Hammerhead-drop in oil pressure

[WakeGirl]

Now I am confused. I had 1998 Response LX, with the monsoon. I think is was 325 hp for that year. Somethings I like better about that boat than my 2007...and it cost half as much!! SO for 2001, Malibu had both the monsoon and the hammerhead? ANd both were 5.7 L? Was that what Malibu called the Corvette engine? The engine they put in all the corvette boats??

I am now wishing I had stayed with the monsoon. It is bullet proof and PROVEN. I guess since the stroke is increased, the HH has a wimpy hole shot when compared to the monsoon. And all that added HP/TQ does practically nothing for the top end speed.

I thought the HH came out in 2005 and was always 383 ci. Thanks for correcting me.

Like I said, they could have done better with their naming schemes.

Monsoon 350ci 1995-present = 320, 325, 335, 340 & 350 hp depending on the year

Hammerhead 350ci 2001-2004 = 365, 375, 385 hp depending on year

Hammerhead 383ci 2005-2009 = 400hp

Corvette LS1 350ci 2000-2005 = 375hp

Callaway 383 original Corvette boat only, '96-'99 = 400hp

and to really confuse things

Callaway 350ci Hammerhead in 1998 = 365hp

Hope that clears things up.

[tnlegendracer]

Dang it. You folks have had me worried about this post all week. I launched my new (to me) 2004 HH LSV today in my lake after dragging it home across the country and couldn't wait to fire it up because of this post.

I didn't do a WOT run since it was 11:30pm on Center Hill Lake in TN, but it did idle at between 30 and 40 psi oil pressure even after warming up. Prior owner ran synthetic. Maybe it's gear oil by reading these pressures above!

Now I am confused. I had 1998 Response LX, with the monsoon. I think is was 325 hp for that year. Somethings I like better about that boat than my 2007...and it cost half as much!! SO for 2001, Malibu had both the monsoon and the hammerhead? ANd both were 5.7 L? Was that what Malibu called the Corvette engine? The engine they put in all the corvette boats??

I am now wishing I had stayed with the monsoon. It is bullet proof and PROVEN. I guess since the stroke is increased, the HH has a wimpy hole shot when compared to the monsoon. And all that added HP/TQ does practically nothing for the top end speed.

I thought the HH came out in 2005 and was always 383 ci. Thanks for correcting me.

Like I said, they could have done better with their naming schemes.

Monsoon 350ci 1995-present = 320, 325, 335, 340 & 350 hp depending on the year

Hammerhead 350ci 2001-2004 = 365, 375, 385 hp depending on year

Hammerhead 383ci 2005-2009 = 400hp

Corvette LS1 350ci 2000-2005 = 375hp

Callaway 383 original Corvette boat only, '96-'99 = 400hp

and to really confuse things

Callaway 350ci Hammerhead in 1998 = 365hp

Hope that clears things up.

[noodleski]

I have the HH in my '07

150 hours, no problems what so ever!

I have never had to add oil between changes

I just wish that I could and the CATS, but idmar says that I can't

[WakeGirl]

Dang it. You folks have had me worried about this post all week. I launched my new (to me) 2004 HH LSV today in my lake after dragging it home across the country and couldn't wait to fire it up because of this post.

I didn't do a WOT run since it was 11:30pm on Center Hill Lake in TN, but it did idle at between 30 and 40 psi oil pressure even after warming up. Prior owner ran synthetic. Maybe it's gear oil by reading these pressures above!

Your 2004 is a 350ci & didn't have oil pressure issues. You'll be fine on that count.

[mcbean7]

The best answer that I've gotten on the issue was that the 383 Hammerheads were built "loose". That's part of the reason that some customers were told to drive them hard from the start. Mine ran with lower than what you would expect oil pressure, but never gave me any issues. I didn't do Indmar's break in, I drove it hard from the start - it never burned a drop & didn't get many of the low pressure warning buzzers. After I went to 20/50, I didn't get any, even at the end of a 50 hour cycle.

