2003 ss268 merc 496 warning beeper

[cvettr 0]

Is there a chart to decipher what the warning beeper is indicating by the sequence? I periodically get a warning that the marina says is a low voltage situation. When it goes off it is always under acceleration just before comming on plane. One tech said the merc 496 is a battery power hungry motor and if the batteries are not tip top perfect it could set off the warning. The last 2 times I watched the voltage guage and it never went below 13 volts. It happens more at the end of the season on chilly mornings. I have noticed that the captains call exhaust really puts a drain on the voltage meter but I have gotten the warning with exhaust shut off during acceleration trying to avoid the beeper as once it goes off you have to shut motor off to clear it. First they thought it was indicating low gear lube but resevoir was full and disconnecting that sensor temporarily did not make it go away so that sensor was ruled out and they said bad battery. This is only the second season for these batteries and first set lasted from 2003 to 2010. I have looked in all the books and manuals that came with the boat new and see no chart for what the possible indications are.

[Ian 0]

Is there a chart to decipher what the warning beeper is indicating by the sequence? I periodically get a warning that the marina says is a low voltage situation. When it goes off it is always under acceleration just before comming on plane. One tech said the merc 496 is a battery power hungry motor and if the batteries are not tip top perfect it could set off the warning. The last 2 times I watched the voltage guage and it never went below 13 volts. It happens more at the end of the season on chilly mornings. I have noticed that the captains call exhaust really puts a drain on the voltage meter but I have gotten the warning with exhaust shut off during acceleration trying to avoid the beeper as once it goes off you have to shut motor off to clear it. First they thought it was indicating low gear lube but resevoir was full and disconnecting that sensor temporarily did not make it go away so that sensor was ruled out and they said bad battery. This is only the second season for these batteries and first set lasted from 2003 to 2010. I have looked in all the books and manuals that came with the boat new and see no chart for what the possible indications are.

 

Hi cvettr

Please see attached pics of charts corresponding to error codes.

The SC1000 column refers the Mercruiser Smart Craft instumentation package. (If you had this fitted, it would trigger a fault message in your display)

 

I am not a mechanic, but as far as I understand it, there is there is no "sequence" of beeps you can use to determine the fault which is causing it.

Basically, most faults are indicated by a double beep, while most "serious faults" are indicated by a continuous beep / tone.

(I think the continuous beep / tone faults are the ones that are likely to trigger the reduced power "limp home" mode)

 

To understand what errors are being detected, you need to have your ECM scanned.

First option would be a genuine Mercury service dealer.

Some other good marine mechanics also have scanners - you just need to ask if they have one to detect / rectify faults for your engine

 

As for the voltage drop and any effects it has on the ECM, I don't know enough about it to comment. Maybe someone else here on the forum can help. Failing that, borrow a battery from one of your fellow boaties and swap it to see if the problem persists.

 

Good luck

Regards

[cvettr 0]

Hi cvettr

Please see attached pics of charts corresponding to error codes.

The SC1000 column refers the Mercruiser Smart Craft instumentation package. (If you had this fitted, it would trigger a fault message in your display)

 

I am not a mechanic, but as far as I understand it, there is there is no "sequence" of beeps you can use to determine the fault which is causing it.

Basically, most faults are indicated by a double beep, while most "serious faults" are indicated by a continuous beep / tone.

(I think the continuous beep / tone faults are the ones that are likely to trigger the reduced power "limp home" mode)

 

To understand what errors are being detected, you need to have your ECM scanned.

First option would be a genuine Mercury service dealer.

Some other good marine mechanics also have scanners - you just need to ask if they have one to detect / rectify faults for your engine

 

As for the voltage drop and any effects it has on the ECM, I don't know enough about it to comment. Maybe someone else here on the forum can help. Failing that, borrow a battery from one of your fellow boaties and swap it to see if the problem persists.

 

Good luck

Regards

 

 

 

Thanks for the reply I will have to look through all the paperwork that came with the boat yet again as I think i remember seeing a booklet on the smartcraft guage but thoght it was just included in all packets as we have faria guages. I wonder if we could have had it equipped but the guage was never installed? I wonder if the most could help to determine if it was so equipped? The speedo does have a disply but the only thing it seems to display is an intermittant hour glass and constantly the engine hours. No change when warning beeper goes off. I will have to ask the marina if they can retro fit a display thet would be able to advise which condition it is since it seems by the chart you provided it is either 2 beeps a minute or constant. I thought in years past i had one thet was 3 beeps per minute but i could be wrong. This last weekend I used only battery 1 (I usually use both position on the battery shut off switch) and got no faults. I may try battery 2 the next time to isloate if it is a battery issue. I am also changing oil, doing the drive service and winterizing next time I go to the lake so I can have them see what codes are stored.

[Ian 0]

Thanks for the reply I will have to look through all the paperwork that came with the boat yet again as I think i remember seeing a booklet on the smartcraft guage but thoght it was just included in all packets as we have faria guages. I wonder if we could have had it equipped but the guage was never installed? I wonder if the most could help to determine if it was so equipped? The speedo does have a disply but the only thing it seems to display is an intermittant hour glass and constantly the engine hours. No change when warning beeper goes off. I will have to ask the marina if they can retro fit a display thet would be able to advise which condition it is since it seems by the chart you provided it is either 2 beeps a minute or constant. I thought in years past i had one thet was 3 beeps per minute but i could be wrong. This last weekend I used only battery 1 (I usually use both position on the battery shut off switch) and got no faults. I may try battery 2 the next time to isloate if it is a battery issue. I am also changing oil, doing the drive service and winterizing next time I go to the lake so I can have them see what codes are stored.

 

 

Hi again,

Here is a link to FAQ's on Mercruisers site http://www.mercurymarine.com/service-and-support/storage-and-maintenance/faqs/smartcraft/

You will need to check your engine series but I think any MPI series motor from 2001 is "smartcraft compatible"

Whether this means you actually have it fitted is a different story.

"Compatible" means all the digital signals are available from the ECM on the motor. From there, it depends on the harness fitted and the gauges used at the time of original engine installation. It is possible to connect the motor upto digital gauges, analogue gauges or a combination of both depending on the cable / gauge configurations used

 

 

Faria do make a range of gauges that are smartcraft compatible. I suggest you find the model number of your gauge and go look at their website.

Here is a link to find your gauge model number if you dont have access to the rear of the dashboard http://gaugefinder.faria-instruments.com/

From there, search for your gauge and possibly an owners manaul for it.

 

On my 2008 MPI 350 (I don't know who the manufacturer of the gauges are. Mercury don't actually make the gauges), there are a few rubberised buttons below the tachos which let you scroll through the smartcraft displays.

 

 

By the sounds of it, you don't have smartcraft fitted.

How much difficultly, time or cost is involved, I don't know. You would need to talk to a Mercruiser dealer.

Whilst it might be "nice" to have it fitted, it will cost you $$$ (and frankly, it won't add 1 cent to your resale value -sorry!)

I could well be much cheaper just to have the tech check the fault codes with a handheld scanner.

 

Cheers

[cvettr 0]

Thanks for the info! Had them hook up to a computer this last weekend and it showed a couple faults, cleared them had them load test batteries and both batteries failed so got replacements as the batteries were still under their warranty from when i last replaced them. All alarms went away and ran fine. I hate replacing them at the end of the season but they were warranteed and so starts another 24 month warrantee on the new ones.