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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2019
    Location
    Albuquerque, NM
    Posts
    19

    Default 2008 Outback V new to me, Temp Gauge Says Hot but doesn't seem hot????

    I recently purchased a 2008 Outback V that is in good shape. Took it out for the second time this weekend and it ran great. On our way back to the boat ramp I looked at the water temp gauge and it read 220 (yikes!!!) I stopped and opened the engine cover and it didn't seem hot at all and had been running great. There was no heat coming off the motor (Indmar 325 assault EFI), didn't smell hot, and I could comfortably rest my hand on the risers. When any of my prior boats got hot and you opened the engine cover it was very clear they were hot, you could feel the heat, smell it and any and all engine parts were way to hot to touch for quite a while. So, after about 10 minutes I started it up and it went right to 220, I clicked it into gear and took off and in about 15 seconds it went down to 170 and then, about 10 seconds later back to 220. I drove on into the dock with it at 220 (not comfortably) but it was running fine and again, the engine did not seem at all hot.

    So, my questions are - With these boats and motors (my prior boats have been sterndrives) is it obvious ,like with my prior boats, when the motor is very hot? I assume it's fairly clear when you open the engine cover, if the temp gauge is 220 and accurate, that it is indeed very hot, is that correct? Wouldn't the risers be very hot as well? Or, is that not the case?

    I am thinking, if it wasn't hot then it is either the temp gauge or the sending unit. Does that sound reasonable or should I be looking at something else? I think if it's the thermostat stuck shut then the gauge would be correct but the engine would, when I open the engine cover, obviously be very hot too. Or is that wrong?

    I certainly want to figure it out before taking it back out (my daughters are dying to try some more surfing) and any thoughts or input would be very much appreciated!!!

    Thanks!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2019
    Location
    Lake Tahoe - 6200 feet elevation
    Posts
    160

    Default

    Sounds like you have an issue with your impeller or thermostat. When is the last time the impeller was changed?

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Posts
    29

    Default

    I have the same boat and when my impellor went the motor was very noticeably hot. The exhaust manifold and the motor were very hot even though I noticed it just after launching the boat. I'm no mechanic but I'd replace the impellor and baring that I'd say it's either the gauge or sending unit. If you have a temperature gun check the temperature when it's at operating temp. I also touch the risers periodically because I don't trust the guage after the issue I had. Good luck with the issue.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2019
    Location
    Albuquerque, NM
    Posts
    19

    Default

    Hummm ... I replied to these replies but it does not seem to have shown up so I will give it another try.

    Thanks for the replies. I guess what I need to figure out is if the boat is really hot or if the gauge is reading wrong (bad gauge or sender). Rgar, it sounds like your boat did get hot at some point and indeed it seemed hot, correct? Would you have been able to put your hand on the risers or touch the block with your fingers right after it got hot? I could do both. Also, no "hot smell" or clicking like you can get. The temp gun is a great idea.

    Does anyone know how to test these temp gauges? I pulled mine out and the housing is cracked and separating about half the way around. After some reading here on this forum I guess that is not that uncommon. The other thing is, even unplugged, the needle is at about 220. Without power where is the needle normally? I thought all the way to the left (below 100). Anyone know of a good aftermarket gauge that will plug into this plug?

    Sorry for the late and slow reply. Computer hard drive crashed Monday night and I just got it up and running.

    Any input would be appreciated!

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2019
    Location
    Albuquerque, NM
    Posts
    19

    Default

    Using the specs from Beede/Faria with regard to the sending unit ohm readings at certain temps and a laser thermometer I figured out (or at least think I did) that it is indeed a bad temp gauge. So the tricky part became finding a replacement (as I had already read about on this forum). I have been in contact with BeedeFaria and their support line was quite helpful and steered me to a Faria that should work and similar enough in looks. I have it on order and will update this thread once I have it and it's installed.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2019
    Location
    Albuquerque, NM
    Posts
    19

    Default

    So, an update and a question or two.

    While waiting for the Faria gauge and sender I purchased a generic automotive temp gauge and sending unit and temporarily wired it up. Basically does the same thing. Per the gauge it takes a while to heat up but once it does it steadily continues to slowly go up and goes to about 220 and seems to stay fairly steady there, even up and down a few degrees there. It takes about 15 minutes at an idle to do this (does not shoot up). I also used a Laser Thermometer (LT) to try and monitor temperatures in various areas through the process. While I am not sure but I am guessing that the temp a LT gets on the outside of the manifold is much cooler than the temp of the water on the inside at the sending unit. When I point it at the intake manifold very close to the sending unit it reads fine, heats to about 165 and then slows and fluctuates between 169 and 160 (hence why I thought it was my gauge or sending unit). I also point it at the thermostat housing and can sort of tell when the thermostat opens and closes as that temp will vary from 150 to 159 yet all the while my gauge continues to rise and go to about 220. As this all happens the engine has no real sense of a lot of heat. No smell, doesn't feel particularly hot, no clicking, risers a fairly cool and it's running fine. Has me a bit confused.

