My oil light is flickering, and I want to do some diagnostics and ideally avoid a trip back to the mechanic (they're backed up for most of the summer already). Even though there's no beep, having paid a fortune for a new engine I'm scared to run it until I know what's happening.
I finally got my new-to-me Utopia working in the water. Bought it privately last year after paying for marina inspection, but ran for only ten minutes then put a rod through the side of the cylinder block. After long fight getting the right engine (my serial number is right at the 2001/2002 changeover, but my engine is the first gen 2001), it now has remanufactured engine, new stator, all new lines, new gas tank sender, all done by reputable dealer at great expense and in a very long time. Boat has only ever been in fresh water.
It has about 8 hours on the new engine. Lots of smoke on startup and at idle, which I'm guessing is normal. Good power, lots of fun. The only bad things to happen recently were a bad seal on the fuel level sender, and the sender was replaced (but the gas gauge always reads about 1/3 full after ignition on regardless of how much fuel is in the tank, so something not right there), and then I sucked in a tube rope a couple of days ago at high idle which immediately stalled the engine - put boat on trailer and got it all out, maybe ten to fifteen turns, no nicks or obvious damage to impeller. Last fill up I had to use spare can of gas (turns out gauge not working), ran OK on the old five gallons of 87 in the can, then was filled up completely with 90 from the marina.
Things were going great yesterday, towing skiers or tube, but after about three hours on and off I thought I could hear the start of a rattling sound, and then the oil light started to flicker (no beeping - though there is the one beep when ignition is turned on, which I assume is how it should be). I killed the throttle, and the light stopped flickering about 1500 rpm. I shut it off, checked the main oil reservoir (which I'd topped up a day earlier from about 1/3 full to 2/3 full) and it was still fine, I also opened the cap on the on-engine reservoir because I couldn't see any liquid line on the reservoir, but that turned out to be because it was completely full. I checked that cap to main reservoir was tight (because of the warning on air leaks being bad), and it seems to seat fine.
I started it up again, and started to limp home at idle (1000 rpm). There was no light at that speed, and not any of the rattling I'd maybe been imagining. After quite a while, maybe ten minutes, I tried to boost it up to 1200, then 1400, but at 1400 it sounded like the imaginary rattle might be there, and above that the oil light would flicker (more rpm, the closer together the flickers are). I dropped back to 1000 and made it back to dock, probably about 30 minutes at idle.
Any ideas on what I could check? Ideas on what the flicker without beep might mean? Thanks for any ideas.
I finally got my new-to-me Utopia working in the water. Bought it privately last year after paying for marina inspection, but ran for only ten minutes then put a rod through the side of the cylinder block. After long fight getting the right engine (my serial number is right at the 2001/2002 changeover, but my engine is the first gen 2001), it now has remanufactured engine, new stator, all new lines, new gas tank sender, all done by reputable dealer at great expense and in a very long time. Boat has only ever been in fresh water.
It has about 8 hours on the new engine. Lots of smoke on startup and at idle, which I'm guessing is normal. Good power, lots of fun. The only bad things to happen recently were a bad seal on the fuel level sender, and the sender was replaced (but the gas gauge always reads about 1/3 full after ignition on regardless of how much fuel is in the tank, so something not right there), and then I sucked in a tube rope a couple of days ago at high idle which immediately stalled the engine - put boat on trailer and got it all out, maybe ten to fifteen turns, no nicks or obvious damage to impeller. Last fill up I had to use spare can of gas (turns out gauge not working), ran OK on the old five gallons of 87 in the can, then was filled up completely with 90 from the marina.
Things were going great yesterday, towing skiers or tube, but after about three hours on and off I thought I could hear the start of a rattling sound, and then the oil light started to flicker (no beeping - though there is the one beep when ignition is turned on, which I assume is how it should be). I killed the throttle, and the light stopped flickering about 1500 rpm. I shut it off, checked the main oil reservoir (which I'd topped up a day earlier from about 1/3 full to 2/3 full) and it was still fine, I also opened the cap on the on-engine reservoir because I couldn't see any liquid line on the reservoir, but that turned out to be because it was completely full. I checked that cap to main reservoir was tight (because of the warning on air leaks being bad), and it seems to seat fine.
I started it up again, and started to limp home at idle (1000 rpm). There was no light at that speed, and not any of the rattling I'd maybe been imagining. After quite a while, maybe ten minutes, I tried to boost it up to 1200, then 1400, but at 1400 it sounded like the imaginary rattle might be there, and above that the oil light would flicker (more rpm, the closer together the flickers are). I dropped back to 1000 and made it back to dock, probably about 30 minutes at idle.
Any ideas on what I could check? Ideas on what the flicker without beep might mean? Thanks for any ideas.
