Check Engine warning and alarm (8.6 Hours)

[cpthook]

Hello forum.... New boater here with a brand new AR190. I was out on the lake with my lady and as soon as we back off of the trailer and into the water the freaking check engine light comes on with a message "Have serviced by Yamaha Boat Dealer" along with that irritating alarm. I do not remember seeing a code number. I instantly panic but was able to drive back to the dock with no issues and pull the boat back on to the trailer and out of the water for inspection. I confirmed both rear drain plugs were screwed in firmly, but I went ahead and unscrewed and screwed back in just for OCD. I also verified large plug under swim deck was in firmly, but unscrewed/ screwed back in anyway and closed swim deck. By this time boat engine and battery have been off about 7-10 min. I went ahead and turned the battery back on and turned on engine for a few seconds and no engine warning or irritating alarm. So.... Back in the water we go, off of trailer with no more issues for the rest of the day (on lake about 3.5 hours)

My questions are these...

1.) WTF over??

2.) WTF... why is this happening to me and my first boat?

3.) WTF... and should I take my boat in to have it looked at prior to 10 hour service. (this may ruin upcoming trip to Laughlin with friends if I do)

I saw this post here: Check Engine light No Fault Code which gave me hope that this may be something minor but I just don't know. Thanks, in advance for any help or advice on this one guys

 

[d_coyne1984]

The engine cooling water is pumped into the engine via the jet pump. If you have cooling issues it is usually because the jet pump is clogged with weeds or debris and the engine is not getting enough cooling flow. What likely happened is that upon launching a large chunk of weeds clogged your intake grate. When you shut the engine off the suction holding them there was gone so they fell off. I wouldn't worry about it unless it happens again. If it does, shut it down, pull the clean out plug (under the transom deck hatch), stick your arm down there and feel around for anything that isn't not a hard surface. If you are a scrawny guy like me, you can get your hand all the way down to the intake grate. If there is nothing in there then I would say it is time to have the dealer take a look. Weeds are the curse of the jet drive, but that's why Yamaha put that port back there to make it easy on you. It's the main reason I bought a Yamaha instead of a Scarab.

 

[cpthook]

The engine cooling water is pumped into the engine via the jet pump. If you have cooling issues it is usually because the jet pump is clogged with weeds or debris and the engine is not getting enough cooling flow.

Thanks a mill for the info. We figured the engine was hot because I was doing the whole neutral/ reverse with the throttle trying to dock the boat after launching so my lady could get in. Again... I'm a total newbie so this process took some time...lol. The engine light and alarm came on during this gaggle of mine.

Awesome explanation of how the engine is cooled and since we were in such shallow water your explanation makes total sense except for I did not notice any debris when removing the clean out plug (after removing boat from lake).

 

[Blue Hawaiian]

it is ok if the check engine light/alarm goes on without code, normally you shut off engine, check if there is any issue ( cooling flow .....etc.), then start it again the alarm should be off; i was flash engine with water hose on the trailer last week, alarm goes on as well, i press the bottom to turn off alarm, turn water to full, alarm never goes on again.
Yamaha has very reliable engine that you dont have to worry about !

 

[Seadeals]

Peter Pan was just messing with you! Glad it went away.

 

[cpthook]

Yamaha has very reliable engine that you dont have to worry about !

Good to know. Thanks a bunch

Peter Pan was just messing with you! Glad it went away.

Ha Ha!.... Lets see if he harasses me any more after this.

 

[Seadeals]

There are certain situations in jetboats that can be very difficult. With your neutral/forward/reverse activity in shallow water it is possible a leaf was even sucked up to the small intake block in the pump. Since you were only idling the pump wash would likely not be enough to blow it off. Putting it back on the trailer probably was...problem solved at that point but you are still scratching your head and saying WTF?

One time I decided to run Fort Loudon Lake (River) up to Knoxville and came up on a huge flotilla of wood debris. The flow had it spanning bank to bank over a football field deep. I chopped power; but still ended up coasting well into the mess of sticks, pine needles and sweet gum balls And a few logs. Impellers Seemed to clog every time I got moving; but eventually worked my way back out to clear water. Owning a boat will give you some interesting experiences; but even some of the worst can end up being great memories.

 

[mwalker4]

I have had that before. In my case, I think had to do transient battery voltage drop. I had it my first time out with the brand new boat, I called the dealer from the dock and they said to start and stop it a couple of times and it clears. Which it did. I had the same type of thing when I was testing the boat after winterization. I started and stopped a few times and it cleared.

 

[cpthook]

Putting it back on the trailer probably was...problem solved at that point but you are still scratching your head and saying WTF? Owning a boat will give you some interesting experiences; but even some of the worst can end up being great memories.

Indeed, but thankfully you guys in this forum have changed my WTF to Ok calm down it should be fine.

