My first alarm
 

2006 5.0 MPI. Had just refilled. Alarm every minute or so

Neutral invoked immediate stall, no wind thankfully.

The only two guesses I have are sender unit or water.


Gauges all normal, water temp a little low at 160

I believe when it is going off every minute it is in guardian mode!

If you have access to a scan tool that would help narrow it dwn prety quick! Doesn't sound like its a fluid alarm, but would check all anyway!

Rick

Well I was going to pull it this week for cleaning. Someone must have told the boat it is for sale. Hopefully my marina guy has the scan tool, I hate guess and spend.

I hear ya, nothing worse than throwing money at it and still having the same problem!

Good luck!

Rick

Have to check this out soon. What kind of alarm do you get with gear lube level?

Gear oil is a constant buz

Most likely the IAC is bad.

It wasn't constant, about once every minute or so. I had always wondered how loud they are, THEY ARE LOUD! Thankfully, I made it to the dock, even if the bow was almost impaled on a windlass.

I've heard about bad idle control valves, is that what the IAC is?

+ 1 if it stalled its the IAC.

Yes, and when they go completely bad, the alarm will beep every minute or so.

You can check it before changing it by disconnecting and then starting, your idle speed should rise as normal, reconnect and start again, if your idle speed is normal it's probably not the IAC.

Rick

I'll have them check it today, from everything I've read, the IAC sounds like the culprit.

Hate the coincidence of having just gassed up and have the alarm go off inside of 2 miles. But no ethanol through this engine yet, and I don't think any alarm will go off for water or bad gas.

I'd rather it be a bad IAC than the gas ;)

Hope that's all is!

It was the IAC. Runs like a charm now.

Thanks to all.

My cousin had two different boats with Merc's 6.1 (377) with an IAC going bad. Something wrongs when a control module without any moving parts goes bad.