www.iFourWinns.com

Hello from the St Croix river in Wisconsin!

I purchased a 2000 Horizon 230 with a 7.4Gi and SX duo prop package earlier this summer. It has 490 hours on it but it is not the original engine when comparing the s/n between this engine and the original documentation. Regardless, it has been an excellent performer in terms of power, temp and oil pressure as we have burned through about 60 gallons so far this summer.

However - we were returning to slip on the 4th along with 50-100 other boats (or so it seemed). I had 6 people on board (under 900#), 1/4 tank of fuel so a light load. The rate of speed was fairly low given the darkness and very rough water/wake action due to all of the really big boats.

Just as we were approaching the inlet for our marina, I had a temp warning alarm go off - sure enough the gauge was reaching for the red AND the oil pressure light was also on with the gauge reading low. I cut the engine and we drifted a bit - I turned the key back on and the temp showed some decline so I restarted the engine (oil light still on) and we proceeded into the marina and tied off the boat for the night. The bizarre thing is that the temp steadily dropped as we proceeded into the channel and to the slip, down to normal but the oil pressure light remained on.

I returned to the boat yesterday and inspected the oil & general condition of the engine, checked all fuses (in case of some funky VDO related issue) - all appeared normal. The engine oil was perfect and had no odor/color/water indication at all. I restarted and we proceeded to a ramp for loading - the entire trip it ran as well as always, with oil pressure at 50% + on the gauge and temp right at noon on the crappy VDO scale. I am searching right now for a replacement gauge panel since it is impossible to stand and keep an eye on temp/oil pressure, which I am normally pretty OCD about. The evening of the 4th, I was more focused on the marker bouys however and did not see the temp increasing.

At any rate, I am a bit perplexed as to how it could have supposedly run hot and dropped oil pressure, only to stop it and restart with it running cooler and cooler, yet low on oil pressure. Then I run it again and all seems totally normal. It would almost seem that some debris was wrapped around the lower unit and fell off when we stopped and cut the engine. While this may answer the temp, it does not answer the oil pressure.

Any thoughts on a path for troubleshooting? I've already purchased a higher grade oil pressure gauge and intend to install it in place of the gauge sender in order to have a for-real reading of oil pressure. Where the heck is that sender located on the 7.4GI???

The reason we pulled it off the river yesterday was that I was already planning to pull the lower unit in order to replace the gimbal, yoke spider, all bellows, lubricate, etc as a preventative maintenance exercise since this boat is new to me. I was ironically also planning to replace the impeller & thermostat as well.

Any thoughts on a path are greatly appreciated. We are planning a 50 mile river cruise with friends in a few weeks and I would surely like to have some peace of mind in doing so!

Scott

The high temperature may explain everything by itself. Of course hot oil has lower viscosity (thinner) and will have a lower pressure. It would take more time for the oil to cool down vs the water temperature. So if your oil pressure is back to normal now, you probably do not have any issues.

That being said, I have also had issues with my oil pressure on the VDO gauges. My issue was that the oil pressure came up very slowly on a cold start (occasionally). I replaced the sending unit, and still occasionally had the same problem.

I added a mechanical oil pressure gage in the engine compartment. I added a "T" under the original sending unit to provide a location to connect the mechanical gage tubing. This mechanical gage always shows the oil pressure coming up to 60-80 psi within a couple seconds. Now I have peace of mind over the VDO gage which showed 40-60% scale depending on RPM/Temp.

Ray

_________________

"Knot Easy" 2000 Horizon 240 Volvo 5.7GS /SX
tow: 2017 Honda PILOT EXL-AWD
prev. boats:
'87 Chaparral 198CXL 4.3 OMC Cobra
'69 Jetstar 16ft Ski Boat, 115hp Yamaha
'68 Aluminum Jon Boat, 3hp Sears
'64 Water Wings

Ray - thanks for the prompt response. I had also considered the oil viscosity but am being cautious. This is my first Volvo marine power plant and 7.4 so I'm not totally sure of the pressure sender (gauge) location. There are plenty of sensors around the engine. Do you have a description of the location or a picture of your gauge installed?

Many thanks

Scott

How does your impeller look? I would make sure everything is OK there first and then move on to the oil pressure issue..

