Alarm buzzer

[holty]

I have an 2003 30' Pilot II with the 6LPA-STP engine. The stock sensors that set off the main buzzer for oil pressure, temp, alternator, and water pressure are working fine. When first started the main (large) buzzer shuts down after a few seconds when oil pressure is up. On my shake-down cruise Monday I started to hear a faint buzzing sound about 15 minutes into my trip. Upon investigation, The sound was coming from what appeared to be a second small (1 1/2" dia) buzzer. I slowly headed back to my slip and started my investigation. This buzzer gets its + power directly from the ignition switch when turned on. The - side of the buzzer has a brown #14 wire with a blue tracer the leaves the helm in a harness that heads down to the bilge. I assume this wire goes through some type of sensor (switch) and then is tied to ground. When disconnected from the buzzer this wire gives me a faint light on my 12v tester when powered from a positive buss. I feel 4 or 5 years ago I had this same problem that turned out to be something very simple but I just can not remember what it was. With this wire disconnected from the buzzer I used my wire-finding toner trying to find it in the bilge to no avail. I think because the wire is going to a sensor that is closed and ends at a ground the toner can not work correctly. So do any Pilot 30 owners or other electrical gurus have any Idea what this aftermarket buzzer is telling me? What devices other than those listed above would need protection? Tomorrow I will squeeze my 72 y/o body through the hatch under the cabin step down and try to find this brown wire with a blue tracer. Please text any ideas you may have. thanks

regards Holty

 

[Bacchus]

MY MS is a very different vessel but will provide a guess to check / investigate.
DavidM is a wealth of MS / Pilot info and should respond.

The only other buzzer in the helm area I can think of on my MS 34HT is a high water alarm that triggers when the high water pump float is activated. The 34T/HTs have a fairly complex set of relays that activate the other bilge pumps and high water alarm when the high water float activates. The alarm also activates if power is lost to the high water pump. This alarm is rather noticeable vs a weak alarm... im wondering if there is a loose or poor connection someplace providing a lower V?
Good luck with the troubleshooting / tracing and do post your findings when the mystery is solved.

 

[holty]

The stock high water alarm has a test switch on the helm that activates the main buzzer so that would not be it. I have wondered where the float switch is for this alarm as I can not locate it. Because of this, I set up my own high water alarm with its dedicated buzzer a few years ago. Thanks for the comeback

regards Holty

 

[rgano]

The float switch for that high water alarm and pump is all the way aft of the transom in place you cannot access unless you have a large deck access like this one I cut.

 

[rgano]

According to the engine service manual, there is NO Brown with Blue trace wire associated with the engine. Did the low intensity buzz from this smaller diameter buzzer cease when you shut the engine down? Try switching off in turn each of the bilge pump breakers on the power panel while hearing this buzz. Otherwise, I am at a loss for what this buzzer is all about. The main engine alarm buzzer will sound for six different conditions; low oil pressure, high coolant temperature, high gear oil temperature, low boost pressure (if your engine is equipped with the sensor - mine isn't), low coolant level, and water in the diesl oil. That's it, no alternator alarm, and no seawater flow alarm unless somebody added the sensor after market. I hate the single buzzer for all those alarms and installed this to help sort out what's going on when the buzzer goes off.

 

[holty]

Hmmm... my 2003 does not have the pump in the same location as yours. I have a tub in that area that holds soaps and small brushes. My pump is on the opposite side adjacent to the macerator. I am headed to the boat to do more investigating now.

regards Holty

buzzer sounds with engine on or off

 

[rgano]

buzzer sounds with engine on or off

Ansd still sounds with engine circuit breaker off? If so, not an engine alarm. Do you have a SeaFire auto fire supression system in the engine space? That and the bilge pumps are the only things beside the engine and carbon monoxide detector (in the cabin) that I can think of which have alarms.

 

[holty]

The small buzzer sounds with the engine switch in the on position whether the engine is running or not. It gets its power from the engine switch directly below it. I have the Seafire system but can not see how this small buzzer is tied to it. The large bilge pump in the starboard rear area sounds the main buzzer when I activate the float switch. I just spent five hours troubleshooting this with no luck and my head is spinning. I need to take a break for a while to clear my brain. thanks for the responses.

regards Holty

 

[rgano]

Maybe somebody has added another alarm such as an exhaust overheat alarm. I added two, one to the Yanmar's exhaust and one to the generator's exhaust. Look for a large diameter hose clamp and sensor attached downstream of the exhaust mixer.

 

[holty]

No exhaust alarm. I know the type you are speaking of. I installed two on my old Shamrock gaser. I am going to look up the wiring for the Seafire system and see how an alarm could be added. thanks

regards Holty

 

[rgano]

No exhaust alarm. I know the type you are speaking of. I installed two on my old Shamrock gaser. I am going to look up the wiring for the Seafire system and see how an alarm could be added. thanks

regards Holty

So you tried the other bilge pumps?

My SeaFire system includes the alarm in the circular anunciator on the helm console.

 

[holty]

Only the large pump in rear starboard bilge sets off the main buzzer. I have the SeaFire annunciator on the helm as you.

 

[rgano]

Only the large pump in rear starboard bilge sets off the main buzzer. I have the SeaFire annunciator on the helm as you.