    What I have done: So, as mentioned I got a generic automotive gauge and sending unit and the temp presents just like with the original gauge and SU. This makes me think the engine is actually getting hot but it's odd that the engine does not seem hot and the LT does not detect high heat on the engine surface. I think that maybe the fresh water pump is supplying enough water to keep the risers and hoses cool and the rest of the engine is hotter than it may seem if that makes any sense? I pulled out the thermostat and tested it in water and it opens at 160 like it should. I thought that maybe it wasn't opening all the way and got an automotive t-stat (180) and put that in. Does the exact same thing. The boat is new to me but was supposed to have a brand new raw water pump impeller. I pulled it out anyway and it looks fine, ... like a new impeller. The engine has 375 hours on it and is pretty clean and seems to have been well taken care of. Never been in salt water. I find it hard to believe that the risers, block or manifold are clogged but I guess maybe.

    What I am looking at next: The new gauge and sending unit (Faria) arrived today so I am going put them in and install a new impeller (will keep the one I took out as a back up, nicked it up a bit getting it out which was "difficult") and run it again but I am fairly certain that it will do the same thing unless I had 2 bad gauges/sending units (unlikely). I have read quite a bit about this in various forums and I keep running across advice to clean the screen for the transmission heat exchanger but see nothing about where that screen is. Can someone tell me? I see what I believe is the fitting with 2 lines going down the side of the motor between the raw water pump and the t-stat housing but where is the filter screen? I couldn't find anything on the transmission itself that could be a screen. If it's none of the above I am wondering if it might be the re-circulation water pump? It's a centrifugal pump and unless it's locked up or the bearings are out I find it hard to imagine it's the problem. It seems that if it spins freely then the impeller inside it is spinning and it's pretty much working. Not a lot to them.

    In looking at this (Indmar 325 Assault, 2008 Outback V) I am trying to figure out the flow of water. I have looked at diagrams and understand basically how it works but can't find anything that explains how the two hoses that go from the T-stat housing to the intake manifold interface with the system. I get that water goes from the re-cerc pump directly into the block and then out the T-stat when open but what about the two middle hoses (one on port one on starboard side)? I suspect they feed water into the intake manifold from the fresh water pump and when full the water bypasses and on to the exhaust manifold. Is this correct? I plan to also blow out all of the lines before giving it another go.

    Sorry for how long this is but wanted to give you what I had.

    Any input would be appreciated.

    Thanks!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2019
    Location
    Albuquerque, NM
    Posts
    19

    Default

    Problem resolved: Just in case someone in the future runs into the same thing I will give what I hope is basically a final update.

    I found the screen for the transmission cooler (for anyone looking in the future, the cooler is inline just beyond the outlet from the fresh water pump with two oil lines to the transmission, screen is on the intake side of the cooler) and indeed there was a blade from an old impeller stuck inside of it. Thought it was my problem, put everything together, fired it up and same think happened. I am glad I found the blade in the screen because that would have caused some increase in temp but not to the degree I was getting at the gauge. So, I went back to my original thinking and decided it was a wrong reading at the gauge, the engine just does not seem hot and my laser temp gauge is saying the same thing. Since I could not believe I had 3 gauges and sending units that were bad (I had installed the new Faria gauge and sensor by now) gave some thought to what could be making them give me an errant reading and settled on the wiring. First I checked the continuity of the sending wire and it was fine (basically zero ohms). Then I checked the voltage to the gauge. Oddly, it read 9.75 and it's a 12 volt gauge. Then I checked the continuity of the ground wire at the gauge and it read 4 ohms. Not a lot but it should read zero. So I ran a temporary ground wire from engine to the gauge cluster and checked my temp gauge and low and behold, it read 12 volts. So, at this point I am fairly confident I have a poor ground connection to that portion or leg of my wiring harness. I did run the boat using the temporary ground wire and it did not read over heat. Went to 190ish (I still had the 180 deg. automotive thermostat in it) and stayed steady at that. I was pretty sure I found the problem but finding the guilty bad connection was tricky. There is a mass of wires under the dash but after an hour or so of tracking and prodding I ran across a large plug that served the instrument leg that was not clipped on one side and was ever so slightly open on that side (maybe 1/16"). I pressed it together, clipped it and checked my ground continuity and voltage to the temp gauge - .1 ohms and 12 volts. Apparently this was my problem all along.

    I put the original sending unit, temp gauge (glad I didn't cut off the original Deutsch connector, just took it apart and was able to reassemble)and thermostat back in. Left the new impeller in and fired it up. Let it idle for 30 minutes and it heated up to 170 and stayed steady there. This is all in my drive way, at an idle using an inlet I built for a hose to run water into the inlet cooling line at the transmission (basically a fake lake but right there where I can see and control it) so I understand that it could be different on the lake under a load but I am fairly confident I have fixed the problem.

    Sorry for how long these updates are but it's the little things that make big things happen. Mostly just updating so, for anyone that runs into a gauge reading hot, they can look at this option as well (check the power and continuity of the wires to it).

    Won't have it on the lake for another week or so but will post another update after that. If it's good, .... I promise that update will be very short.

    For those that offered input, thanks very much!

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jun 2019
    Location
    Albuquerque, NM
    Posts
    19

    Default

    Just returned from an 8 day trip to the lake and boat performed flawlessly. Put over 100 gallons of fuel through it wake boarding, surfing and water skiing and the temp basically sat rock solid at 170. Seems it was an electrical problem all along. On the plus side, I now have a backup impeller and thermostat!

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