Check Engine Light/Steam-Smoke

[newbote]

Hi,

I just picked up my 2016 242 Limited S Friday - I had the port side check engine light come on today. I grabbed my phone and searched and found if you turned the batteries off and back on it would clear the code. Worked and no more check engine light - this site is great by the way. I may be being paranoid but we did see some steam/smoke from the back of the boat two different times. My wife said she smelled exhaust fumes but I wasn't positive. I am going to have the dealer look at it either way- its in dry stack where I bought it but does anyone think I have anything to worry about?

I may being a bit paranoid but am coming from a 4S Suzuki outboard that was flawless for 6 years - and in the salt. I am sure this will be fine but it was very hard to not buy another outboard - but the jet boat just works better in the lake where we moved.

 

[Bruce]

Welcome Aboard!

The engines can make steam if the cooling water stream becomes too small. The most frequent cause of this is getting debris hung up in the jets. This causes cavitation which can interrupt the cooling water flow which is captured from the propulsion flow. It would likely happen when you throttled down to idle.

If the engines overheat you will get an alarm for that and the engines go into RPM limiting limp mode.

 

[haknslash]

Are you sure you weren't just seeing the exhaust steam by the pumps? Sometimes this can be seen from the back. If I list my boat with ballast I've seen it steam a little before. I can also sometimes smell exhaust if the wind is blowing to my back or if I'm creeping along at idle on a calm day. It's just the nature of the beast I think with some fumes wanting to recirculate back there in a pocket of air.

Is this what you saw off the back of the boat in this video (skip to around 1:50)? This boat was listed with ballast and it exposes the exhaust exit by the pump making it easier to get the steam going. If this is what you saw I would say this can be normal.

 

[newbote]

Are you sure you weren't just seeing the exhaust steam by the pumps? Sometimes this can be seen from the back. If I list my boat with ballast I've seen it steam a little before. I can also sometimes smell exhaust if the wind is blowing to my back or if I'm creeping along at idle on a calm day. It's just the nature of the beast I think with some fumes wanting to recirculate back there in a pocket of air.

Is this what you saw off the back of the boat in this video (skip to around 1:50)? This boat was listed with ballast and it exposes the exhaust exit by the pump making it easier to get the steam going. If this is what you saw I would say this can be normal.

Yes - it looked just like that, thanks!

 

[newbote]

Welcome Aboard!

The engines can make steam if the cooling water stream becomes too small. The most frequent cause of this is getting debris hung up in the jets. This causes cavitation which can interrupt the cooling water flow which is captured from the propulsion flow. It would likely happen when you throttled down to idle.

If the engines overheat you will get an alarm for that and the engines go into RPM limiting limp mode.

Would that cause a check engine light? I never got an overheat alarm or light.