lowfunds

yeah well guess what mercury marine just changed everything. all the new products like smartcraft can no longer be setup without a laptop. you used to be able to setup everything using the system view but not anymore. everything is going to have to be setup by the laptop. my boss just bought the setup last year and it was close to $9,000 for everything. you also have to update the computer every 3 weeks because they are adding more and more stuff to their line up. they say the reason for doing this is to cut out the mom and pop marina's and the do it yourselfer's. the verado engines pcm can see up to 250 fault codes. i am mecruiser efi3 certified,dts, and i just went to introduction to cds and that is where i got all this info. as for you 496 i have seen alot of those cheap exhaust sensors go bad especially being if they are being used in saltwater. they also just changed the exhaust manifolds to cast iron. duh that was a no brainer. saltwater and exhaust manifolds not mix. oh and if you are running in saltwater and that sensor is bad good luck getting them out cause they are made of cheap plastic and get packed with saltwater and snap clean off. i also have seen the a lot of those water pressure sensors go bad they are located down by the pump. good luck. oh and as for the rinda tool they work ok but it still is not as good as the ddt or the laptop. mercury marine also is no longer going to offer cartridges for the ddt.

kaama82

iTrader: (1)

I'm happy there will always be carbs. to work on...

handfulz28

Just a thought for comparison, but my Perko pieces are further away from the pump. They're behind the motor actually, maybe 1.5ft from where hose comes through transom. Maybe if they were moved further away the water would calm down some?

Bill 3

Could it be your sea pressure sender just because you were messing with the pump? I had my sea water pressure sensor go bad because I forgot to unplug it when taking the pump out to change the impeller. It sort of fell/dropped down when I took the pump loose and the wires pulled on the sensor. I was getting hi sea pump ckt at idle and it was showing around 46psi on the Diacom software. I could take a pair of channel locks and squeeze the sensor and cause my readings to return to normal. $90 part

Reckless32

I'm pretty sure i didn't do any damage to the sensors as it was no different than changing out the impeller for me.

Definitely no spring loaded Perko kit with the spring to rust out. Just plain-Jane t-fitting.

Moved the separator & boost pump off of to the side, disconnected the pressure sensor, dropped the pump, used a small PVC saw to cut the hose clean, disconnected the forward short hose piece, inserted t-fitting, inserted other end into hose all lubed up with soap/water, lifted & reconnected pump to bracket, re-connected pressure sensor, re-installed/connected separator & boost pump, installed serpentine. Same on the other side. Then did a once over QA check to avoid a self inflicted wound by burning an impeller etc.

I then fired it up on the lift one motor at a time for about 10 minutes each to do a leak check at all points etc. and even ran it at 1500 rpm for about 30-45 seconds, no alarms, no leaks (see picture of transom shot with water exiting drive w/ silencers on). One week later i put it in the water and voila! BEEP-BEEP!

I'm replacing a weak motor on my lift today then I will hang it, and do a thorough once over while on the lift where it's easiest just to be sure the sensor connectors are secure in place etc.

As you can see I simply used a 1.25" rigid PVC t-fitting, brass adapters, 5/8" rigid non-collapsible PVC hose, and my own idea of two way Y splitter shutoff w/ single Perko fitting. The Y splitter BTW is airtight when closed, plus the cap is on tight on the Perko. No leaks after sitting/running all weekend.

The Rinda tool is as far as i need to go on a set of 496's. If it doesn't tell me exactly what, it can certainly tell me what is NOT and close in on the culprit. I'm hoping I'll get in there disconnect the connectors on the snesors, re-connect firmly, and the bug goes away. I might even rotate the t-fitting a little more downward just to try and create a different dynamic inside the hose.

The other 496 I mentioned above with same only worse symptoms is getting Mercruiser involved (new boat under warranty dealer installed flush kit) and we'll be sharing notes. Plus the other thing is the two stall incidents i had, and the crappy startup the next morning?

t-islands

I am not sure what effect this would have but I notice your fitting is a 90 deg angle. The fitting I received with my kit is more of a 45* and the angle is away from the flow. See pic.

Reckless32

Makes sense to me, but it would seem to me to only have affect when flushing? When I op-checked it by flushing the weekend before there was no alrms and everyhting worked great. I simply did what a few others on the board had done, and gone to the local THD store for the parts. Others works, mine "maybe" is not. Won't be any confirmation until the culprit is found.

BTW where did you get the angled t-fitting? Which kit? Can I get just the fitting by itself?

t-islands

The Angled fitting came with the Mercury 496 flush kit. The instructions are very specific in the direction and distance to mount the fitting. If memory serves me the hose was cut 7" away from the pump which actually puts it behind the motor mount.

Vyper340

Rick - what's the deal with all that rust down there???

I ordered 2 new Merc units which should have arrived at my house by now so they go in soon. You can check out the difference if you want. My take on it is that you cannot use the PVC cause you won't get a good seal (it will suck in air) without the barbs and a super tight hose fitment. The distance away from the pump could also be a factor along with the angle of the T that could cause a disruption in laminar flow this introducing more cavitation to the impeller and causing a low water pressue of even "overheating" issue. I would ditch the connector you used and get the Merc angled part and you should be fine... unless you want to use that as the excuse your boat isn't faster than mine

Reckless32

Yeah, this past winter put a hurtin' on the hardware. Got most of it cleaned up while it was apart and painted. Problem always is the bilge holds so much stagnant moisture.

The PVC does have barbs. Made it a biotch to get the suckers int the hose which is rigid as hell. Plus the clamps on there as tight as I can get them. Again i have plenty of gauge pressure and there are no temp alarms which are either there, or they're not. Risers cool to the touch immediately off plane, plenty of water out the back. The mystery is the 2 beep per minute alarm that popped up suddenly, immediately after starting & every 60 seconds consistently. High demand/high RPM a solid alarm but no guardian shutdown except one motor refuses past 3700 (turned out to be fouled injectors again like the other motor a few weeks back).

7 inches definitely behind the motor mounts and almost impossible to get on. Mine are in the 4-5 inch range. I would almost have to go back 24 inches from the pump to clear the mount and manifold purge valve. The 496 has two hose sections, one from the transom to the purge valve, and one from the valve to the pump itself which is where my T is. If there's no flushing, then I don't understand how the angled fitting would matter other than assissting in flush directional flow, especially with weak water pressure. It appears to me Merc did that only to ensure good directional flow when flushing. My post-op check flushing the week prior worked great and instantly no alarms.

If you still have those directioons do me a favor and scan them and post them if able.

Hey Vype, how's Moscow?....