Water flow issue or not?

davidbrooks

Trying to see if i am becoming a hypochondriac or not.  So i have a 2003 342 with Horizon 350 MPI.  Closed water cooled.  Port engine is about as stable as you could ask for.  Love that engine, never causes me any worries.  Starboard engine on the other hand is my problem child.  So i replaced impellers on both engines at the beginning of the season.  Port engine struggled to prime but eventually did.  Now when i go out there are two things happening.  That engine feels like it is in guardian mode as i don't get any additional umph from 1/2 throttle to full throttle and temps seem to be all over the place on the gauges.   Remember i replaced all the guages this winter also.  Rewired the wiring harness....hey what could of gone wrong right?  At idle the guages show the temps going up to 200 and then coming down to 175 while cruising.  If i put a Rinda tool on the engine there are no codes saved, 100% power.  I can also pull the blue plug at the top of the engine by the coolant tank and get water spouting out.  

My thought was that it was partially obstructed somewhere and that while on idle i wasn't getting enough water flow.  How do i measure this though.  I don't see a water pressure reading on the ECM.  So other than taking everything back apart again...where would you start.  I am already pretty unhappy with the consistency of the gauges and thinking of replacing the whole dash again.  This time going digital and Smarttech. However i need to replenish the piggy bank first.  In the meanwhile i really don't want to blow an engine.  

Recommendations?

Stodge

It would be interesting to see the water pressure reported when the engines are running.  That's one of the display items on vessel view.  Rinda should be able to show that as well but you'd have to do a little gymnastics to watch it while under way.  Not sure how/if that applies with closed cooling.

My first thought on wonky gauge readings is bad ground.  If your engine is in guardian mode I'd expect it to show up on Rinda as well.

Curious to see what our resident pros offer on the subject.

Dream_Inn

I agree with Stodge, water pressure is reported (& I monitor it first thing on vessel view when I start my motors).  Maybe you can use the Rinda to look at it?

davidbrooks

I tried connecting the Rinda and monitoring it coming back to the dock last weekend.  Unless i am missing something i didn't see it as a ECM reading on the Rinda.

reneechris14

Rinda scan tool will give psi reading. As you scroll threw. I believe it gets up to 20+ have to ask the guys with VV.

reneechris14

Are you sure you have no obstructions. Also use a laser to verify.

davidbrooks

Was working on some items this weekend and started trying to fix my overheating issue.  I am glad VV shows water pressure, but unless Manifold pressure = water pressure.  The Rinda doesn't show it.  There isn't a reading for it on mine.  At the dock the temps will slowly creep up to 190-200 and i shut it down.

I Replaced the impeller and the old one didn't look bad. Had good water flow to the transmission cooler and no obstructions so next step is to do a @Wildboating
and start pulling off hoses.  Hopefully i don't have to pull the risers.  As far as an order to follow... any suggestions?

Dream_Inn

I've seen the transmission cooler (I thought it was cooler for Power Steering) get blocked up with sediment.  It tends to be the first collection after the pump.

Wildboating

@davidbrooks

First off, let me make sure we are talking the same stuff here.  You have a 03 342, 350 Mag MPI MCM motor with the ECM 555 on your port manifold correct?

If so which Rinda do you own, a techmate or the Diacom?

Water pressure will read as Sea Pump Pressure, it reports back as psi.   You should be seeing around  .9-1psi at idle speeds and upwards of 11 psi at wot.

Wildboating

Make sure in your Rinda system under parameters you have everything checked on.  Again, we are looking for sea pump pressure.

Wildboating

Next, lets get temp data from the ecm, not the gauges.  I have learned over the time that they are at best just a back up, they are not accurate when we need them to be and ones that are seeing swift movement say from 200 to 175 degrees could easily be a wiring issue.

Are you experiencing any alarms?  I am almost positive you would be setting an alarm way before 200 degrees.  Your thermostat is likely 160 degrees,  you should not be seeing temps of 175 even at speeds unless we have a flow issue which again i would suspect we would be receiving an alarm.   Let me know on these and i will help you dig deeper.

davidbrooks

@Wildboating.  Yes you nailed the boat and engine.  It is a Rinda Techmate pro and i will have to look and see if there are any hidden parameters.  I didn't see anything for sea pump pressure.  The temps i was reporting were from the Rinda as like you and everyone else i am very skeptical of the analog gauges.  175 as a temp is pretty normal for me for my two current engines. Underway it will get down to 158-160 but for me it shouldn't go above 175.  I believe that at 200 is where i would get an alarm.  I do have water that is flowing.  As i can pop a blue plug on the heat exchanger and get a solid stream of water out.  I am just not confident now that there isn't a blockage somewhere.   The risers don't get hot but the oil filter sure does.  My only thought is to start pulling hoses off and look for blockages.

reneechris14

reneechris14

I believe it's under main engine data monitor. 

reneechris14

this what I could find but forget how to get there?

aero3113

@reneechris14 , that’s the wrong troubleshooting flowchart!

reneechris14

That's my every day chart. 

davidbrooks

Looks like was fairly straight forward. Pulled a few hoses and flushed with a garden hose. Never saw anything come out but temps are now holding nicely.  I have determined that if the CIA knew about the torture of laying on a engine and cuts from hose clamps they would uae that instead of water boarding.  After a day of this i ache. 

Dude_Himself

I waterboarded myself working on the boat once. Standing on my head, shirt was falling 'up' around my face, loosened a hose, water sprayed everywhere, shirt got heavier and fell further around my face, couldn't get myself out fast enough as water was filling my nose and sinus cavity. I don't panic often, but this stands out in my memory as one of the times I cheated death - it was terrifying. 

reneechris14

Thanks for the laugh.