Loop Around South Florida

[wahoo33417]

Tuesday:

Not quite O-dark-thirty, but we get a sunrise start. I love the boat ride up Barnes Sound and Florida Bay at sunrise. Unfortunately, I didn't think to get any pictures.

We have a long ride home, so I'm cruising at 4,000 rpm and 30 MPH up Florida Bay on a pretty heavily loaded boat.

Within sight of Miami, the port gauge gives the flashing "Check Engine" warning. Oh no. Well, I know it can't be temperature related, although it was the starboard engine flashing last time, both engine's cooling systems were thoroughly cleaned out and new water pumps and thermostats installed.

I pull the throttles back to 3500 rpm, which is our best fuel efficiency and the flashing stops. So I'm not stopping.

We exit Baker's Haulover Inlet north of Miami into the Atlantic. To stay in the ICW would take all day to get home. From Baker's to mid-Palm Beach County is nearly one continuous slow speed zone.

Offshore, the boat is running fine. It is a bit bumpy and I have no desire to push it back up to 4,000 rpm.

Somewhere north of Ft. Lauderdale


We get to our home marina around noon or so.

Turns out to be a 501 mile trip. That 47.6 mph must have come from a downhill slope somewhere. Or I just didn't zero that part out before the trip. 7:38 stopped time was hard to figure. I know I'm selecting each day's route and things like that at the end of each day, but seems like a lot. But then I realized that much of it may have come when the boat was being evaluated in the water by Ingman Marine?



Becky just wants to get home. So the next day is spent unloading, cleaning and running Salt-Away through the now clean engines.

 

[wahoo33417]

Thursday: Bill Clark Marine is a Yamaha dealer located within our marina.

So I tell them about the starboard engine saga, which began with a Cam Position Sensor Code and ended up with both engine's cooling systems being thoroughly cleaned.

Then the port 'Check Engine' flashing at 4,000 rpm, that goes away at 3500 rpm on the way home. He assures me that if it stopped flashing and boat ran fine it is most likely not a big deal.

Next day Bill Clark calls me and says "Good news. It was a Cam Position Sensor Code. We tried hard to duplicate that code, because you will often get it while starting if the sensor is really bad, and we couldn't get that code to reappear. Then we ran the engine at all rpm's. We believe there is nothing wrong with your engine."

Okay, so why the code - again?

"The code doesn't mean that the sensor is bad. It means that the ECU doesn't like some bit of information the sensor sent it. This could have been originally caused when your engine was starting to run hot. It can be caused by the slightest fluctuation in voltage. These sensors are very sensitive and can very easily, for a number of reasons, give the ECU a very short bit of info it doesn't like when there is nothing wrong with the engine."

"If it happens again, we'll track it down. If it doesn't happen again, don't worry about it."

So now I'm googling what causes a sensor to send info the ECU doesn't like. One of the common causes is a poor ground of the engines.

Well, I recently had the bang cap on the transom replaced by the Grady dealer. So both engines were off the boat. Is it possible that a common ground wasn't secured correctly? Do the engines even have a common ground?

I just don't believe in coincidence that both engines throw a Cam Position Sensor Code within ten days of each other.

More to come on this issue. But it has to wait until after we visit our daughter at Clemson.

 

[igblack87]

you should send this over to Grady White. They would love it!

 

[Ekea]

this is really awesome. i am up in the DE/MD area, but plan to do a keys trip with my family when the girls are a bit older.

 

[allisbob]

Great story, thanks for sharing!!

 

[wahoo33417]

this is really awesome. i am up in the DE/MD area, but plan to do a keys trip with my family when the girls are a bit older.

Ekea: When you get to planning that trip, many people here can give recommendations on where to stay. Typically, the last week in July is Lobster Mini Season followed by the opening of the regular season. You most definitely want to avoid mini-season. It gets crazy and prices triple. We used to be in that melee, but it has gotten out of hand, in my opinion.

 

[trapper]

A big thanks wahoo for the great photos and story of the trip. For guys like me who live many miles from that beauty part of the planet, it is a real treat to get that kind of coverage. A brief time of living vicariously in your world. I would not trade it for mine but can really appreciate the differences and stunning salt water experience.

 

[Coastboater]

Read through this and what a great adventure! Thanks for sharing the experienc!

 

[Peter A]

Cool trip! Sorry to see that you had some mechanical needs along the way but impressed with you ability to improvise.

 

[wahoo33417]

A big thanks wahoo for the great photos and story of the trip. For guys like me who live many miles from that beauty part of the planet, it is a real treat to get that kind of coverage. A brief time of living vicariously in your world. I would not trade it for mine but can really appreciate the differences and stunning salt water experience.

Thanks to everyone who commented. Actually, I felt the same way as Trapper we I did the Great Loop and got to see so many other's "boating back yards".

We've been so busy with family travel, I haven't had a chance to run the boat to see if that second "check Engine" / Cam Position Sensor code truly is nothing to worry about. And it looks like I won't get a chance to run it for maybe another week.

As a follow up, I have not been able to get that 'check engine' to flash for the port engine since that one time coming home from the trip. Admittedly, I haven't been able to run at 4,000 rpm for extended periods either. But since the engine ran for hours to get us home with no issues, the Yamaha mechanic couldn't find any issue and we've been out several times now and couldn't make an issue, I'm satisfied that I can boat with confidence.

Rob