I'm the new owner of Wakegirl's 06 VLX. I picked up the boat in mid March with approx. 250 hrs on it. The boat currently has 308 hrs. I have never had the low pressure warning buzzer go off (knock on wood). I check the motor/tranny/vdrive oil levels religiously on every outing because of oil burning issues with the HH. I have added, maybe, 1/4-quart of oil (at the most) since owning the boat. We usually wakeboard at 22-24 mph. My wife has a heavy foot, or hand, and likes to drop the hammer and go WOT when "cruising". I continue to use 20/50 oil since it's been working perfectly.

[LXI Silver]

I have the 07 LXI with Hammerhead. Bought it used with 20 hrs on it. Had a low oil alarm at about 60 hours. Added a quart of oil. Problem went away. Took it to the dealer to check it out and it needed an oil change bad. Had the dealer change the oiland he cleared the codes. No problems. Changed the oil my self again at 115 hrs. I have about 160 hours on it and just last weekend ran it at WOT for about 20 min. When I throttled back down, got the low oil pressure alarm. Pressure had dropped to about 9 PSI. Kept idling and the pressure eventually went back up to 15 to 20. Checked the dip stick a while later and it was dead center of the four holes. It is my understanding that that is full. Checked the fault codes and had 2 inactive faults. Ran the boat for the next 4 days no problems.

From what I can tell I think the oil gets pumped up into the engine at WOT and if you are a little low it trips the alarm. I think the engine is a little tempermental with the oil level and the alarm, but I am not much of a wrench.

Sounds like you are experiencing the same thing I am. I am about to change the oil again. I let you know how low it really is if at all. I don't get a lot of comfort with reading the dip stick especially when they send you a new one.

Love the engine though.

[WakeGirl]

They were built loose, that's why they throw an alarm & run low oil pressure. In general, it isn't symptomatic of the engine being low on oil. That may be the case in some situations, but it's not usually the root cause of the problem on that engine.

[donaldmcclellan]

I have an '01 Response LX that I barefoot with.

It gets lots of WOT runs.

This is the 350 c.i. with 365 horse

When new, the digital guages seemed accurate and I never got low oil pressure warnings.

Last year, I began getting wildly fluctuating O.P. readings and warnings of O.P. at around 15 PSI at idle.

I have run Valvoline racing oil in my HammerHead since new as I do in all my engines.

I live in GA, so no problems with too thick oil.

After installing new senders on the engine and still experiencing unacceptable (to me) O.P. readings,

I installed a tee in the sensor port on the engine with a SUN analog guage($20).

That guage reads a STEADY 30 psi at hot idle and 45-60 psi during barefoot runs - hot.

No fluctuations!

The engine still runs great and uses NO oil between changes.

My suggestion: get an analog guage using the old tried and true 1/16" oil line , mount it on the engine,

and compare readings with the digital guages.

Forget the dipstick"trick" and the extra oil-less oil trick.

Then disconnect the digital sensors and rely on the old analog guage for ACCURATE O.P. readiongs.

Good enough for NASCAR and The NHRA, good enough for me!

Digital guages suck !!!!!

Don

[WakeGirl]

Different engine, different set of problems. The 383 has known oil pressure issues, whether you test it with an analog gauge or go by the reading at the dash. What they're talking about isn't a gauge issue.

[donaldmcclellan]

Different engine, different set of problems. The 383 has known oil pressure issues, whether you test it with an analog gauge or go by the reading at the dash. What they're talking about isn't a gauge issue.

[donaldmcclellan]

Different engine, different set of problems. The 383 has known oil pressure issues, whether you test it with an analog gauge or go by the reading at the dash. What they're talking about isn't a gauge issue.

Right on the correction of the new vs. old Hammerheads.

The old ones can be hammered and live a long useful life with proper care like any GOOD engine.

The debate here is whether the 383 stroker is as good and solid a powerplant as the venerable old 350cid.

I'll stick with my 350 Hammerhead and leave the newer problematic strokers alone.

I still maintain my comment about the digital electronic O.P. guages.

Never lost an engine with one yet in 35 years of boating, racing, or otherwise.

I don't expect I'll lose this hammerhead either as long as I watch my analog temp and oil guages.

Happy boating to all!!!

