OX66 Winky Blinky Expertise Needed

[mwlake]

Yamaha OX66 250

Getting an alarm after about thirty seconds of running over 3000 RPM/s and engine goes into limp mode. Does the Winky Blinky need to be on the motor in real time when the alarm goes off to identify the problem? It reads normal when I test at start up then at idle before getting underway.

Have already done the following in attempt to solve:
New impeller
Replaced poppit valve
Replaced in line filter for remote oil tank
New thermostats
Tested sending unit for primary oil tank on the motor
Removed head covers and cleaned water jackets

Thanks for the help.

 

[DennisG01]

Yes, it only monitors real-time data. Nothing is stored to be able to access later like with newer systems.

Go old school. What's the physical temp near the t-stats when it alarms? Also check head temps and compare port to stbd.

How did the cooling passageways in the heads and t-stat look?

Siphon oil out of the main tank and then try manually filling it with the switch.

 

[mwlake]

Thanks for the reply. Have checked temps with thermo gun and they are normal. Water jackets were in good shape with no significant build-up.

I'm convinced it has to be a bad sensor somewhere so hoping the Winky Blinky will point me to the right one to fix and now that you've confirmed it only operates in real time then I'll just run the motor with the device attached until the alarm sounds and hopefully get the right error code to fix.

Thanks again!

 

[seasick]

Please note that the following info is valid for a 2002 SX200. I do not have a SX 250 manual.
There aren't that many things that can cause an alarm. I believe there is one temp sensor and two thermo switches. All three can be tested by following the steps in the service manual but you can sort of get an idea by simply heating them in a pan of water on the stove and measure the resistance. The thermo switch will read as an open circuit on the pink and black wires but will become a closed circuit at about 180 to 194 degrees.
The temperature sensors on the other hand change resistance continuously as the temps change. On the black-yellow wires the resistance will lower as the water gets hotter. At room temp look for about 65K ohms and at boiling (212) it should measure about 3 K ohms. I wouldn't suspect either of those to be the problem.
You could be getting an alarm for low oil. To see if that is the case, run the boat until you get the alarm and then immediately turn off the motor ( ignition OFF). Do not turn the ignition back on yet. Remove the cowling and look at the oil tank. It should be full. If it is low, you have an oil delivery problem. The more common cause that you already addressed is a clogged oil filter but you might have sludge in the oil tank or a bad oil pump.
In any case, all of the above will cause an alarm condition to display.

What gauges do you have. If you have the LCD round somewhat 'digital' gauges, you should see an alarm indication on the tach gauge on the bottom of the screen.

One important information would be what if any maintenance you did to the motor prior to the alarm situation. For example, did you rebuild the water pump as routine maintenance prior to getting alarms?

 

[Toothpick 10]

I'm confused. Is the alarm for low oil level or high temp, or can you not tell?

 

[seasick]

I'm confused. Is the alarm for low oil level or high temp, or can you not tell?

If either low oil or high temp, the tach if the LCD round type, would display the alarm source. If analog gauges, the info will not be immediately available.

 

[mwlake]

Can't tell if it's overheat or oil being caused by because the digital gauge has a glitch and has been that way for years. Doesn't seem to be oil or temp though ... oil tank on motor is full and I've swapped the oil tank sending unit with the moter motor but the problem remains. Checked temp on the heads with an infra red temp gun and its normal. Not the ECU as I swapped them yesterday as well. It's not being caused by a wire in the engine harness as I bypassed that yesterday. Going to try disconnecting the thermo-sensors one by one and see if that is the issue. After that I think I'm out of tricks unless there are other suggestions. Thanks for any other thoughts.

 

[SkunkBoat]

My experience with ox66 tells me it’s the main tank not getting filled fast enough by aux tank In-line filter or pump or both

 

[seasick]

My experience with ox66 tells me it’s the main tank not getting filled fast enough by aux tank In-line filter or pump or both

I already explained how to check for that condition, refer to previous posts. If the filling rate is less than the consumption rate, the main tank will slowly empty.
By the way, what wire did you bypass?

 

[Petersen]

Thanks for the reply. Have checked temps with thermo gun and they are normal. Water jackets were in good shape with no significant build-up.

I'm convinced it has to be a bad sensor somewhere so hoping the Winky Blinky will point me to the right one to fix and now that you've confirmed it only operates in real time then I'll just run the motor with the device attached until the alarm sounds and hopefully get the right error code to fix.

Thanks again!

I've learned a lot in the past two years about my Twin 2001 OX66/250hp. The attached list is from the Shop Repair manual. Our beloved Winky- Blinky will only respond to the exact code descriptions from this list. referred to as "Winky" for this conversation. #15 is related to two water temperature sensors one each at the top of the heads, and that's it. I replaced the two sensors without relying on the Winky for the information. I still have a Port motor Temp Light Flashing on my Tach, it never went away. My point is don't wait for the Winky to "have a conversation" , you'll be waiting for a while.

