Overheated on the lake yesterday A24

[nittyp]

Crappy day yesterday, got the boat ready, went to the lake, dropped in it the water.. Making our way out of the five mile per hour zone and the dash starts beeping, and the display starts flashing "Engine Fault" and "Engine Temp".. Gauge was pinned in the hot zone so we limped back to the dock. Thankfully we hadn't gone to far, so hopefully no damage occurred. Pulled boat out of water and began looking around at things.. Water intake at the bottom of the boat was clear of debris. Engine was hot, but not as hot as I thought an overheating engine would be. No visable overheating red flags like cats changing color, etc..

Pulled the impeller and it looked fine. Looks just like my spare one that is brand new. Checked the valve in the boat were the water intake comes in the boat and it was not closed (thought maybe when I had my 20 hr service they maybe closed it? But no, it was open).. When we pulled the boat outta the water, there was a decent amount of water that drained from the exhaust, so that leads me to believe there was water in the exhaust system. About 12 ounces worth of water came out of impeller inspection plate when we removed that too..

Its going to the shop on Tuesday, but I am totally baffled as to what it could be. This boat has run like a top since the first time on the water. Never has given me any overheating issues or even warnings..

Its the 409 Indmar Monsoon.

I did add a FAE (fresh air exhaust) before it went in for servicing in January. But, when I spoke to the mechanic at the Axis dealer yesterday, he said they run the boat for like 30 minutes to warm it up after they change the oil, and if it had anything to do with the FAE, I would think it would have overheated for them.

The FAE is the only thing I have done, and the 20 hour service is all they did.. Otherwise, the boat has been in indoor storage.

Just wondering if anyone else has experienced anything like this..

Side Note: Just before it began to tell us it was overheating, there was a slight whining noise from the belt area that definitely was not normal or ever heard before.. I did fire the boat up once we dropped it in the water to make sure it started since it had been stored. It fired right up and so we tied it up and I left it idling for like 10 minutes while I parked the truck. The total run time the boat was on was maybe 20 minutes, and we never even went faster than idle speed since we were in five mile per hour zone.

[oceanbu]

What about debris caught in the screen at the transmission cooler? Check that to make sure it is clear. Check hoses. I know a guy who kept overheating. Replaced impeller, impeller pump, water pump on engine and still kept overheating. Turned out he had a pinhole in water intake hose up to the impeller which prevented impeller from priming. After changing the hose all was well again.

[JayMan]

This popped up over on the Axis forum:

http://www.axiswakeboardboats.com/viewtopic.php?t=3065

[gorilla]

Was this your first run of the season? If so, you may just need to pop the tranny in neutral and rev the motor to cure the "vapor lock" you had because of the empty water jackets in the motor. I have to do this every year on the first run.

[TNWILSON]

Could be your belt. You mentioned it was whining. Last summer had quiet a bit of water in bilge due to crappy shaft packing. Belt got wet...stretched then began to whine. Belt was not visibly wet but it was slipping on the alternator and impeller housing. Not enough water was being pulled up so it the temp started to creep up. I noticed before mine got over 175 cause once the squeal started I started looking at gauges. Might not be it at all but worth checking. Good luck

Edit- also caused my voltage to drop

Edited May 31, 2015 by TNWILSON

[GreenMan]

Was this your first run of the season? If so, you may just need to pop the tranny in neutral and rev the motor to cure the "vapor lock" you had because of the empty water jackets in the motor. I have to do this every year on the first run.

I like this one ^. The raw water pumps don't always prime at idle speed. I would back the boat down the ramp and give it an engine run on the trailer to check it or use whatever flushing system you have (Fake a Lake etc).

[Andrew63]

Apart from the transmission cooler which may have debris, only suspect left is the thermostat.

Could be stuck over winter.

[tvano]

perhaps something as simple as the gasket/seal at the impeller cover?

[oldjeep]

Could also be a failed engine water pump.

[Bill_AirJunky]

Or the dealer closed the valve on the raw water intake.

Edited June 1, 2015 by Bill_AirJunky

[oldjeep]

Or the dealer closed the valva on the raw water intake.

He checked that

"Checked the valve in the boat were the water intake comes in the boat and it was not closed (thought maybe when I had my 20 hr service they maybe closed it? But no, it was open).. "

[Ndawg12]

Raw water pump not primed, running dry the impeller will squeal or whine.