_________________

2008 Vista 278 Volvo Penta 8.1 Gi 375 hp
1999 Horizon 220 5.7 GSi

I never had a 7.4, but on my 4.3L and 5.7L chevy engines (VP), the sender was on the top of the engine, towards the back (near the distributor). Looks like this, but painted the same color as your engine. It is about 1-1/4" diameter. What you see on the left in this picture is actually the top, and has the wire connected to it.

The thread is a 1/8" pipe thread, so If you decide to add a mechanical gage also, I put a brass Tee and close nipple (1/8 NPT) under it to be able to add the tube for the mechanical gage.

_________________

"Knot Easy" 2000 Horizon 240 Volvo 5.7GS /SX
tow: 2017 Honda PILOT EXL-AWD
prev. boats:
'87 Chaparral 198CXL 4.3 OMC Cobra
'69 Jetstar 16ft Ski Boat, 115hp Yamaha
'68 Aluminum Jon Boat, 3hp Sears
'64 Water Wings

I agree, the impeller would be my first stop.

_________________


Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

Might you have had a plastic bag temporarily stuck?
Change your engine oil and filter after an overheat.
It's viscosity would have been damaged due to heat induced shearing.

_________________
2011 Four Winns H180 SS.
Aussie built Mustang 2800.
SOLD - 1997 Four Winns Horizon RS

I have had this happen in the past. A plastic bag will do it. No need to check the impeller if everything is back to normal now.

Deafwish is quite knowledgeable about oils, so I would agree you should consider an oil and filter change soon, or if the filter was pretty new, then just oil.

_________________

"Knot Easy" 2000 Horizon 240 Volvo 5.7GS /SX
tow: 2017 Honda PILOT EXL-AWD
prev. boats:
'87 Chaparral 198CXL 4.3 OMC Cobra
'69 Jetstar 16ft Ski Boat, 115hp Yamaha
'68 Aluminum Jon Boat, 3hp Sears
'64 Water Wings

When the oil was last changed, do you know what grade was used?
You can use a straight 30, or 40, or the Volvo Syn 10W/40, or the Merc 25/40 in conventional and semi syn grades. Some also use Chevron Delo, Shell Rotella or Pennzoil Marine 15w/40 as well. What I've noticed is that the straight weights from Chevron, Shell, etc used to be rated for both gas and diesel, are now only rated for diesel. The 15w/40 is rated for both. I've used the Merc 25/40 and did an oil analysis last season and it held up as well as the straight weights I used to use in the past when they were rated for both gas and diesel.
It is a good idea to do an oil analysis at some point because it will alert you to problems that are just starting. It may be what you don't want to know about, but at the same time you'll know for sure if the oil you are using is adequate. Most oil threads are a lot of conjecture and not much facts or testing.....

_________________
88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Thank you for the replies, gents!

I changed out the water pump impeller - which was a helluva job since the 7.4 is practically touching the rear floor structure - maybe 3/8" gap. I had to remove the floor panel from above the fuel cell just to get my hands on the pump. The old impeller was in fine condition, save for one paddle beginning to tear at it's base.

Back to the water and did flawless run for a few miles Friday.

Saturday did 30 miles or more, perfect engine temp and oil pressure, including a few miles of no-wake. About 10:30pm when we were in a no-wake to dock up, the temp alarm goes off again and the gauge is swinging for red. I cut the engine and after a minute, restart and the gauge moves back to normal. There have been some large grass mats floating in the river in the past week - my assumption is that is what I caught the night of the 4th. Then again Saturday - not out of the question. We did not find an open dock so decided to beach it, more alarm & gauge action however no amount of reverse or tilting would clear it - I am pretty convinced it is NOT debris related. I am suspicious of an older impeller lodging or some other factor, possibly t-stat. At any rate, we cruised to our slip after midnight - perfect operation again, upon entering our now-wake entrance, it's all alarms and red zone on the gauge. I didnt have my IR gun with me buy NO component was too hot to the touch including exhaust manifolds, etc.

My next step is to replace t-stat as well as flush all block/exhaust manifolds, oil cooler, etc in search of blockage.

