Why is my boat going to limp mode?

The past two times I have been out surfing towards the end of the day my VLX has gone into limp mode.

There were not any obvious problems with oil pressure or temp.

Now that I think about it I remember feeling the exhaust risers and they were not too hot to touch.

The oil pressure gauge never dropped low and I did not get a low oil pressure message.

What else could cause the limp mode to kick in?

Thanks

What year VLX? If its an 06+ it could be your fly by wire throttle sensors are going out....

Its a 2004. Thanks for the suggestion though. What is a fly by wire?

(Message edited by 151 on August 20, 2008)

Fly by wire, is an electronic sensor system (much like in most automobiles) vs. an actual throttle cable that runs from the throttle to the engine.

I would physically check my oil and not rely on the gauge itself. When you are surfing the boat is obviously tilted to one direction. this can cause some problems if the oil is just a little low.

Bret,

Thanks for the reply. I hate to show my ignorance here but oh well.

I checked the oil yesterday. The dip stick is the type with holes in it up to a certain point.

There were traces of oil on the stick and in the holes but the stick was not covered with oil like I am used to seeing.

Could it be I am a little low on oil?

Does the monsoon have an oil level sensor?

I think I will just drain the oil and refill then check the stick.

Thanks man

It needs to be filled to the top hole. I would assume you are low. I am pretty sure that engine has a sensor.

Yes it does have a sensor. It will pull you back to idle if there is low pressure.

we over fill the oil (dealer recommendation) just for surfing

so when the boat is leaning way over to one side....plenty of oil for the pickup to get

Overfill it by now much?

Since you are talking about the oil being low it may be something similar to what happened to me. I have a 2000 moomba with a carb indmar. My oil pressure switch went bad. If this switch doesn't get the pressure it wants it shuts off your fuel pump to protect the engine. Maybe with a MPI it cuts the trottle back till it sees an oil pressure that it likes???

Not sure about Indmar, but Mercruisers have a water flow sensor that can put the engine into limp mode.

I'm pretty sure it's a quart over
I will call out there and ask what they normally do

Normally if the oil pressure drops there is a warning beep and a message low op or something like that. I do not think I had a pressure drop.

What about the water flow sensor what does it do and how can I check that?

I did check the impeller and it is fine. The exhaust was not hot so I think at least water was getting to the risers.

Could it be that there wasn't water flowing to the trans? Would that put me in limp mode?

I am having a bit of trouble because at first this was an intermittent problem that became permanent.

not sure on malibu's but my 06 tige would go to limp mode because the throttle position sensor linkage was bad (throttle by wire) but I believe you still have a TPS sensor and if it is on its way out it will probably put you into limp mode. you may have to have the dealer read your computer codes and that should give you an idea.

All fuel injected engines will have a TPS (throttle position sensor) the difference between a cable controlled throttle and a drive-by-wire throttle, is the location of the TPS.

On DBW, the TPS is located on the shift.throttle lever, and sends a signal to the ECM, the controller, in turn, sends a signal to a throttle mounted motor that opens and closes the throttle based on the PWM (pulse-width modulated) signal from the ECM. This motor contains a TPS in order to supply feedback to the ECM of the throttles actual position.

On a cable driven system, a faulty TPS could cause a "limp mode".

i work at a chevy dealer, and i am wondering if our diagnostic computer there can pull codes out of a 5.7 indmar, or are they marine specific, does any one know?

oil pickup should be low enough to cover the list. maybe marine engine manufacturers should put the pickup in the "V" of the oil pan.. just an idea....

strip cars sometimes run with the oil LOW to improve ET. BUT, since you can't see it on the dipstick... cause for concern.

I am having similar issues with my 03 VLX. You should check your temp gauge. 160 is normal operating temp. The Indmar manual says it will go to limp mode at 178ish. 178 us less than one tick up from 160. So, the boat could be starting to overheat without it being super obviouse.
I thought I figured out what was making my boat overheat, but it didn't work.
I tried all the obvious stuff.
Headed to the boat mechanic.

I am thinking that the engine does have an oil level sensor and that low oil levels will put you in limp mode.

I added 2.5 yep 2.5 qts of oil today to get the reading up to the dipstick.

Crossed my fingers and took her out. Ran like a jamaican.

Now I just need to find out where all that oil went.

^^^^^^ Ode to Bolt.....I love it.

what an olympics