Yamaha 150 Engine Maintenance / trouble icon

colbysmith

colbysmith

Active member
I have a 2009 Yamaha F150 4-stroke efi outboard, along with a 2017 Yamaha 9.9 4-stroke kicker. I also have digital gauges for the main. I am getting the engine maintenance / trouble icon flashing after starting my main outboard after running the kicker. This is the situation. I shut the main down, raise it (trim it up) and start and run on the kicker for some time. When I'm ready to switch back, I'll trim the main back down and start it, while still under way at 3 to 5 kts. This is when the icon comes on and continues flashing. IF I come to a complete stop, DIW, and wait a minute, then start the main, no icon. So what is causing the maintenance / trouble icon to flash? (This is the engine symbol on the digital gauge.) I'm not due an oil change, and no other maintenance or trouble indication comes on. The engine starts and runs just fine. But I'm perplexed as to why I need to come DIW and wait a minute before starting the main for that icon not to come on and flash!
 
No and yes. No, there is no alarm check but the gauge does a self check with all icons showing and then disappearing. The engine warning only flashes after starting the engine while it’s already moving in the water.
 
The alarm SHOULD beep on startup. That piezo can burn out or get disconnected.


To test it, in a safe area in neutral, yank the lanyard on the engine stop switch. The engine should stop, the alarm sound, and every LED segment on the pictured gauge will light up (ie TRIM will show full tilt up though it’s down).


If that alarm doesn’t sound, get it fixed when you get home and watch the gauge icons more frequently but first fly the plane.


On the gauge pictured, the left icon (looks something like a thermometer) is the engine overheat sensor. The right icon (looks something like an oil can) is an oil pressure (NOT oil level) sensor. A Yamaha 3 pin test harness is required to test it. It’s not connected to anything else (Yamaha F150/LF150 Four Stroke Service Manual, page I-19 and 5-12). It’s not monitoring anything else and it’s not like a ‘check engine’ light.


When we had some engine smoking issues on the Erie Canal the mechanic said the oil flows forward at full tilt up and can take a while to flow back. I can imagine that might cause low oil pressure initially with a start immediately after lowering. You could test my theory at anchor…perhaps it has nothing to do with water flow past the prop.


In short, I can’t imagine how water flowing past the prop (or not) could cause low oil pressure but it’s interesting.


John
 
This may be of no help, but I also have a 2009 F150. One of the engines will flash the engine icon, and when it does, that engine produces no volts. My fix is to shut it down and restart. Sometimes more than once but the icon has always gone away and then the engine starts producing voltage again .
 
Hi John,
The alarm buzzer has no bearing on the issue. Again, nothing appears wrong. Just that when I start the motor while moving or if I start it as soon as I stop moving, the engine symbol icon flashes. If I wait a minute or so before starting after coming DIW, no flashing icon. I’m just perplexed why . Colby
 
Do you have the kicker charging the same starting battery as the main? With the kicker still running and producing a charge as the main is started, that could produce some voltage erratic and trigger your issue.
I have no experience with your setup so take my advice for what you paid for it :wink:
 
C-Wolfe":3t0ujies said:
Do you have the kicker charging the same starting battery as the main? With the kicker still running and producing a charge as the main is started, that could produce some voltage erratic and trigger your issue.
I have no experience with your setup so take my advice for what you paid for it :wink:
Click to expand...

Yes. But wouldn't that also be true with my battery charger via shore power or Honda generator, or my solar panel's controller? I have no issue that I know of starting the main with any of those involved.

Today I tried leaving the main trimmed down and ran on the kicker for about 15 minutes. We had about a kt and half of current. I then started the main, and got the engine icon again. Put the kicker in neutral and tried again. Same. Let the boat come to somewhat of a stop. Same. Let boat float backwards and turn perpendicular to current (Ie, no prop spinnage) and tried again. No icon. Maybe just coincidence, but no turning prop on main when starting, no engine maintenance/trouble icon. Makes absolutely no sense to me... Perhaps tomorrow I'll try turning the kicker off first. Maybe you are on to something with erratic voltage put out by kicker... Colby
 
Back
Top