Do you have the triple light bilge pump alarm at the helm that I do? There were no audible alarms as part of the this bilge pump alert panel on my boat, and it would not make sense to add one with the power coming from the starter switch.

So to recap, the small buzzer emits a low level buzz when the "engine switch" is on but not when it is off. Is this "engine switch" the one on the power panel in the cabin or is it the Carling rocker switch at the helm?

 

[holty]

The rocker switch at the helm. It is now a solid buzz.

regards Holty

 

[rgano]

The rocker switch at the helm. It is now a solid buzz.

regards Holty

It certainly makes one think it is engine related and begging to be tracked down. One thought I have is that the wire code could have changed between the buzzer and the alarm switch, wherever it is, making tracking by that method impossible. At this point, I might be inclined to go to each engine alarm switch in succession disconnecting them to see if the buzz ever stops. If it does not stop, then you at least know the engine is NOT sending the alarm and that some jackleg has installed an alarm powered off the start/stop rocker switch for something not engine related at all. The water-in-fuel alarm is easiest to disconnect because it is a molded plug within a few inches of the alarm switch on the bottom of the engine-mounted filter. The coolant over-temp and low coolant level alarms are on top of the engine and not hard to access. The gear oil over temp switch is a cinch at the back of the tranny. The boost (which you likely do not have) and oil pressure switches are tougher being down by the starter and easy to confuse with the oil pressure sender for the helm gauge. If you have a water flow alarm switch, it is likely mounted in the big hole at the forward end of the intercooler right where the hose from the seawater pump enters.

 

[holty]

Thanks for the ideas Rich. I did not get to the boat today because I had to help a buddy. I will go at it again tomorrow.

regards Holty

 

[rgano]

Helping a friend is just as important.

 

[Bacchus]

When tracing a wire on my MS I did find color changes but they were at connector plugs. If you find a plug that a bundle appears it might have originated at the helm it might be worth separating conductors enough near the plug to inspect wire colors... it worked for going the other direction.
I found my alternator excite wire from my start sw went through the fire control extinguisher system control box and then to the alt except it was wired to an incorrect set of contacts that opened instead of close when engine on.
I dont think thebalt ever worked for the PO. It was a dock queen and rarely left the slip but could easily run on battys for a day spin.

 

[rgano]

When tracing a wire on my MS I did find color changes but they were at connector plugs. If you find a plug that a bundle appears it might have originated at the helm it might be worth separating conductors enough near the plug to inspect wire colors... it worked for going the other direction.
I found my alternator excite wire from my start sw went through the fire control extinguisher system control box and then to the alt except it was wired to an incorrect set of contacts that opened instead of close when engine on.
I dont think thebalt ever worked for the PO. It was a dock queen and rarely left the slip but could easily run on battys for a day spin.

Don, that sort of thing, found too often here, is what drives me nuts abot MS. After lots of years with a wooden 1972 GB42, I'd say the difference in the quality control between the two is like night and day. Who knows, if MS had adhered to a couple of basics in QC and maintainability, they might still be around because there is still a lot to like in the product.

 

[holty]

So after hours of tracing wires with the engine off and ignition on a buddy started and stopped the engine while I sat in the bilge with the cover up to see if I saw anything funny. I did !! I had my mechanic install a new oil cooler over the winter. He did not tighten one of the hose clamps and water was dripping right on top of a multi-wire harness just below it. The harness was wrapped in electrical tape. After unwrapping moisture was clearly evident. I opened the harness and dried it out as best as I could. I sprayed some WD 40 on the connections and put it back together. Turned the engine on and heard the buzzer for a few seconds before oil pressure shut it off. Problem solved. What surprised me is the large heavy-duty buzzer that I thought was in the ignition circuit is only for the high water alarm. The small buzzer that I thought was for something a PO installed is the ignition buzzer. Unless it was changed over the years I am surprised MS would install such a dinky little buzzer. Anyway I am back on line. thanks for all the thoughts and ideas.

regards Holty

 

[Bonedoc]

Holty, I have the same motor and had a similar saltwater drip on that ill placed harness. In my situation it shorted the kill switch wire causing stalls and starting issues.

It’s a terrible place for a unprotected wire harness- ie right below salt water hoses that can drip!

I moved that harness up with some zip ties after re- splicing, sealing, and heat shrinking all connections.

Glad you found it and for once it was not a costly repair!!

 

[rgano]

Glad to hear of it! It is possible there are several alarm circuits going through that box, as many as six. Even though it appears the oil pressure alarm was the one going off, some or all of the other alarms could have been sounding as well before you cleaned it all up. So, under normal circumstances when that buzzer goes off about all you can do is check oil pressure and coolant temp on your helm gauges to try to reassure yourself nothing catastrophic is about to happen. Next would be to check under the hood to see what might be going on with coolant level in the recovery bottle and feel the tranny for overheating (Hopefully you have and IR thermometer and have checked the tranny temp while cruising and know what HOT would be.). Unfortunately, you have to stop and cool the engine for a lengthy time before you can double check under the radiator cap. Another thing to check under there is the Racor filter bowl to see it is full of water meaning the water alarm under the engine-mounted is probably sounding off. I say again, it is too bad Mainship did not include the Yanmar instrument panel which would have shown discreet lights for each of these conditions - probably a price-point issue.