Temp was higher...now it's lower

C

cnollego

Member
Sep 8, 2022
83
Boat Info
2003, 220 Sundeck
Engines
5.0 MPI, Alpha Drive
Hey, went out last night and was cruising around. Noticed my engine temp was always around 170 and then a few weeks ago it would climb to over 200 and stay there. No alarms or anything so i didn't worry about it.

Last night, went for a cruise and it was back up around 200. Stopped and had some dinner and took off up river (Mississippi Pool 26). Temp back up to 200 and then i leaned on her for a good 15min ride. 4K rpm on smooth water. Temp held at around 200 for the first 5min and then all of a sudden dropped to 170 and stayed there.

Impeller is new as of last fall. Boat never alarmed for overheat...wondering if i had sucked some "stuff" into the low water intake and it cleared on the long/fast ride?

Anybody have anything like this happen to them? Just want to make sure I'm not missing something or in for a surprise when I go on my next jaunt.
 
Do you know for sure what temp thermostat is in there?

You should have a 160° thermostat and it really should stay right around that temp.

200° is too high in my opinion, I think further investigation is needed.
 
I do not know. If it's sitting at 170 is that not close enough?
 
My 2006 MPI 5 l alpha runs at 170 according to the gauge with a 160 thermostat but doesn't go any higher maybe my gauge is off
 
cnollego said:
I do not know. If it's sitting at 170 is that not close enough?
Click to expand...
If it’s always been that way, that’s probably just some gauge error.
The 200° is something to keep and eye on though.
 
Check your tstat temp with a ir thermometer.
 
How accurate is the ir reading on the outside of the thermostat housing?
 
I will give it a whirl. Where is the temp sensor on the 5.0
 
Thank you. Those ever come loose or go bad?
 
To me it's a clog that got cleared by going fast. But 200 is very high. With a 160 thermostat I would expect 170-175 out of that. Very warm water maybe 180.

Keep an eye on this if it comes back it wasn't a clog/growth.
 
That's a big clog. I would tread very lightly with that motor
 
Scott215 said:
That's a big clog. I would tread very lightly with that motor
Click to expand...

It's an Alpha 1 drive, tiny pickup grids on the side of the outdrive. A little growth and water flow can be almost stopped.
 
I. Make sure mine are always clean, but boat does not stay in the water so I can always see it and make sure it's clean
 
Just saying to watch the temp gauge like a porn movie
 
Took her out yesterday and ran fine. Temp went to about 160-70. I took the IR thermostat with me and when i got back to the marina, opened the hatch while still running and hit the housing...it was about 140.

This is a fresh water boat that is on a lift. Never sits in the water.

I'm guessing (educated) that it's probably the gauge. Going to pull it and connect to a temp to see if that is it.
 
Hope you get it fixed , good luck
 
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