[jkendallmsce]

Wake Girl. In an earlier post you said the HH engines were built loose. Just kinda curious, but how do you know and why were they built loose??

This last weekend, after a 5-10 minute run at only 30 mph, the low oil level alarm triggered showing 0 psi. The rest of the day the alarm was going off. I am now suspicious that it is a sending unit or oil pump problem.

I checked the oil level prior to departing...it was full as usual. And again using the new Indmar dipstick. ANd using Castol 15W-40.

Mike Sanchez is supposed to be talking to Indmar about the problem, but as usual, Mike is taking his time in responding!! long long ongoing saga of excuses and BS!!

Malibu did a complete diacom/diagnostics on the engine (at 1000 rpm increments and WOT). But an interesting omission is no oil pressure readings!!!! Not sure why, as the HH has has oil pressure problems. I am suspicious that there have been issues with this engine from the installation in 2007.

What I did get from Mike Sanchez is the Inmdar letter saying if low oil pressure is an issue, switch to 40W or 50W. NO mention as what to do when you have 0 psi for oil pressure!!

DO you know, is the same oil pump used in the monsoon in the hammerhead?? You never hear of monsoons have oil pressure problems!!

thanks

[WakeGirl]

The old Hammerhead had its issues. I know one person that went through 3 of them before getting a warranty return on the entire boat. There was a fix for that engine though, no real fix for the 383's issues other than a tear down/rebuild.

Some of them are good though. Mine ran lower pressure, but never burned any oil & was a beast compared with my '04 HH (yes, I've had both). The key IMO for the 383 generally is tied to the break-in procedure that was used. Those that followed the break in generally have a lot more issues than those of us that didn't. Out of the box, given the chance to break it in the way that I want, I'd take a 383 over the old 350 every day of the week & twice on Sunday.

jk,

The loose comment is more supposition on my part & probably not something that I should have posted in all honesty. It's just an opinion, which everyone has. A lot of the 383 motors exhibit symptoms like that of a motor that has a lot of miles/hours on it. They burn oil, they have low oil pressure & if you use additives you can make it a little better. I've also spoken with enough people that know the motor (inside & out) that agree with that assessment.

In the car world, I know a few people that use 383s in their hot rods using similar specs to the HH & built correctly, it's an incredible motor.

[donaldmcclellan]

The old Hammerhead had its issues. I know one person that went through 3 of them before getting a warranty return on the entire boat. There was a fix for that engine though, no real fix for the 383's issues other than a tear down/rebuild.

Some of them are good though. Mine ran lower pressure, but never burned any oil & was a beast compared with my '04 HH (yes, I've had both). The key IMO for the 383 generally is tied to the break-in procedure that was used. Those that followed the break in generally have a lot more issues than those of us that didn't. Out of the box, given the chance to break it in the way that I want, I'd take a 383 over the old 350 every day of the week & twice on Sunday.

jk,

The loose comment is more supposition on my part & probably not something that I should have posted in all honesty. It's just an opinion, which everyone has. A lot of the 383 motors exhibit symptoms like that of a motor that has a lot of miles/hours on it. They burn oil, they have low oil pressure & if you use additives you can make it a little better. I've also spoken with enough people that know the motor (inside & out) that agree with that assessment.

In the car world, I know a few people that use 383s in their hot rods using similar specs to the HH & built correctly, it's an incredible motor.

Wakegirl.

Right you are about the 383.

It's a "modified 350 cid with a longer stroke crankshaft.

Racers have been using 383 Chevys for years before Indmar adopted them.

I've been building performance Chevy motors since the old 265's of the 50's

Yeah, I'm an old geezer of a racer.

All hi performance engines are built with "looser" clearance tolerances on crand, rod bearings, valves, and piston ring clearances

to enhance performance, reduce friction at high rpm, keep temps down and allow a generally freeier revving engine.

This can lead to slightly reduced oil pressure and increased oil consumption.

Most performance engines of the sixties came with such disclaimers from the manufacturesr whether it was Ford,GM, or Mopar.

They also carried much shorter warranties(if any) on engines and drive trains.

Wonder why?

