Excessive Oil to the VST

[Another Tricky Day]

I have a 2002, 2.5L EFI, 200 HP outboard. I recently replaced the high pressure fuel pump and found the fuel pressure regulator to be very fouled. Cleaned that up and fuel pressure is good. Engine seems to idle fine but has a lot of blue smoke. Now it seems as though I have too much oil going into the VST. I drained some fuel out and it seems like it has a lot of oil in it, very green fuel mix. I have also noticed the entire engine seems to be covered with a fine layer of oily dirt, like soot. I've had the motor for 10 years and have never seen it so dirty. Motor has run like a champ until now.

I am not sure if I have two unrelated problems or not but I am also getting low oil alarm, four beeps every two minutes but yet the engine tank is full. I haven't had the opportunity to check the sensor or float. I also checked the fuel/water separator and all good there too - no water.

Any help or direction is much appreciated.

[rock]

Welcome to the site. Look at that cap really closely and be sure there is not a crack on the top. Sometimes hard to see.

Rock

[H2Okie]

I have a 2002, 2.5L EFI, 200 HP outboard. I recently replaced the high pressure fuel pump and found the fuel pressure regulator to be very fouled. Cleaned that up and fuel pressure is good. Engine seems to idle fine but has a lot of blue smoke. Now it seems as though I have too much oil going into the VST. I drained some fuel out and it seems like it has a lot of oil in it, very green fuel mix. I have also noticed the entire engine seems to be covered with a fine layer of oily dirt, like soot. I've had the motor for 10 years and have never seen it so dirty. Motor has run like a champ until now.

I am not sure if I have two unrelated problems or not but I am also getting low oil alarm, four beeps every two minutes but yet the engine tank is full. I haven't had the opportunity to check the sensor or float. I also checked the fuel/water separator and all good there too - no water.

Any help or direction is much appreciated.

Your motor has a solenoid driven oil pump that receives a variable pulsed signal from the ECM to the pump to control the oil mixture ratio . Odds of the program changing are not to great but??? The other possibility is there is a 4 psi check valve that limits the oil pressure to the oil tank mounted on the motor . If this check valve was not regulating the the pressure at 4psi I suppose it's possible that oil could be forced thru the system at higher pressure resulting in greater flow resulting in a high oil mix . I think I would start there .

[Another Tricky Day]

Thanks for the input. I read some things on another board that talked bout this check valve getting hung up and allowing the overall system to over pressurize. I've been trying to understand how the system doesn't become over-pressurized under normal operation. The book I have barely mentions this check valve and how it works so what you said makes a lot of sense.

The high pressure fuel pump I put in is not an OEM part but the outlet pressure is right at spec. Does the ECM need to relearn certain parameters before running everything normally? In other words, does the ECM operate things differently when there is a problem and need to take time to relearn the new components before completely resetting itself?

Since I replaced the pump I've only let the motor run a total of maybe 10 minutes and not longer than maybe 5 minutes at a time. I've just been worried about causing another problem before fixing the one I have.

Thanks again.

[H2Okie]

Thanks for the input. I read some things on another board that talked bout this check valve getting hung up and allowing the overall system to over pressurize. I've been trying to understand how the system doesn't become over-pressurized under normal operation. The book I have barely mentions this check valve and how it works so what you said makes a lot of sense.

The high pressure fuel pump I put in is not an OEM part but the outlet pressure is right at spec. Does the ECM need to relearn certain parameters before running everything normally? In other words, does the ECM operate things differently when there is a problem and need to take time to relearn the new components before completely resetting itself?

Since I replaced the pump I've only let the motor run a total of maybe 10 minutes and not longer than maybe 5 minutes at a time. I've just been worried about causing another problem before fixing the one I have.

Thanks again.

ECM is not smart enough to compensate for changes in components if it just can do what it is programmed to do and adjust for the values it receives . ECM adjusts the fuel delivery based on many factors (engine rpms , temperature of intake air /engine temp , throttle position , mass air pressure ) if expected values of sensors are out of tolerance it will adjust fuel to faulty values .Fuel curve is based on these inputs and adjust the oil pump pulses for the proper oil ratio for the fuel delivery amount at each part of the curve .

Here's what I have for 4 PSI check valve - If oil flow to reservoir is obstructed and injection pump continues to pump oil the 4 PSI valve will open to allow air to enter reservoir to prevent vacuum .

There is apparently also a 120 minute engine break in cycle that can be initiated via DDT scanner or shift switch activation
any chance this was inadvertently activated causing extra oil ?

[Another Tricky Day]

I don't have a DDT scanner so that's out. What is "shift switch activation"? What could I have potentially done to do that inadvertently?