[nittyp]

Thanks for the replies guys.. At this point I'm hoping it something obvious and not a witch-hunt for the problem. Also hoping no damage was done..

It could be something as simple as the water not priming into the system since we never really got the rpm's up and it sat running for 10 minutes before we departed from the dock. It never crossed my mind that you can't idle your boat for a certain amount of time before it overheating. When we ride in the delta, I hardly ever shut the boat off the entire day we're out due to the current and boat traffic.. It never really even had a temperature change for the first few months of use before the season ended last year. I will ask that they water test if before I pick it up. Especially if they don't find something obvious.

Again, thanks for the replies.. The experiences and thoughts you have shared will be on my list of possibilities to discuss with them.

[SmoothWaterMan]

What boat, what engine, heater? Heater circulation pump? Heater plumbed to a y fitting?

[RTS]

It fired right up and so we tied it up and I left it idling for like 10 minutes while I parked the truck.

Did you leave anyone in the boat to at least keep an eye on the temperature guage while you parked the truck for 10 minutes?

Did you check the temp gauge when you got back from parking the truck? What was it showing?

10 minutes idling with no cooling water would be enough to get the engine out of the normal range, I would suppose.

First outing of the season?

[nittyp]

Yea my buddy was in the boat but I don't think either one of us thought to even look at the gauge before we headed out.. New boat, has ran like I top so far so didn't even think about it really..

2014 A24 with 409 and yes I do have the factory installed heater.

Edited June 1, 2015 by nittyp

[RTS]

... I don't think either one of us thought to even look at the gauge before we headed out.. New boat ...

Seems to be modus operandi these days...

[haresource2]

Change the impeller. It might look ok but still be faulty. They can basically spin the hub, middle turns fins don't. I know this because I spent 3 hours last 4th July checking everything. Change impeller all was good.

[tvano]

Change the impeller. It might look ok but still be faulty. They can basically spin the hub, middle turns fins don't. I know this because I spent 3 hours last 4th July checking everything. Change impeller all was good.

you can save that old impeller and if it turns out to be good (not source of problem) you will have a spare in the boat.

[gorilla]

Thanks for the replies guys.. At this point I'm hoping it something obvious and not a witch-hunt for the problem. Also hoping no damage was done..

It could be something as simple as the water not priming into the system since we never really got the rpm's up and it sat running for 10 minutes before we departed from the dock. It never crossed my mind that you can't idle your boat for a certain amount of time before it overheating. When we ride in the delta, I hardly ever shut the boat off the entire day we're out due to the current and boat traffic.. It never really even had a temperature change for the first few months of use before the season ended last year.

You can idle a boat all day IF the system was primed/full of water. You most likely had air stuck in the system. It happens when the system is totally dry and it is the first time back in the water. VERY common. Most people don't notice it happening because they get up on plane right after they launch. That gets the RPMs up enough to prime the system. Change the impeller just to be safe, put it in the water, give it a quick rev in neutral and have a great day on the water.

[nittyp]

Yes it was the first time out since winterizing and storage.

Impeller doesn't looked damaged at all but maybe as previously said the inside (brass or whatever it is) could have broke and spun inside of the rubber part. Can u actually tell the two pieces separated by looking at the impeller when that happens?

I'm beginning to think it may have ran dry from sitting idle if in fact the cooling system can't self prime itself at idle speeds..

Edited June 2, 2015 by nittyp

[Ndawg12]

don't ask me how I know but you can easily get up to 200+ degrees in less than 2 minutes in a situation like that. 10 minutes is scary, I would hope it would have shut itself down if it got catastrophically hot...

[85 Barefoot]

Could be your belt. You mentioned it was whining. Last summer had quiet a bit of water in bilge due to crappy shaft packing. Belt got wet...stretched then began to whine. Belt was not visibly wet but it was slipping on the alternator and impeller housing. Not enough water was being pulled up so it the temp started to creep up. I noticed before mine got over 175 cause once the squeal started I started looking at gauges. Might not be it at all but worth checking. Good luck

Edit- also caused my voltage to drop

the impeller doesn't rely on a belt.

[oldjeep]

the impeller doesn't rely on a belt.

Not on an Axis anyways. I'll bet TNWilson has a Mercury motor in his boat

[85 Barefoot]

Not on an Axis anyways. I'll bet TNWilson has a Mercury motor in his boat

his profile shows 06 247.....no mercs then