One must make trade offs for performance.

However, no stroker I've ever built be it Chevy 383, Ford 454 (427c.i. with 428 crank) Ford 460's and 514's ever went to 0 psi O.P. under ANY conditions.

It certainly shouldn't be happening in a boat pulling wakeboarders at 22-30 MPH all day and all night long.

As I said, I'll keep my 350 hammerhead and you can stand by the 383.

Another possible cause of low oil pressure is the O.P. relief spring located in the engine block.

An incorrect or weak spring can cause low O.P. readings.

But I'm sure Indmar is using the spring specified by Chevrolet for the Corvette engines

to avoid oiling problems in them.

It's been fun and we could debate all day, but there's no sense.

Have fun with your 383's and I'll have all the performance I need from my 350 hammerhead.

BTW, a 400 HP engine is overkill in any boat unless it's a drag boat or a jet drive. Yeah, that includes mine!

And if ya gotta have over 400 HP - go with aluminum, big blocks. Back to that trade off thing again. Wt.,hp reliability,longevity.

It's just fun to have the ponies,extra loud exhaust and burn twice the gas of the average boater.

Proud to be a chronilogically challenged American gearhead, Malibu owner.

Peace

[WakeGirl]

Good stuff Donald. It's great to have yet another gearhead on board!

I agree on the 0 psi issue. I never had that with mine & I think that the first thing that I'd do would be (as you suggested) to throw an analog gauge on it to see what I was actually getting, then go from there. Reports of between 5-10 psi are pretty much the norm with that motor & IMO is a level that you can live with. 0 is not, if that's in fact what he's getting.

And I hear what you're saying about what's needed in a boat. Maybe not needed, but a heckuva lot of fun. I really liked my '04, but in a totally different way. That motor, once the boat got up on plane, it would positively take off once it hit that mid range. Awesome mid-range & upper end, & completely different from the 383.

[donaldmcclellan]

Good stuff Donald. It's great to have yet another gearhead on board!

I agree on the 0 psi issue. I never had that with mine & I think that the first thing that I'd do would be (as you suggested) to throw an analog gauge on it to see what I was actually getting, then go from there. Reports of between 5-10 psi are pretty much the norm with that motor & IMO is a level that you can live with. 0 is not, if that's in fact what he's getting.

And I hear what you're saying about what's needed in a boat. Maybe not needed, but a heckuva lot of fun. I really liked my '04, but in a totally different way. That motor, once the boat got up on plane, it would positively take off once it hit that mid range. Awesome mid-range & upper end, & completely different from the 383.

Wakegirl,

Thanks for the comp.

As with the doctor, get a second opinion. An analog guage is the cheapest and most reliable opinion I have found with reference to eletronic vs analog

guages.

Especially the crucial ones like O.P. and Temp.

My analog guages are mounted under the dog box and hidden away from view.

But any time I have a doubt about my digital dash readouts, I have a ready second opinion on board.

You're right. The stroker motor will give more torque for takeoff power and planing whereas

the shorter stroke engines perform better in mid range and wwill normally rev higher resulting in bettter top end.

With the Response, getting on plane is not asn isssue as the center mounting of the engine gives instant planing, so the extra torque is not

such an issue as with a stern mounted enging where the extra torque and bottom end power is needed to overcome the extra weight at the rear of the boat

All simple physics and again part of the tradeoffs depending on sport and type of boat.

Let's just all be thankful we have so many sports to choose from and Malibu offers such a great line of boats.

I have been a fan since the first Malibu skiers came out in the 80's.

They were great boats with about 100-125 less ponies than we're talkin' about these days.

Finally, on the O.P. issue.

0 PSI is "Danger,Will Robinson" time in anybody's book.

0 psi and an audible knock is a sure sign of real trouble and time to shut her down and put it on the trailer.

Been there too, but that was a 383 Mopar.

That oughta start a little controversy!!

Great chat.

Hope everyone with the O.P. probs get them solved.

Nothing worse than a hot day and a broken boat!!!!

Gotta get back to some paying type work.

