Check engine light

I have a 99 stratos vindicator 273 with a 150 evinrude on it and yesterday I was fishing a tournament and I made about a 15 minute run down south and then about 30 minutes later I made another long run but on the way back my boat started making a loud squealing noise and the check engine light came on. I came off of plane and turned the engine off, let it sit for about 5 minutes and idled my way back to weigh in. Any suggestions on what I should look into for fixing this? I don’t really have the budget to take it to a mechanic.

When you say a squealing noise do you mean like a alarm? My first thought is a heat alarm which will be a loud constant high pitch squeal.

I have no idea. Never had a boat with a check engine light.

Flush it out good and check water flow.

I'm thinking impeller or something's plugged and blocking water flow.

I had a high squealing alarm, but it was when I was idling or slowly trolling. It ended up being water pump/impeller.

Take it to a marine mechanic. Do not run again until you have. I like the people on the forum but this ain’t the place to fix an engine.
Best way to blow your engine up is to not take it in and get it checked.
And yes I saw where your budget was tight but a trip in will be a whole lot cheaper than a blown power head.

+1

Pull cowl off and take a look , never kno what you might find .

It could be a lot of things, low oil in the reservoir under the cowl, heat, etc.

if you want to diagnose / fix yourself, you need to get the shop service manual for your motor. It will tell you how to interpret the audible alarms and lights and give you step-by-step diagnostic process for every system on that motor. Typically the manual will run about $75. you can order a manual on this website OMC docs, you will have to scroll through the list to find your exact model

here's a link to help you dial in part numbers when it comes to that EvinrudeParts