Thanks

BTW, I performed a test on the MAP sensor and one value was just slightly out of range on the low side. Sorry, forgot to mention that.

[H2Okie]

I don't have a DDT scanner so that's out. What is "shift switch activation"? What could I have potentially done to do that inadvertently?

Thanks

BTW, I performed a test on the MAP sensor and one value was just slightly out of range on the low side. Sorry, forgot to mention that.

It looks like from my write up that if you turn the ign key to the "ON" position and then shift from neutral to forward 3-5 X within a ten second time period then the oil pump prime sequence runs and after that the 120 hour motor break in cycle is initiated providing additional oil for break in .

Drawing a vacuum on the MAP sensor hose will cause a lean condition to fuel delivery . if you pull a vacuum and engine occurs to engine idle MAP sensor is bad per book . I got a small syringe at the feed store that fits the MAP vacuum hose I.D. allowing you to make very small adjustments +/- if you start with the plunger in the middle . If you have an actual vacuum tester even better.

[Another Tricky Day]

Thanks.

I seriously doubt that I shifted it from neutral to forward 3-5 times in a 10 second period but who knows.

My MAP sensor has a nipple on it that plugs right into the top of the air handler. We did a resistance test on the three pins in different arrangements per the book. One of the measurements was just out of range on the low side. The sensor and the port it plugs into all looked very clean. Didn't check for vacuum.

Going back to the oil pressure, the pulse pressure from the crankshaft pressurizes the remote and engine mounted oil tanks but I don't understand what keeps that side of the oil system from over-pressurizing. When purging the air from the engine mounted tank, the pulse pumping action fills that tank at a much higher flow rate (I assume) than it is pumping into the VST. So, again, how does it keep from over-pressurizing? The reason I ask is I am wondering if whatever pressure regulator there is, if it has failed? On another discussion board a person had a similar problem and it was the check valve on the oil line going to the engine mounted oil tank. I fail to see how that regulates system pressure. It just keeps the engine oil tank from losing prime when the engine not running. At least that's how I understand it.

Thanks again for the discussion

[H2Okie]

Thanks.

I seriously doubt that I shifted it from neutral to forward 3-5 times in a 10 second period but who knows.

My MAP sensor has a nipple on it that plugs right into the top of the air handler. We did a resistance test on the three pins in different arrangements per the book. One of the measurements was just out of range on the low side. The sensor and the port it plugs into all looked very clean. Didn't check for vacuum.

Going back to the oil pressure, the pulse pressure from the crankshaft pressurizes the remote and engine mounted oil tanks but I don't understand what keeps that side of the oil system from over-pressurizing. When purging the air from the engine mounted tank, the pulse pumping action fills that tank at a much higher flow rate (I assume) than it is pumping into the VST. So, again, how does it keep from over-pressurizing? The reason I ask is I am wondering if whatever pressure regulator there is, if it has failed? On another discussion board a person had a similar problem and it was the check valve on the oil line going to the engine mounted oil tank. I fail to see how that regulates system pressure. It just keeps the engine oil tank from losing prime when the engine not running. At least that's how I understand it.

Thanks again for the discussion

I look at it this way the higher the engines rpms the higher the crankcase pressure forcing oil from the bilge mounted tank up to the engine mounted tank . Also the higher the engine rpms the more oil for engine lubrication is required and moving thru the system .
I don't know for sure but if all of the pressures, tubing sizes ,and pumping rates and oil demands were calculated to keep things balanced the oil flow would always match the engine oil requirements without overfilling or draining the system . The 4PSI check valve appears to me anyway to dump oil out the open ended fitting when pressure exceeds 4 lbs =electric oil pump failure or pull air in to prevent pulling a vacuum on the engine mounted tank should the supply of oil from the bilge tank stop .

[Another Tricky Day]

Well, I really appreciate all of your input and time. This Saturday I am going to try and resolve the low oil alarm which is probably just a bad sensor or stuck float. If I can get that alarm to clear I am just going to take it out on a run and see what happens. Maybe I just need to run it for longer than a few minutes here and there. I will post an update after that. Thanks again.

[Another Tricky Day]

The problem might be solved. I ran the motor in neutral idle speed and still smoking like mad for 10 minutes. Had globs of oil floating on the water. Came back and ran the motor in gear at low speed and the smoke seemed to clear up. But, now I have a continuous horn and the motor idles at nearly 1800 rpm. wth?
I could not find the check valves in any of the oil lines. I traced them all out as best I could and found nothing.

[rprinzo]

you say the engine ihas oil all over it now,check all oil hoses and connections for cracks and or disconnect from nipples. which may also be causing air leak and hi rpm? the check valves are just nipples pressed into the block,injection manifold,vst. sounds like a cracked oil line or vac line