Don

[jkendallmsce]

The old Hammerhead had its issues. I know one person that went through 3 of them before getting a warranty return on the entire boat. There was a fix for that engine though, no real fix for the 383's issues other than a tear down/rebuild.

Some of them are good though. Mine ran lower pressure, but never burned any oil & was a beast compared with my '04 HH (yes, I've had both). The key IMO for the 383 generally is tied to the break-in procedure that was used. Those that followed the break in generally have a lot more issues than those of us that didn't. Out of the box, given the chance to break it in the way that I want, I'd take a 383 over the old 350 every day of the week & twice on Sunday.

jk,

The loose comment is more supposition on my part & probably not something that I should have posted in all honesty. It's just an opinion, which everyone has. A lot of the 383 motors exhibit symptoms like that of a motor that has a lot of miles/hours on it. They burn oil, they have low oil pressure & if you use additives you can make it a little better. I've also spoken with enough people that know the motor (inside & out) that agree with that assessment.

In the car world, I know a few people that use 383s in their hot rods using similar specs to the HH & built correctly, it's an incredible motor.

Wakegirl.

Right you are about the 383.

It's a "modified 350 cid with a longer stroke crankshaft.

Racers have been using 383 Chevys for years before Indmar adopted them.

I've been building performance Chevy motors since the old 265's of the 50's

Yeah, I'm an old geezer of a racer.

All hi performance engines are built with "looser" clearance tolerances on crand, rod bearings, valves, and piston ring clearances

to enhance performance, reduce friction at high rpm, keep temps down and allow a generally freeier revving engine.

This can lead to slightly reduced oil pressure and increased oil consumption.

Most performance engines of the sixties came with such disclaimers from the manufacturesr whether it was Ford,GM, or Mopar.

They also carried much shorter warranties(if any) on engines and drive trains.

Wonder why?

One must make trade offs for performance.

However, no stroker I've ever built be it Chevy 383, Ford 454 (427c.i. with 428 crank) Ford 460's and 514's ever went to 0 psi O.P. under ANY conditions.

It certainly shouldn't be happening in a boat pulling wakeboarders at 22-30 MPH all day and all night long.

As I said, I'll keep my 350 hammerhead and you can stand by the 383.

Another possible cause of low oil pressure is the O.P. relief spring located in the engine block.

An incorrect or weak spring can cause low O.P. readings.

But I'm sure Indmar is using the spring specified by Chevrolet for the Corvette engines

to avoid oiling problems in them.

It's been fun and we could debate all day, but there's no sense.

Have fun with your 383's and I'll have all the performance I need from my 350 hammerhead.

BTW, a 400 HP engine is overkill in any boat unless it's a drag boat or a jet drive. Yeah, that includes mine!

And if ya gotta have over 400 HP - go with aluminum, big blocks. Back to that trade off thing again. Wt.,hp reliability,longevity.

It's just fun to have the ponies,extra loud exhaust and burn twice the gas of the average boater.

Proud to be a chronilogically challenged American gearhead, Malibu owner.

Peace

Thanks for the input. And yep, if the engine had 0 psi there'd be some funny sounds barking under the dog house. And spot on about an analog guage. I planned on installing that this weekend.

It is funny tough, some of the comments about low end torque. my hh does not get its torque til about 1500-2000 rpm. AFter that it plenty of giddy up. BUt the idle to 1500 is still doggy. I have played with props and ended up preferring the Acme 449 best. Same holeshot as the 515 with slightly better top end. The 13x13 was very sluggish out of the hole.

ANd ya the GM 5.3 L they put in their trucks would be a super boat motor, Great low end torque, over 320 HP and 340 TQ and 100 # lighter. I have a Buick Rainier, and I get 20 MPG.

Right now, I am not seeing much of an advantage in having the hh in the boat. Still think that the monsoon is a much better engine for this application.

Maybe if you put that hh on a flat bottom, but that is a different beast.

[donaldmcclellan]

The old Hammerhead had its issues. I know one person that went through 3 of them before getting a warranty return on the entire boat. There was a fix for that engine though, no real fix for the 383's issues other than a tear down/rebuild.

