Last weekend on way back to dock the low oil alarm sounded. Checked remote tank and it had maybe 1-2 inches of oil. added what I had on boat (2 quarts) but never thought to check the reservoir under the cover. Limped back for two miles at 1900 rpm with alarm on the whole time. At dock filled remote tank up with yamalube, pulled cover off and saw that the amount of oil in the reservoir was below minimum line (what triggers the alarm right?). I pulled out the filter and cleaned it (spotless to begin with), toggled the switch next to it and watched as the reservoir filled up so I know that this pump is working fine. Engine back on - no alarm. Problem solved I thought. Yesterday about 9 miles into a 10 mile round trip the alarm sounds again. This time I check the reservoir and its again below the minimum line, and with only 9 miles since fill up the remote tank looks as full as when I last filled it. I checked all lines from remote tank and don't see any kinks. Problem must be with remote tank's oil pump or filter or both?? In Spring of 2011 a mechanic pulled the oil delivery system apart and found the pump clogged with foil from tops of oil containers. After fully cleaning the system it worked perfectly up to last week, but I'm very confident that no foil or anything else made its way into the tank after that experience. So this is where I need your help - I've never pulled the oil tank myself so not sure what to do. Its mounted under the port aft hatch and is aft of a battery. The hatch opening is smaller than the battery - which took me an hour to pull out and replace with a new one - terrible design back there. Hopefully the tank can come straight up and out and the pump is accessible?. Do I need to siphon oil out first? Are the hoses/harness generally long enough to come out along with the tank? Is there a simple way to test the pump/check filter without pulling the tank out first? Thanks in advance for any assistance!
Low oil alarm
- Thread starter GT
- Start date
Parthery
GreatGrady Captain
Before you pull the tank, do this test:
With the key on, toggle the switch on the back of the motor and see if the pump runs and the reservoir fills.
If it does:
The problem is not in the main tank and there is no reason to pull it. It may be the float on the engine mounted tank. Remove it and check to see if it's sliding up and down. The problem probably lies here.
IF YOU REMOVE THE CAP, BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO TOUCH OR MESS WITH THE MESH AT THE BOTTOM OF THE FLOAT. It's held on rather flimsily and if it comes off, it will get sucked into the engine.
If the reservoir doesn't fill when you toggle the switch:
Then it's time to pull the tank out, check the pump, and check the filter.
If you can siphon out the oil, it makes the tank easier to work with.
With the key on, toggle the switch on the back of the motor and see if the pump runs and the reservoir fills.
If it does:
The problem is not in the main tank and there is no reason to pull it. It may be the float on the engine mounted tank. Remove it and check to see if it's sliding up and down. The problem probably lies here.
IF YOU REMOVE THE CAP, BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO TOUCH OR MESS WITH THE MESH AT THE BOTTOM OF THE FLOAT. It's held on rather flimsily and if it comes off, it will get sucked into the engine.
If the reservoir doesn't fill when you toggle the switch:
Then it's time to pull the tank out, check the pump, and check the filter.
If you can siphon out the oil, it makes the tank easier to work with.
Thx Parthery, I toggled the switch and the reservoir fills. Are you saying that the toggle switch is wired to the pump on the main tank? Someone told me there were two pumps - one on/near the reservoir and mounted below the remote tank. Not true?
The float inside the filter moves smoothly up and down. It just seems like i'm not getting any transfer of oil from remote to reservoir.
The float inside the filter moves smoothly up and down. It just seems like i'm not getting any transfer of oil from remote to reservoir.
I had a similar problem that turned out to be a sludge-clogged filter in the oil line between the large oil reservoir and the engine reservoir that was "starving" the engine reservoir, ultimately causing the alarm at sustained high rpms. While the engine reservoir would fill, it did so slowly. In the 208, the filter is in a cavity of the large reservoir and requires the reservoir to be removed to gain accesss. Pretty simple once the reservoir is removed, and inexpensive. Even if it turns out not to be your issue, its worth replacing if you gain access to it. Good luck.
Parthery
GreatGrady Captain
It's possible the filter may be clogged and the pump is filling the motor tank slower than it's burning the oil, but not likely.
It's not a complicated system....when the float drops below a certain level, it tells the pump to send oil from the remote tank to the reservoir. If you are getting oil when you flip the toggle, you can eliminate the pump.
And I don't think the float is inop, because the float triggers the alarm. When you manually fill the tank by toggling the switch, the float goes up and the alarm goes out.
Based on the process of elimination, the float is sending the signal to the remote pump to automatically come on, but it's not responding. I'm wondering if you have a wiring issue somewhere?
It's not a complicated system....when the float drops below a certain level, it tells the pump to send oil from the remote tank to the reservoir. If you are getting oil when you flip the toggle, you can eliminate the pump.
And I don't think the float is inop, because the float triggers the alarm. When you manually fill the tank by toggling the switch, the float goes up and the alarm goes out.
Based on the process of elimination, the float is sending the signal to the remote pump to automatically come on, but it's not responding. I'm wondering if you have a wiring issue somewhere?
Point well taken. You're making it sound like the only pump is under the remote tankl and the toggle switch under the cover activates it? Could be wiring, I'll look at the harness tonight when I get home. Whats it take to change out the harnesses?
Clean the tank out while you are at it. Get a bucket and dump the tank. Look in there and clean out any sludge. I'd go with new oil back, and new replacement filter.
When you hit the engine mounted toggle switch (igntion sw on), voltage should appear at the remote tank motor and can feel it running.
When you hit the engine mounted toggle switch (igntion sw on), voltage should appear at the remote tank motor and can feel it running.
If after you get the alarm, shut the motor, remove the cowling and turn on the ignition, and the main tank(small)fill does not fill but does when you use the manual switch, it isn't the pump or the filter. It could be bad sensor in the main tank, a stuck sensor float (ring) or a bad connection. There is a very small chance of the ECU being bad but that failure is rare.
I didn't see what year motor you have but early models use the tilt sensor to activate/deactivate the oil pump. Is your trim indication working? (newer motors don't use that signal).
If you want to test the main sensor, pull the sensor out of the tank and while holding it upright, slide the float up to the top. Turn the ignition on (don't start the motor). The oil pump should not be running. Now slide the float down to the bottom. The oil pump should start.
Good luck
I didn't see what year motor you have but early models use the tilt sensor to activate/deactivate the oil pump. Is your trim indication working? (newer motors don't use that signal).
If you want to test the main sensor, pull the sensor out of the tank and while holding it upright, slide the float up to the top. Turn the ignition on (don't start the motor). The oil pump should not be running. Now slide the float down to the bottom. The oil pump should start.
Good luck