Intermittent low oil

[jsparker]

I've got an '04 150TXRC thats been running fine since new. Ran fine all season until the day I was going for haulout (Murphy's Law). 5 minutes out of my marina and the low oil alarm went on and engine went into failsafe mode. Topped up the remote resevoir with 1 gal. before heading out, so plenty of oil available. Stopped the engine and pulled the cover, engine oil tank was at the low level line on the tank. A legitimate low-oil situation. Couldn't find the emergency switch (never needed it, out of sight, out of mind), so I decided to leave the cover off, restart the engine and watch the engine tank to avoid running out of oil and limp to the boat ramp 10 minutes away. After restarting the engine, the alarm went off after about 30 seconds and the engine oil tank was about half full when I looked at it. Checked it again about a minute later, and the engine oil tank was now full. Put the cover back on, ran the boat for about 40 minutes before heading to the ramp. Checked the engine oil tank again, and it was still full.

I'm hauled out and winterized, so any advise on what to change before I launch next season? If this happened once, I suspect it could happen again if I don't try to be a bit proactive. I've learned about the oil filter, so I'll change that for sure. Anything else suspect?

Thanks

John

[jb123]

start with the harnesses and ump wiring, make sure the connections arent corroded at all....maybe reroute your hose, could be pinched or bending when turning?

sounds like sludge build up
pull the on engine oil tank filter out and clean it

turn the key switch to on, the emergency pump switch is right in plain sight near the oil tank, flip it and see if it pumps oil

go from there
sometime if u use the cheap oil it will sludge up over the years

[jsparker]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll check those things out when I replace the in-line filter. I've only used Yamalube, but I'd guess that can gunk up to if conditions are just right. Maybe when I do the filter, I'll drain all of the old oil from the system as best I can and replace with a fresh supply.

John

that is what i due every year, but re-use the old oil a little at a time