Some of them are good though. Mine ran lower pressure, but never burned any oil & was a beast compared with my '04 HH (yes, I've had both). The key IMO for the 383 generally is tied to the break-in procedure that was used. Those that followed the break in generally have a lot more issues than those of us that didn't. Out of the box, given the chance to break it in the way that I want, I'd take a 383 over the old 350 every day of the week & twice on Sunday.

jk,

The loose comment is more supposition on my part & probably not something that I should have posted in all honesty. It's just an opinion, which everyone has. A lot of the 383 motors exhibit symptoms like that of a motor that has a lot of miles/hours on it. They burn oil, they have low oil pressure & if you use additives you can make it a little better. I've also spoken with enough people that know the motor (inside & out) that agree with that assessment.

In the car world, I know a few people that use 383s in their hot rods using similar specs to the HH & built correctly, it's an incredible motor.

Wakegirl.

Right you are about the 383.

It's a "modified 350 cid with a longer stroke crankshaft.

Racers have been using 383 Chevys for years before Indmar adopted them.

I've been building performance Chevy motors since the old 265's of the 50's

Yeah, I'm an old geezer of a racer.

All hi performance engines are built with "looser" clearance tolerances on crand, rod bearings, valves, and piston ring clearances

to enhance performance, reduce friction at high rpm, keep temps down and allow a generally freeier revving engine.

This can lead to slightly reduced oil pressure and increased oil consumption.

Most performance engines of the sixties came with such disclaimers from the manufacturesr whether it was Ford,GM, or Mopar.

They also carried much shorter warranties(if any) on engines and drive trains.

Wonder why?

One must make trade offs for performance.

However, no stroker I've ever built be it Chevy 383, Ford 454 (427c.i. with 428 crank) Ford 460's and 514's ever went to 0 psi O.P. under ANY conditions.

It certainly shouldn't be happening in a boat pulling wakeboarders at 22-30 MPH all day and all night long.

As I said, I'll keep my 350 hammerhead and you can stand by the 383.

Another possible cause of low oil pressure is the O.P. relief spring located in the engine block.

An incorrect or weak spring can cause low O.P. readings.

But I'm sure Indmar is using the spring specified by Chevrolet for the Corvette engines

to avoid oiling problems in them.

It's been fun and we could debate all day, but there's no sense.

Have fun with your 383's and I'll have all the performance I need from my 350 hammerhead.

BTW, a 400 HP engine is overkill in any boat unless it's a drag boat or a jet drive. Yeah, that includes mine!

And if ya gotta have over 400 HP - go with aluminum, big blocks. Back to that trade off thing again. Wt.,hp reliability,longevity.

It's just fun to have the ponies,extra loud exhaust and burn twice the gas of the average boater.

Proud to be a chronilogically challenged American gearhead, Malibu owner.

Peace

Thanks for the input. And yep, if the engine had 0 psi there'd be some funny sounds barking under the dog house. And spot on about an analog guage. I planned on installing that this weekend.

It is funny tough, some of the comments about low end torque. my hh does not get its torque til about 1500-2000 rpm. AFter that it plenty of giddy up. BUt the idle to 1500 is still doggy. I have played with props and ended up preferring the Acme 449 best. Same holeshot as the 515 with slightly better top end. The 13x13 was very sluggish out of the hole.

ANd ya the GM 5.3 L they put in their trucks would be a super boat motor, Great low end torque, over 320 HP and 340 TQ and 100 # lighter. I have a Buick Rainier, and I get 20 MPG.

Right now, I am not seeing much of an advantage in having the hh in the boat. Still think that the monsoon is a much better engine for this application.

Maybe if you put that hh on a flat bottom, but that is a different beast.

Bottom line- the small block 350 CID Hammerhead is a great motor for a tournament ski boat, but not so hot for rearward engine mounted apps.

You won't change the engine torque or power curve by changing props.

To get more torque , RPM, etc, you're talkin' internal engine work such as head porting,polishing,camshaft, rocker changes,etc. MONEY!

Not worth the $$ on a recreational boat unless you're racing it for $$.

Either drop in a new power plant, or prop it the best you can until you can buy a new boat and spec it the way you want it built.

Don