

Does this tube come with the impeller kit?

 

[Fisnfool]

Re: Alarm driving me crazy...

Not if you just buy the impeller. If you mean the impeller pump kit, YES.

You can buy just the tube if all else was replaced and the tube discarded. Get the one for your model. The picture is just a sample.

 

[Knightgang]

Re: Alarm driving me crazy...

Yeah, I did miss the tube discarding. I did something unusual for me, I trusted what the mechanic said. That very well could be the problem. Replace that tube and see if things improve...

 

[clinche]

Re: Alarm driving me crazy...

Not if you just buy the impeller. If you mean the impeller pump kit, YES.

You can buy just the tube if all else was replaced and the tube discarded. Get the one for your model. The picture is just a sample.

thanks for the pics..however i am kinda confused now..the one i had was exactly the one in the picture you sent me however those belong to the alpha 1 and not for the generation 2. Thing is a have a generation 2 so i should not have that tube guide. please refer to the exploded view of the impeller in the pic i attached..

 

[Fisnfool]

Re: Alarm driving me crazy...

What is 29 and 31? It looks like 31 would be your version of the plastic tube. Was it installed? Were the O rings for the guide tube installed?

This sight calls it the plastic guide tube. See parts included description.
http://www.mercstuff.com/gen2wp.htm

Remember that I sad the tube pic I posted was just a general picture and to get the one for your model.

 

[clinche]

Re: Alarm driving me crazy...

What is 29 and 31? It looks like 31 would be your version of the plastic tube. Was it installed? Were the O rings for the guide tube installed?

This sight calls it the plastic guide tube. See parts included description.
http://www.mercstuff.com/gen2wp.htm

Remember that I sad the tube pic I posted was just a general picture and to get the one for your model.

Thanks again for your reply. i will take the lower drive off and check what parts i have missing. is there any way to distinguish between an alpha 1 and alpha 1 gen2 drive? i cant find the serial number anywhere...

thanks once again

 

[intrepidvoyager]

Re: Alarm driving me crazy...

If you don't want to take the lower end off and mess with the pump right away you can test if you have a pump problem by checking the temp rise of the risers on muffs vs in water .... if the temp rises more rapidly with the boat in the water you likely got a pump problem.

this is not to say that you don't have other issues covered in previous posts.

 

[ErieRon]

Re: Alarm driving me crazy...

Try this "history of Alpha drives".

http://www.4shared.com/file/113520171/2d55a0e5/alpha_drive_history.html

 

[clinche]

Re: Alarm driving me crazy...

If you don't want to take the lower end off and mess with the pump right away you can test if you have a pump problem by checking the temp rise of the risers on muffs vs in water .... if the temp rises more rapidly with the boat in the water you likely got a pump problem.

this is not to say that you don't have other issues covered in previous posts.

i still have to perform other tests you suggested, hopefully soon (got exams soon). Pictures and tests will be posted for your input...