Check engine light came on, but not alarm sounding? 2006 210 330 Excalibur

[ScooterMcgavin]

Ok So we are out yesterday in my 2006 210 SANTE and this boat is fairly new to me, still trying to get everything dialed in.. but anyways after a few hours out Im checking all gauges everything is looking good, boat is running great (this is a low hour boat 320hrs) , temp is good, oil pressure good all of a sudden I remember I was just idling and when I was pulling away throttling up the check engine light on the dash lit up. still no problems on the gauges, boat running perfect, no alarm ever sounded beeped chirped anything. i know it works because i have heard it before previously(last season). but this time no alarm just the red light in center of dash. So i go back to idle put it in neutral and double checked all the gauges and notice the voltage gauge was reading around 12.1 with boat running should be around 14. So i shut it off switch to both batteries start it back up and no light everything is all good, after another hour and a half or so, the light comes back on, no sound again to warn just the light, only thing i notice is the voltage was around low 12's , check engine light was always on steady too, no flickering or dimming anything. So I turn the boat off and wait a couple min, restart it, it starts right up no chirp or warning buzzer at all but the light was still on. I try this a couple times and same result. it started and ran fine up to speed no limp mode nothing, just the light on. it was getting late so we decide to put it on the trailer and at the ramp i immediately pull the drain plug and jump back in to start it up for a second to get the water out of the engine, this time the check engine light did not come on at all i noticed. Has anyone else had this light come on with out the alarm sounding? any thoughts on what I can check out, is this light supposed to come on with out the sound?
Thanks for your help

[Paxdad]

Cant help with the light but not a good idea to start the boat out of the water no mater how short of time it is. Just to clarify you only have one light on the dash correct?

[ScooterMcgavin]

Yes it has one red light in the center of the dash, it does have a small orange one in the bottom of the rpm gauge but that one did not come on Sunday. So when pulling boat out of the lake, just leave the excess water in the engine? Will it drain out on its own? I was just following someone's advise that's all, but always appreciate the info

[Paxdad]

Yes it has one red light in the center of the dash, it does have a small orange one in the bottom of the rpm gauge but that one did not come on Sunday. So when pulling boat out of the lake, just leave the excess water in the engine? Will it drain out on its own? I was just following someone's advise that's all, but always appreciate the info

The water will not drain out on its own. When you run it out of water without a supply the system sucks in air and causes the sea/ raw water pump impeller to run dry causing premature damage. Leaving the water in the engine/ system does not hurt anything unless it is saltwater or risk of freeze. If you have been doing this on a regular basis I would sure check your impeller for damage.

[ScooterMcgavin]

Ok thanks, has anyone had their check engine light come on without the alarm sounding off?

[core-rider]

Not saying this is your issue, but I have been tricked for a split second many times when the sun hit that lens in a way that made it look as if the light was on. It made me really have to pay attention for a second to make sure that is all it was.

Just to clarify, you are speaking of the light at the top of the dash between the speedo and tach gauges correct? Not the smaller light below and to the right of the PP that monitors v-drive fluid pressure... That light should always be on below about 1200RPM. If it is on above that the fluid level could be low or sensor has gone bad.

[ScooterMcgavin]

Yep it's the one in the center on top in between the tac and speedo,and it definitely was on and not the sun, it was overcast and I could definitely tell it was on, no doubt. I even turned the engine off waited a few minutes and restarted it a few times and the light would go off when shut down, but would come back on when I started it. No chirps,no 2 beeps not a sound from alarm, just the light. Then the last time a started it... The light was off. Everything was running good. Just noticed voltage was hanging around 12.1. Not sure if that would cause the light to come on?

[core-rider]

I'm not sure if the ECM has a low voltage alarm that would show on the check engine light or not, but I wouldn't think it would come on at 12.1VDC either. Maybe closer to 11.5VDC. 12.1VDC definitely shows your alternator isn't working correctly. It should be closer to 14VDC when engines runs. I would check the alternator belt for slipping or if it jumped off. I would also take a digital multi-meter with you next time you're out and verify the voltage while running. Could be the alternator has gone bad and the check engine light is showing you there is a problem to investigate. I've seen the display on my tach show "Low Voltage" before at first start-up, but never in a running situation so I don't know for certain the check engine light would come on for it.

