jemccollum
New Member
I have a 2001 Sundancer 290 (Bravo III). I have been getting a frustrating engine alarm. Sometimes it occurs at low speeds, sometimes when on plane, or even sitting in the slip. Sometimes when getting it while in the slip, putting the boat in neutral and revving the RPMs up a bit will cause it to temporarily go away (if it is sounding constantly) seeming to indicate with the engine revved up and full water flow it might slightly cool the engine and silence the alarm. Sometimes the alarm is intermittent and there is just a very brief blip other times it will stay on until turning off the starboard engine and restarting.
The boat runs smoothly. I have had a mechanic look at it and we have replaced the impellers, thermostat, and temp sensor and he has hooked it to a the computer and gets a code 14 ECT Cold and 15 ECT Hot error code. He suspects the cold error code is from when he took the thermostat out to test it and let it run so it pumped the full unrestricted water flow to the engine keeping it cool. He has tested the engine temperature and says it is fine and the manifold gets warm but not excessively hot to the touch and feels like the same temperature as the port engine. The gauges indicate the engine temperature stays below 170*. The oil pressure is normal, the alternator (voltage) gauge readout is normal and the drive fluid is full.
The mechanic thinks the computer could be bad, but before spending a lot of money replacing that suggested if it were him he would just cut the alarm wire so it doesn't buzz. He said he would watch the temp and oil pressure gauges closely and not spend the money on a faulty read out. I am reluctant to spend a few thousands dollars for a incorrect engine code when everything is working fine. Of course I am more motivated to not want to "blow up" the engine and have to replace it.
Any suggestions? This is frustrating and I am reluctant to just clip a wire to an alarm hoping it is wrong even though it appears to be running fine.
The boat runs smoothly. I have had a mechanic look at it and we have replaced the impellers, thermostat, and temp sensor and he has hooked it to a the computer and gets a code 14 ECT Cold and 15 ECT Hot error code. He suspects the cold error code is from when he took the thermostat out to test it and let it run so it pumped the full unrestricted water flow to the engine keeping it cool. He has tested the engine temperature and says it is fine and the manifold gets warm but not excessively hot to the touch and feels like the same temperature as the port engine. The gauges indicate the engine temperature stays below 170*. The oil pressure is normal, the alternator (voltage) gauge readout is normal and the drive fluid is full.
The mechanic thinks the computer could be bad, but before spending a lot of money replacing that suggested if it were him he would just cut the alarm wire so it doesn't buzz. He said he would watch the temp and oil pressure gauges closely and not spend the money on a faulty read out. I am reluctant to spend a few thousands dollars for a incorrect engine code when everything is working fine. Of course I am more motivated to not want to "blow up" the engine and have to replace it.
Any suggestions? This is frustrating and I am reluctant to just clip a wire to an alarm hoping it is wrong even though it appears to be running fine.