LT-1 Overheat

Soulfly · Newbie Joined: 28 Aug 2003 Posts: 31 City: Phoenix

Hello,

I have a question.

I have a 97 PS205 with 230 hours on it, and it just went to the 3/4 mark on the gauge. Much warmer than it has ever been.

Thanks in advance.

Geoff

Jbienven · Newbie Joined: 04 May 2005 Posts: 20

230 F or 230 C?

Soulfly · Newbie Joined: 28 Aug 2003 Posts: 31 City: Phoenix

230 F

The_fng · Criminal Joined: 14 Nov 2003 Posts: 57

Soulfly,

On several ocassions I had the LT1 in my 98 PS190 up over 220. While I never pulled the heads and put them on a surface plate, I also never noticed an obvious ill effect in performance. Not to say at all that it's okay to run them there, definitely approaching a danger zone...just sharing my experience.

The overheating always occurred after draining the block after a late season or early season run, where I didn't want to do a winterization job, but knew it would get below frezzing before I used it again. I spoke with a tech at Indmar on the topic. He tipped me off that the water jackets in heads on this motor can have a tendency to airlock, hence the air bleeder hoses to the thermostat housing. I always thought, even after our conversation that those just didn't do the job, but in retrospect mine could've been plugged. The workaround I came to was to watch the temp gauge carefully when warming the motor after the block had been drained. If it started to climb, I simply goosed the throttle. If you catch it before it gets phenominally hot, you'll spike the pressure in the cooling system and for whatever reason it worked well, seemed to clear the alleged airlock. If it's at 230, I definitely wouldn't recommend this as you'll be pouring cold water on hot heads. (Note: This was not an impeller problem.)

Was it your boat's first time in the water this year?

Good luck,
The_fng

RadDad · Criminal Joined: 24 Feb 2005 Posts: 51 City: Raleigh NC

Just got my 99 205V back from being serviced. When I took it out for the first time, after winterizing it myself, it was running 10 degrees hotter than normal & occasionally would rise higher then fall. The dealer checked it out & said everything is OK. I'm wondering now if this is what I was experiencing & if it's going to happen again. Any advise?

Soulfly · Newbie Joined: 28 Aug 2003 Posts: 31 City: Phoenix

Thanks for the response.

No, this was the third time out.

I don't truly winterize the boat. Only is out of the water for a few months here in PHX.

I hooked it up to the hose today. Ran just fine. Temps where they always run. Thinking that with all the debris in the Phoenix area lakes I may have sucked up something.

I may change out the thermostat in case it might be sticking.

amuszyns · Newbie Joined: 24 Dec 2004 Posts: 46 City: Phx

at 230-250 you start running the risk of blowing a head gasket, ours overheated once and it blew at about 240 degrees...

be careful