Evinrude 150 Alarm!

General Boats and Motors
1

I’ve got a 1998 Evinrude Ocean Pro with 1995 harness and tach.

I get an audible alarm when the motor is under load over 4,000 - 4,200 RPM. It occurs at lower RPMs when going over a wake. The motor does not go into SLOW mode, in fact, it appears to be running in perfect order.

The alarm does not come on when the motor is in neutral regardless of what RPM it is turnning.

I thought it might be bad wiring or a bad alarm. I checked the wiring at the switch/alarm and everything appears to be in order.

What should I check?

2

do you have a light on the dash?

I’m now at www.teamcharlestonmarine.com

3

No, it’s got the 1995 tach and harness. There are no indicator lights on the tach. I only have an aubile alarm.

4

Also, I forgot to mention that there’s plenty of water coming out of the pee hole and the temp gauge is normal at 145 degrees.

5

Oil sensor? Except I would think that would make the motor go in limp-mode

Mike
“Seahawk” 204CC Angler, 150 Merc

6

Was thinkin same thing, oil sensor possibly? When I get down to about a 1/4 tank of oil in my Merc. and go over waves or wakes the lo oil alarm chirps but does not go into limp mode.

Russ B.
God is great, Beer is good, People are crazy

7

Oil tank is almost full, but I guess that doesn’t mean the sensor or wiring isn’t bad. I’ll take a look in the AM.

8

GOT THIS OFF OF http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/VRO.html :
“The horn sounds for 10 seconds when a fault occurs and the proper light stays on until the problem is corrected. There are indicator LED’s for HOT, NO OIL, LOW OIL, and CHECK ENGINE (which means a fuel restriction in a V-6 carbureted motor).”

(As stated earlier, I don’t have the lights.) I’ve taken the boat out twice since I replaced all of the fuel lines and the primer bulb. I did not have any issues the first trip. I replaced the bulb with a Moeller, could it be that I am restricting the gas, with this bulb?

Last thing, the horn does not last for 10 seconds. If I back off the throttle below 3,000 RPM the horn stops.

9

Oil injection/fuel pump is failing, or you have a fuel restriction
motor is running lean at higher rpms.
it will cause your motor to seize a piston, and or, come apart.

I’m now at www.teamcharlestonmarine.com

10

Chris V,

I was thinking it was a wiring short because when I am running at 3,000 RPM and hit a wake the alarm chirps breifly.

Questions:

  • If it is a fuel/oil related issue wouldn’t it go into SLOW mode?
  • If it is a fuel/oil issue, wouldn’t the alarm come on when the motor is in neutral and revved high?
  • If it is a fuel/oil issue should I disable the VRO? If so, how do I do that?

Thanks for your assistance, I apologize for the questions, I don’t have a whole lot of experience troubleshooting this motor.

11

no, the “check engine” alarm/light will activate without going into rpm reduction
if it is a low fuel volume, you cant duplicate that in neutral
I doubt if its the oil side of the VRO pump, its most likely the fuel side, and disabling the oil side wont help

I’m now at www.teamcharlestonmarine.com

12

OK, so fuel pump is bad! :frowning:

These look pricey…

If I’m going to replace the pump, would you recommend cutting off the VRO even though it is unrelated to the fuel issue at hand?

It looks like part 0438400 is the one that is the VRO, would you opt for part number 0438402, that requires premixing?

Would you recommend rebuilding the existing fuel pump?

What else would I need to do to disable the VRO? Is this writeup accurate? http://www.nitroowners.com/projects/VRO_the_removal.htm

13

I have no problem with the VRO system
it is doing exactly what it is suppose to do, it is warning you of a problem.

there is a test procedure to check the pump(requires vacuum tester with gauge, and the manual). if it passes, it can be rebuilt. if it fails, it must be replaced. with this type of problem, it is rarely rebuildable. there are some little “reed valves” in the pump housing, that are not a servicable part.

not sure about the write up, didnt take the time to read it

I’m now at www.teamcharlestonmarine.com

14

This AM, I went and looked at the boat again. A piece of the new fuel line I installed does a 180 degree turn behind the oil tank and I guess over past couple of weeks the new fuel crimped in the middle. I routed the line a different way and looks like everything is OK now.