The best memory will be when we launched for the very first time the day after purchase. Brand new AR190 about to launch and I'm swelling with pride because everyone is "oooooing" and "awwwwwing" at our boat is so beautiful. I go to do my engine check before letting it go and the freaking engine would not turn over. I sat there for almost 15min looking like an idiot newbie boat owner who has no clue. Also several other boats on the ramp are waiting on me to hurra up . Come to find out, as you guys have probably already guessed, the dag-on safety lanyard was not connected.

 

[Mike P]

Dude, this happened to me with a brand new boat 2020 195S. Literally, I dipped the boat in the water, still on trailer, started the engine and bam! I was so pissed off. I turned it off. Waited a few minutes and turned it on and still had the error! I couldn't believe it. The boat had 0.2 hours on it from the test drive. I actually had never even engaged the throttle. It was a Saturday morning and we called the dealer and drove it straight there. They fixed it and said it was a sensor malfunction. This is my first boat ever and I was thinking "well, this is off to a horrible start". All good since then though

 

[minn19]

Indeed, but thankfully you guys in this forum have changed my WTF to Ok calm down it should be fine.

The best memory will be when we launched for the very first time the day after purchase. Brand new AR190 about to launch and I'm swelling with pride because everyone is "oooooing" and "awwwwwing" at our boat is so beautiful. I go to do my engine check before letting it go and the freaking engine would not turn over. I sat there for almost 15min looking like an idiot newbie boat owner who has no clue. Also several other boats on the ramp are waiting on me to hurra up . Come to find out, as you guys have probably already guessed, the dag-on safety lanyard was not connected.

I just did this last weekend after doing the 10 hour service. Second time out with the boat and I crank both engines and they won't start. I'm WTFing in my head because I ran them on my trailer at home after doing the service and everything was great. I look down for some reason and see there is no lanyard. Thankfully I had it with me, I did feel like an idiot, but more relieved than anything. Lanyard on, motors start and had a great day on the water.

 

[cpthook]

it is ok if the check engine light/alarm goes on without code, normally you shut off engine, check if there is any issue ( cooling flow .....etc.), then start it again the alarm should be off. Yamaha has very reliable engine that you dont have to worry about !

**Update @17.2Hrs. Can't get break in 10 hour service until 7/27.**

I've taken the boat out on 5 additional trips since my last post with no issues. The last trip out was on salt water this past Sun and of course we flushed/ washed it down thoroughly the minute we got it home. We of course followed the procedure engine on first before water and then water off before engine off.

Because of OCD with Salt Water, I go out this morning to flush again and to also look at total hours, but this shows up with the alarm and the red engine light glowing as soon as I engage the engine. I then turn the key to off and battery off for about 5 min. I turn the key back to the on position and the message, alarm and red engine light shows up again. At this point, every time I turn the key and engage the engine (not even turning the engine over), this message shows up.

Any Ideas this time??

 

[cpthook]

**Update #2**

Was able to clear the Check Engine warning. For newer boat owners like me the mistake I made may save you some headache. If you park your boat in a driveway with a slope, DO NOT perform the flush procedure in the driveway. While aggressively searching for solutions with no luck, I decided to try and clear the exhaust system of possible water that may have not totally cleared after last flush and sure enough when I advanced the throttle a bunch of water blew out. I trailored the boat back on a level surface and repeated this a few more times until all water was cleared. Shortly after the engine warning cleared. Still almost a month before I can get it looked at by dealer.

 

[cpthook]

**Update #3**

Was able to get the error looked at today by the Yamaha dealer after bugging and bugging the service department. After the technician connected to his laptop he told me it was an engine overheat sensor and cleared it. He looked at the engine a bit but could not really say what caused the error. He explained the whole debris in the intake could cause overheat, but I explained that the alarm was coming on before the engine was even running. Even still they sent me on my way. A 1 and 1/2 hour drive for a 15 min fix (we hope it's fixed). Next trip is not until 7/4 weekend, let's hope the engine alarm gremlins stay away and not ruin my weekend.

Stay tuned......

 

[TimeOnTheWater07]

**Update #3**

Was able to get the error looked at today by the Yamaha dealer after bugging and bugging the service department. After the technician connected to his laptop he told me it was an engine overheat sensor and cleared it. He looked at the engine a bit but could not really say what caused the error. He explained the whole debris in the intake could cause overheat, but I explained that the alarm was coming on before the engine was even running. Even still they sent me on my way. A 1 and 1/2 hour drive for a 15 min fix (we hope it's fixed). Next trip is not until 7/4 weekend, let's hope the engine alarm gremlins stay away and not ruin my weekend.

Stay tuned......

@cpthook - Found your post while searching as something similar happened to me. Has your alarm issue come back or was it just a one-time thing? I just had this same experience with my 2021 SX190 (~58 hours) on Monday. I think I also restarted 3 times and the alarm didn't come back. I was originally suspecting low battery voltage as I think mine is getting weaker, but the only icon that lit up was the engine.