Home › Forums › Bass Cat Boats › 2002 200HP Mercury Optimax overheating after 10-15 minutes at about 1000rpms
tswanson.
Hey guys I am new to the forum, last week I purchased a 2002 BassCat Patera III with a 2002 200HP Mercury Optimax. The boat is in excellent condition and only had 146 hours on the motor (according to the smartcraft gauge). I have been out on the boat 5 times since I purchased it a week ago and havent had any problems until tonight. Tonight I decided to stay in the river which has a speed limit of 6 knots and after about 10-15 minutes of faster than idle (about 1000rpms) my trim gauge on the smartcraft gauge started to read the trim position inaccurately and eventually got stuck at “trailer 25” and now it wont go down at all. About 5 minutes after that I noticed the temperature 170 deg pop up on the gauge and then it went up to 178 deg and the continuous “overheat” alarm started to sound, so I immediately put the motor in neutral and shut it down. My water pressure at idle is 0.4-0.6. and it takes about 15-20 seconds to start peeing (the stream seems fine) Is that right? Also, what should the water pressure be at different rpms? Is there a spec on that? I have the motor trimmed up while driving faster than idle (1000 rpms or so) to avoid submerging the pee hole, so that cant be whats making it overheat and the impeller was changed at the beginning of the year (according to the guy that I bought it from). I am starting to think that maybe the smartcraft gauge is going bad and the temperature isnt actually as hot as it says it is (176 deg). Please help me… I have a tournament this Saturday and really wanted to use my new boat Last edited by TBavaro3 on September 9th, 2010, 3:14 am, edited 1 time in total.
Have thermostats checked!!BAYOU BANDIT
TB, here is a link to a similar trim problem I had last weekend. The top Pin in the top of the main trim cylinder had come out and my Smartcraft Gauges read what yours is and my engine would not trim down. You need to check to see that the pin is still there or not. That was problem and it was an easy fix under warranty for my 250 Pro XS.Click hereJmtfrisco, Texas
The sending unit or pin as mentioned is the trim gauge issue. The engine hours are extremely low on that for a 2002 and Smartcraft gauges are spot on software. If they say it, then the sender is the issue. And finally it sounds like a water pump issue on your heating up. Replace it and see where you are on temps. We do not suspect the thermostats.
Thanks for the fast replys everyone. Where exactly is the sending unit for the trim? My engine trims like it should but the gauge doesnt show the trim position properly, just “trailer 25” at all heights, so I believe it has to be something with the sending unit and not the pin, but I will double check the pin. Is there anyway for the sending unit to get blocked by debris? (Im not sure exactly how the sending unit works) Lastly, I guess I will have the water pump replaced, which upsets me a little bit because I just spent a crapload of money on this boat and I was told that it had been serviced (water pump replaced) just this year. Thanks again everybody. I will let you know what fixes my problems as soon as I find the solutions. In the mean time, if you guys have any other suggestions please dont hesitate to post.
The impellers can take a set if they are not used and are stored, causing the fins (panes) to flatten on the impeller. The trim sender is on the under side of the mounting assembly where the pivot on the engine is, mounted on the left side. That sensor will have one or two wires running to in and only one into the cowling usually through the bottom.
Ok. Yesterday I had nothing but problems getting off the lower unit. The bolt that goes through the top of the trim tab and is bolted through to the anode on the trim tab wouldnt come off until I applied a blowtorch for about 5seconds to the anode. Now when I got the lower unit off I was taking the 4 bolts out of the water pump and they seemed to be coming loose pretty nice except for the back 2 closest to the prop (they had some corrosion on them) and they were coming out but they broke off, I wasnt even using much uumph to take them off but… NOT GOOD!!! So I went to autozone and got a bolt extractor and a titanium drill bit. While drilling the hole, and using wd-40 to cool it off, the drill bit broke off into the broken bolt. Now I have the lower unit in the truck ready to go to the machine shop this morning to see if they can salvage the threads or I guess retap it or use a helicoil. What type of bolts should I use to replace the old bolts that broke off, I think they were brass…?? and also, should I use some never-seize on the bolts so this problem doesnt happen in the future?Either way, I dont even think that the impeller is my issue because the impeller had no sign of dryrot or anything. But it could be that the rubber grommet that goes on top of the water pump housing wasnt in place properly. It was on top of the housing, but it looks like there is a grove in the grommet that fits the waterpump housing where one part of the grommet is supposed to be above and the other end is supposed to be below to make a nice seal. Is my assumption correct that the grommet wasnt installed correctly? Could that have been my problem? Any help would be appreciated…
Has this been in saltwater? I have never heard of water pump housing screws breaking off.Water pump kits comes with new screws. You do not reuse the old ones. They are stainless steel.The grommet could of come off when you pulled the unit apart. The kit will have a new one.You got to twist the drive shaft to get the new impeller in the cup. Lightly lube the edge of the impeller.Melt wax in the (broken) threadsUse a reverse twist drill bitIt will come right out
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