 

[seasick]

The ECU will post an error condition for a sensor out of spec as well as a sensor reading that has a valid reading that indicates an alarm condition. In other words a sensor that is disconnected can generate an alarm as can a sensor that is shorted. I don't know the specifics of your model motor but a sensor like the thermoswitch is either open or closed circuit so if you disconnect, it looks like an open which is a one of the normal states. On the other hand, a sensor that has a working range such as the thermosensor on some models will cause an alarm if the circuit is either open or shorted both of which cases are invalid readings. Usually an alarm like that is a 'sensor out of range' condition.
So again I ask, what wire did you disconnect?

 

[mwlake]

I already explained how to check for that condition, refer to previous posts. If the filling rate is less than the consumption rate, the main tank will slowly empty.
By the way, what wire did you bypass?

 

[mwlake]

I bypassed the engine harness to see if the problem was eliminated due to low voltage somewhere in the harness but the motor still went into limp mode after 30 seconds above 3000 RPMs, oil fill rate is good. None of the sensors are bad, I'm stumped. It can only be a few things and I've ruled them out, I've got time set for service but it's two weeks away

 

[DennisG01]

I bypassed the engine harness to see if the problem was eliminated due to low voltage somewhere in the harness but the motor still went into limp mode after 30 seconds above 3000 RPMs, oil fill rate is good. None of the sensors are bad, I'm stumped. It can only be a few things and I've ruled them out, I've got time set for service but it's two weeks away

But what code did the Winky flash? That's the data you need - which is better than guessing at things. The Winky will get you into the complaining system - then diagnose from there.

 

[seasick]

Just to cover all bases, how did you determine that the fill rate for the oil tank was good?

 

[mwlake]

I've learned a lot in the past two years about my Twin 2001 OX66/250hp. The attached list is from the Shop Repair manual. Our beloved Winky- Blinky will only respond to the exact code descriptions from this list. referred to as "Winky" for this conversation. #15 is related to two water temperature sensors one each at the top of the heads, and that's it. I replaced the two sensors without relying on the Winky for the information. I still have a Port motor Temp Light Flashing on my Tach, it never went away. My point is don't wait for the Winky to "have a conversation" , you'll be waiting for a while.

But what code did the Winky flash? That's the data you need - which is better than guessing at things. The Winky will get you into the complaining system - then diagnose from there.

I think you might have missed my earlier post, Winky didn't display an error code for the alarm ( it was hooked up when the alarm went off but read normal. I'm all about not guessing which is why I bought the tool. Only codes it picked up were "normal" and #33 " ignition timing being corrected when starting a cod engine" Thanks.

 

[mwlake]

Just to cover all bases, how did you determine that the fill rate for the oil tank was good?

Thanks for the reply. As you described in your earlier post. Also removed the float on the main tank and then activated it to see a good stream coming into the tank.

 

[seasick]

Thanks for the reply. As you described in your earlier post. Also removed the float on the main tank and then activated it to see a good stream coming into the tank.

The tank on the motor is the main tank. The external bigger tank is the Remote tank. Am I correct in assuming you activated the Remote tank float?

I think at this point as Dennis alluded to is that you probably need to use the diagnostic winky blinky light although I am not sure if that is going to easily tell you what is wrong since it displays active alarms. You may need to have it connected and visible when at speed to see what code or codes are flashed when limp mode is enabled. I am not sure what happens in limo mode if the cause of the mode clears. I seem to remember that limp mode may stay active until the alarm clears and the engine has been throttled down to idle but I may be wrong on that point.

I like you are at a loss to explain since there are lots of sensor fault conditions that can activate limp mode. Do you have the list of possible codes and their cause?

 

[mwlake]

Thanks again to all for taking the time to help diagnose the cause of the alarm.

Seasick / DennisGO1, to answer your recent questions:

- I have twins so I switched the floats in the remote tanks, operating a they should
- Attached Winky in real time when the alarm went off but the Winky said 'Normal" and didn't give specific error code. I have the complete list of codes from the service manual but the Winky isn't helping. I'm pretty sure I'm using it correctly.
-The float switch on the main tank (on motor) delivers a solid flow of oil when activated. (Manual switch works fine too)
- Sensors have been disconnected one at a time but the pesky alarm remains

One small note that may or may not be useful is that when the alarm sounds the motor completely shuts off in gear. If I turn the key off for ten seconds the motor starts right up, no alarm when idling but 30 seconds later at higher rpms the alarm kicks back on.

Stumped!

 

[seasick]

hmmmm. If you pulled out the kill lanyard with the motor running, the motor would stop and the alarm would sound. A bad kill switch is a possibility but I guess

Disconnecting sensors is not a valid test in some cases since an open or shorted (bypassed) condition is not a valid state for some sensors.

If you had to guess, what condition seems to be more likely to generate the alarm; Running at 3000 revs for a period of time or running either slower or higher for a different amount of time. For example if you rev right up from a standstill to 4,000 revs, do you have the same alarm at 30 seconds?
Also note that limp mode is low revs not no revs. I don't think you have an alarm condition per se.
Maybe there is something amiss in the key switch assembly.
I think this is the first time you mentioned that you had twins. do both motors shut off at the same time? If both motors, shut down and alarm at the same time then I would doubt ii is a sensor on the motor issue. It would have to be something external that is common to both motors..but why at 3000 revs?????