Hi Fellow Anglers. I need help on why my motor is beeping four times every two minutes. It happened on July 4th. Last time this happened was my oil reservoir was low two years ago and the oil reservoir in the engine compartment was not full due to cavitation after I filled it back up. This time it was beeping and I checked my oil reservoir it was 80% full and the reservoir in the engine compartment is full too. I cracked the cap loose and the oil was seeping out while the motor was running. Is it possible the sensor is bad? If so where is the sensor located? What other area should I checked? Any suggestions or help will be gravely appreciated. Thank you for your time.

Guy

LOW OIL LEVEL: The low oil level warning is activate when the remaining oil in the mounted oil resevoir tank drops below 50 fl. oz.... WARNING HORN EMITS A SERIES OF FOUR BEEPS.

ENGINE OVERHEAT: HORN SOUNDS CONTINUOUSLY

ENGINE OVERSPEED: INTERMITTENT BEEP until engine speed drops below MAXIMUM RPM.

ELECTRICAL SENSOR NOT FUNCTIONING: If the TPS, MAP, or CTS is not functioning, or is out of it's "pre-programmed diagnostic range", the warning horn will sound INTERMITTENTLY.

WATER IN FUEL WARNING: SERIES OF FOUR BEEPS.

You really need to get a scanner. Water in your fuel or your oil level sensor or tank float could be bad. Everyone that owns an Optimax should have one of these: http://www.rinda.com/acro/prodlist.pdf

I am betting on a stuck float inside the tank mounted on the engine. Try taking the lid off and use a wire to hook the float and drag it to the top and see if the beeps go away.

Mine did the same thing last year and oil level was fine. I changed fuel filter water separator under cowling.....fixed issue.

Mine did this. Replaced the engine-mounted plastic tank to fix it. Common problem.

Replace your Oil Reserve tank...$136.00 Do Not try to rebuild it. BEEN THERE......Check to see if the Main Oil Tank Filler CAPS are tight and not sucking air!!

This Oil Reserve Tank issue has been an ongoing thing for yrs.Of Course Mercury knows about it and local Mercury techs here have been beating their gums with Mercury and getting no answers.

I'm thinking of replacing the fuel filter/water separator first. I didn't realized the oil reservoir is that expensive at $136. Wow! Thanks for suggestions everyone.

Better be happy it`s not a 90-115 Optimax. They are over 400 bucks.

I wish I had known about the oil tank issues otherwise I would had gone with 4 strokes. I haven't got a chance to look into it yet since the boat is at the lake. I'll keep your updated. Thank you for everything.

I'm checking into the issue now. It's a faulty float switch in the oil tank. I've checked the sensor with a magnet and it showed continuity. Apparently the float became separated from the magnet in the oil tank. The oil system is working properly and my main question is couldn't I just jump around the sensor? I mean what harmed will that cause besides I just needed to monitor my oil level. Any experts here object or have an opinion? Thank you

I'm no expert. But remember how you said that sensor saved your bacon?

You're in the right ballpark on something to check, but the description you give is incorrect. The caps on the remote oil tank do need to be properly sealed, but they will not "suck air" if loose. The outboard actually pressurizes the tank via an air hose so that oil is forced up the other hose into the engine-mounted reservoir. If the caps are loose or the system otherwise leaks, air will exit (not "suck" into)
preventing oil from being pushed up the oil line.

So, you have an oil reservoir mounted under the engine cowling that you can't see. If for any of 1000 reasons, it empties thereby denying lubrication to the engine, you're OK with that? If that reservoir empties while at high RPM - with no sensor to monitor the oil supply - how many seconds do you think the outboard will run before seizure?

Monitoring oil level in the remote tank does not insure oil is reaching the engine. Many things can go wrong that would interfere - as simple as a loose cap, or a kinked oil line. I'm sure others can list many other simple risks - those were just examples. You can run without the sensor; that will likely give you an opportunity to replace the two stroke with a new 4-stroke engine that will also have known service issues.