[ski4evr]

Low voltage at the dash is common, I replaced my wiring to the main fuse block and went from 12v to 14v with just that. I was getting low voltage beeps when I added PP. I am attaching the ecm manual, and it talks of alarms and other diagnostics, but for the most part, you have to get a dealer with a diacom tool to read the codes. They are getting cheaper but still 600 hundred bucks for the software.

[NautiqueJeff]

According to your owner's manual, this light indicates that the engine is overheating. In certain years, it can also indicate low oil pressure, but the 2006 manual doesn't say anything about that.

Since you have been running the boat out of the water, I would immediately check the impeller. Maybe it has been damaged and is causing an overheat condition and for some reason the gauge isn't showing it.

[ScooterMcgavin]

Ok that helps, I will remove the impeller and see what it looks like. Just to clarify.. I wouldnt run the boat without a water source hooked to it. I was following advise and have started the boat immediately after pulling it out of the water for one second just to remove excess water in engine. If you guys say that water in there will not hurt a thing then I will just leave it. Thanks again for all your help, I'll let you know what it is. So I'm assuming no one else has ever had the check engine light come on with out the alarm?

[obd666]

If you guys say that water in there will not hurt a thing then I will just leave it.

yeah, no need to get water out of the engine. by starting the motor with no water for even a second you are making your water pump have to re prime every time its back in the lake, at the very least. not good for the impeller and just unnecessary, and potentially a bigger issue if it fails to re prime at some point without you noticing ... good luck on the light.

[Paxdad]

yeah, no need to get water out of the engine. by starting the motor with no water for even a second you are making your water pump have to re prime every time its back in the lake, at the very least. not good for the impeller and just unnecessary, and potentially a bigger issue if it fails to re prime at some point without you noticing ... good luck on the light.

My light came on once when my impeller was in the process of shredding itself to bits. The impeller was brand new from Nautiqueparts and apparently they received a defective batch of impellers. As soon as I saw the dash gauge climb to about 175 degrees the light came on and I immediately hit the stop button. Needless to say and thanks to Jeff he thought of contacting Nautiqueparts about the issue with the defective impeller. Nautiqueparts made good on the replacment impeller and the previous impeller (yes that is correct I received two defective impellers from them) but did not make good on my starter that failed when my motor hydrolocked due to the failed impeller. Just make sure if you replace your impeller that it is in fact a genuine PCM part that is in a PCM package etc. I can tell you that some of the parts from Nautiqueparts are not OEM PCM parts and that they are clone chinese parts like the defective parts I got from Nautiqueparts. It must be the reference to "Nautiqueparts" that led me to believe that the impeller(s) were from PCM. JMHO..... I now have sitting on my shelf 3 new impellers (non-OEM PCM in small white box) that will never be put back in my boat.

[tommer12]

My 2005 SANTE does the same thing some days. Its only at idle and has something to do with a sensor either in the transmission or water. My oil pressure is perfect, my water pump is solid, the fluids are fine, but at idle that light comes on. When I speed up, it goes away. My buddy has a 2006 211 and his does the same darn thing. Double check your water strainer. From the side view it may look fine, but when I took mine off, it was stuffed with tiny ground up leaves. At low speed, it could be an issue, who knows. but i think there is a "sensitive" sensor on it. Mine barely has 300 hours and it was doing this as well.

[tommer12]

I just remembered what mine was, its the light that says "Under 1200 RPMs..." this light comes on/off at idle depending on its mood. It has to do with the transmission pump at idle. It goes off as soon as you go over a certain RPMs. On your left gauge, you should be able to step through the computer sensors to check Oil/water/battery/etc. See if one of those is not correct. I do not trust the analog gauges anymore. They stick and then start working, etc (oil, engine temp, etc)