One thing I am curious about - this is my first VP outdrive - when I had it on the muffs in my driveway, the water exiting the motor while running sort of just spilled out around the base of the transom seal housing. Is this normal?

Would my 2000 H230 have an exhaust flapper in or near the y-pipe that may be lodging at times? I plan to pull the lower unit this coming week and may find out for myself - any thoughts in advance are appreciated.

Regards,

Scott

Scott, while running on the muffs the water coming out of the bottom of the transom shield is normal. If you look under the transom shield you will find an anode. This is partially covering an exhaust outlet that reduces back pressure at idle by not requiring the exhaust to go deeper in the water to exit through the prop. Also, the exhaust bellows will have drain holes or slots to allow water to drain. If you pull the anode you might be able to see in this area of the exhaust system. I did have a flapper valve issue on my '95 190 Horizon. I had a flapper lodged in the transom area, but it did not cause any unusual temps or run rough. It did significantly reduce top end power. I understand that Volvo quit installing them in the late '90s.

I'd second the thermostat, a good flushing, and an oil change. It might have been a sticky thermostat......

Welcome to the forum and congrats on the boat. Get it figured out for your trip. Are you going down the Mississippi toward Red Wing or Lake City, or up toward St. Paul? Sounds like fun.

We just got back from a week aboard. We launched in Hastings, MN, and, with a few overnights, got down within about 2 miles of Lock 9 near Harpers Ferry, IA, and Prairie Du Chien,WI. We put approximately 400 miles on the boat on this round trip.

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Surface Interval: A scuba diving term for that time between dives to relax and prepare for life's next great adventure.

Current boat: '02 FW 268 Vista
Previous boat: '95 FW 190 Horizon

If the manifolds were not too hot to touch, then you are getting plenty of water flow from the raw water pump.

That leaves your thermostat as the likely culprit. Temperature probe second. Blocked passageways in engine as a distant third.

As Surface Interval said, exhaust flapper issues would block exhaust, robbing top end power, but would not cause an overheat, and the water spilling at the transom shield while on the cuffs is perfectly normal.

_________________

"Knot Easy" 2000 Horizon 240 Volvo 5.7GS /SX
tow: 2017 Honda PILOT EXL-AWD
prev. boats:
'87 Chaparral 198CXL 4.3 OMC Cobra
'69 Jetstar 16ft Ski Boat, 115hp Yamaha
'68 Aluminum Jon Boat, 3hp Sears
'64 Water Wings

Sounds like an awesome trip!

_________________

"Knot Easy" 2000 Horizon 240 Volvo 5.7GS /SX
tow: 2017 Honda PILOT EXL-AWD
prev. boats:
'87 Chaparral 198CXL 4.3 OMC Cobra
'69 Jetstar 16ft Ski Boat, 115hp Yamaha
'68 Aluminum Jon Boat, 3hp Sears
'64 Water Wings

If you have an IR temp gun then aim it at the intake manifold right under the thermo housing.i have found that this reflects the dash gauge temp -10* or so. You might want to remove that housing and replace the stat but test it in a pot of water first and make sure all the ports in that housing are really open. You might even find a piece of an old impeller in there!

_________________
88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Thank you to all who contributed thoughts, etc to this issue.

I replaced the t-stat upon finding no damage to the water pump impeller.

I also installed a direct reading temp gauge on top of the engine, attached to the lifting eye - a quick opening of the rear cushion gives me actual temp 1" below the dash sender.

I also put it on the muffs and with full water flow & engine idling, proceeded to remove & flush every drain connection. The lower port block drain was plugged & needed to be rodded out.

Took her on a 3 day trip down the St Croix & Mississippi and back with 2 other couples. Lots of no-wake opportunity for the temp to swing for the fences - BUT NEVER DID!! In fact it ran on average just a little bit cooler over all speed ranges.

At the end of the day, I believe it was a failing t-stat that was the root cause. Doesn't hurt to do a mid-season flush either perhaps with our sandy beach locales.

One lingering thing thought is using my IR gun, the port side exhaust manifold (casting) is usually 30 Deg cooler than the starboard.. I'm not sure if this is indicative of a partial plugging of the starboard riser or not - or whether it's worth digging into yet this summer..

Any thoughts on that?

Scott