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Help - Oil sender on Mercury 40hp


bootyinblue

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Guys,

More looking for some reassuring nods here rather than alternatives, but I fired up the boat this morning before heading away for a few days and the alarm is sounding as a solid tone.

Checked the owners handbook and a solid tone means either low oil or engine overheating. As it came on 2 seconds after it fired, I am pretty sure it ain engine overheating.

Anyway I found the sender wires from the oil tank and disconnected them and no alarm. Hopefully this will not disable the overheat alarm, not that it has ever sounded in 5 years.

Question is..... I have looked at the oil tank and it appears just to have an outlet pipe, but no electrics or pump or anything. I am hoping its gravity fed and I have not disconnected the electric pump or something that will starve the engine of oil.

Am I ok?

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sorry booty I was slow typing reply,obviously you thought of the float

I`m definately not mechanically minded,crap on/in connections??

I would guess you have a float in the oil tank maybe the float is stuck or oillogged,causing the float not to rise making the sensor think the oil is too low causing the alarm.????

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impellor ! although you may have water comming from here, they have a large volume lower pressurs style water pump. easy enough to replace it by yourself, and you know thats done if ya havent done it within 6 mths of you going down the pin, a lot of sand in the waters there, causes damage prematurely. also tend to agree with a constant alarm being an overheating 1. low oil sound more at certain intervals first i believe, only when out of oil will it be constant ?

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If your motor is oil injected you will have an oil pump there some where and its possibly around the area of the throttle linkage and are often connected via a small linkage rod and spring setup.

The alarm is sounding for a reason so probably best not to disconnect it and ignore the problem as full seizure can be costly.

You can bypass the oil pump and run premix fuel but this needs to be done properly as well otherwise you will seize the oil pump

What year/model is the motor so we can find out some better info on it.

Lance

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Hey Booty,

I am almost positive that your problem is caused by the oil level alarm floatswitch delaminating from its mount inside the tank.

Had the same thing happen (exact same symptoms) to my mercury 90hp. Just like you described, constant alarm sound that ceases when you pull the wires for the oil level sender. Usually a constant alarm sound would indicate overheating and intermittent oil. The reason an oil alarm is intermitant is the float switch bops up and down with motion. In your case it has fallen off its mount and is permanently stuck on.

Good news is it is easily fixed. Bad news you cant fix the float switch and need a whole new tank, about $110.You could do it yourself but have to be careful bleeding oil lines etc. otherwise you will starve your outboard of oil.

Dom

PS I just kept on using my boat till next service was due but religously kept an eye on the oil level.

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The tank has already been replaced once as someone put a self tapper straight through it when installing the sender unit the first time, I guess while still in the factory.

Hopefully it might be jammed down and with a bit of 'wave slapping' might jiggle up, otherwise will as you say just watch the oil window and fill the oil each time I fill the tanks.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Not sure if other people sit and wonder what the outcome to some of these things are, but I try and post a follow up post abou the issue in case it helps others.

Re connected the wires a couple of times while away and alarm still sounds so there is an issue with the sender unit. Oil was being used as I suspected (and hoped) while engine is running, so now I have made my own oil warning system on the boat, its a little label next to the steering wheel saying "CHECK THE OIL"

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Not sure if other people sit and wonder what the outcome to some of these things are, but I try and post a follow up post abou the issue in case it helps others.

Re connected the wires a couple of times while away and alarm still sounds so there is an issue with the sender unit. Oil was being used as I suspected (and hoped) while engine is running, so now I have made my own oil warning system on the boat, its a little label next to the steering wheel saying "CHECK THE OIL"

I like to see follow up,it helps expand someones knowledge base

cheers

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