Malfunction indicator Light constant on

Hello. 2010 Chap 226 SSI. Volvo Penta - 5.7Gi 300 (original)
Just had Jasper reman engine installed. Engine Alert light is constant on after starting. Tech says that is normal, I don't believe it, but can't find information delineating various warnings and potential causes. As I understand the MIL should light with one beep at start and then light off - all good. What are the various alarms and meaning that we get from the MIL

Welcome
Agree light should go off once motor is started.

Having a new motor installed, it is most likely something was connected incorrectly. Only way I know of to find out why it's on is with a scanner

If the light doesn't go off after 3 trips there is a problem.
Nice picture of the dogs. Easy to tell which on is on lookout duty. But it might have been helpful to post a pic of the engine status panel with the light on. There should be two lights in it and they both can have somewhat different meanings. Are you sure you have a MIL light and not a check engine light?

We had a reman installed in a 2012 Cobalt here last year. No alarms when the shop give it back. They only replaced the core. All of the accessories (fuel, ignition computer…) are original to the boat. No lights on the Cobalts. One display will read “check engine” if an alarm goes off then go back to whatever it was set to display.

I agree. Need a scanner to see what the code is but it may not help. A different Cobalt has been beeping for at least 5 seasons but doesn’t always give a code for why and nothing seems to make it stop. It went back to the shop a couple of weeks ago.

Most shade tree mechanics get a Diacom scanner and a laptop.

Interesting, I will have to let the head mechanic at the best dealership/shop in the area know he is running a shade tree operation. He is a certified Volvo Penta technician.

I use a TechMate from Rhinda. I don’t know what it doesn’t do that Diacom does. It reads codes and provides real time data while the engine is running.

Some might refer to me as a shade tree mechanic. Not sure that it fits. I’m a USAF trained aircraft mechanic and do most of my work to those and/or FAA standards. I have had to fix a lot of issues “real shops” caused.

Jeff J said:

Interesting, I will have to let the head mechanic at the best dealership/shop in the area know he is running a shade tree operation. He is a certified Volvo Penta technician.

I use a TechMate from Rhinda. I don’t know what it doesn’t do that Diacom does. It reads codes and provides real time data while the engine is running.

Some might refer to me as a shade tree mechanic. Not sure that it fits. I’m a USAF trained aircraft mechanic and do most of my work to those and/or FAA standards. I have had to fix a lot of issues “real shops” caused.

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Need to remember this is a forum, and many folks do not think thru what comes out of their fingers in a keyboard. Suggest let this one go and ignore the source

Heck, now I am interested to find out what FAA and USAF standards there are for working on Volvo Penta sterndrives…

kd4pbs said:

Heck, now I am interested to find out what FAA and USAF standards there are for working on Volvo Penta sterndrives…

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None specifically. The standards should be the same but how many boat mechanics are taught from day one that someone could die if they half-a$$ a job? They should be because sterndrives blow up on a regular basis. Most seem to be due to shoddy maintenance and/or using auto parts instead of marine.

Jeff J said:

Interesting, I will have to let the head mechanic at the best dealership/shop in the area know he is running a shade tree operation. He is a certified Volvo Penta technician.

I use a TechMate from Rhinda. I don’t know what it doesn’t do that Diacom does. It reads codes and provides real time data while the engine is running.

Some might refer to me as a shade tree mechanic. Not sure that it fits. I’m a USAF trained aircraft mechanic and do most of my work to those and/or FAA standards. I have had to fix a lot of issues “real shops” caused.

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I would like to say Thank you for your service to our country.

I’m sorry you have a lack of good dealers in your area.
Volvo Penta does not have certified technicians. They grade their techs on levels. Higher levels will unlock more features of Vodia which Volvo Penta sells that a “good” dealership will have. All Mercury/MerCruiser dealers will have something called CDS G3. These are considered dealer grade products.
The Rinda products are considered consumer grade.
While both Mercury and Volvo will sell a consumer their diagnostic systems, you won’t be able to unlock them.
The Rinda products won’t help if there are problems in the electronic steering systems and a few other areas.
The difference between Techmate and Diacom.
While Techmate will display all the parameters, it’s refresh rate isn’t so great.
Diacom will allow you to graph these numbers down to (and I’m going off of memory so don’t quote me) 20 ms. That ability can be critical in certain situations. It will also allow you to make a recording so you can go back and see those glitches in slow motion, because they are happening so fast you wouldn’t be able to see them in real time. An added benefit is those recordings can be emailed or shared here on iBoats so someone who has the training can help.
The last dealership I worked for had G3, Vodia, Diacom and techmate. The low level techs would use Techmate for things like trade in inspections to check for codes, run history and hours. Diacom was used as a back up in case Vodia or G3 were on mobile duty.

Hope this helps.

Jeff J said:

We had a reman installed in a 2012 Cobalt here last year. No alarms when the shop give it back. They only replaced the core. All of the accessories (fuel, ignition computer…) are original to the boat. No lights on the Cobalts. One display will read “check engine” if an alarm goes off then go back to whatever it was set to display.

I agree. Need a scanner to see what the code is but it may not help. A different Cobalt has been beeping for at least 5 seasons but doesn’t always give a code for why and nothing seems to make it stop. It went back to the shop a couple of weeks ago.

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And I don’t want you to think I’m bad mouthing your Techmate. They are a great tool for certain situations. I will sometimes use one first for things like a MIL or check engine light. Boot time is very fast! And the screen is much easier to read in the sun. But people should know it’s limitations.

My guess on the Cobalt. On some models the amount of time that it takes to set a warning can vary vs. the time it takes to log a code. If the tech uses Vodia or Diacom recording function they will be able to find the issue. If the tech is any good and can get the horn to sound during testing, there is no reason they can’t repair it.

As to the light vs. the gauge notification. Federal law requires newer engines to alert the operator if an emissions issue occurs. More expensive boats will usually do this via a screen in the gauges or a display on the dash. A cheaper way is to install the panel I posted a picture of.

Keep buying & running NON COMPUTER engines.

Thanks for the information on the differences between diagnostic systems. I have YDS and SDS software on my laptop which is nearly impossible to use outside because of screen limitations so I understand that issue with Diacom.

I stumbled across a thread that suggested that I could use my automotive scanner if I had the correct adapters. Not sure it would be any better than the TechMate though.

The shop that I prefer to use for Volvo Penta work seems okay. I have not found anything glaring on them. I will have to ask them what level of service center they are. (The other VP shop left a clamp off a hose when they winterized it last year. Almost sank the boat when the hose popped off.) Another shop has a head mechanic that seems to truly understand all the numbers and their relationship on the scanner. My boat goes to him if I can’t figure it out. Unfortunately they aren’t a Volvo Penta service center.

I was managing the operation and got frustrated with it taking more than a month to get a boat looked at and then there was all of shoddy maintenance done by some of the shops in the area. That is when I started doing everything I could figure out. I mostly stick with general servicing and things not really needing a computer to troubleshoot or much in the way of special tools. Occasionally I turn down a job just because I feel too old and fat to crawl down in there. I much prefer outboards unless they are on a boat that makes it feel like I am working on an inboard.

Some shop mechanics DO leave loose hoses and electrical connections. 60 years ago I found that out working in a N J marina.

I stumbled across a thread that suggested that I could use my automotive scanner if I had the correct adapters. Not sure it would be any better than the TechMate though

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Never found any Auto scanner to work on a boat

My bad. OBD but not auto. Here is the thread:

Just 2 guys talking in the thread, one say it works on his VP
I wouldn't try it for the chance in it taking out my ECM which would cost a lot more then Diacom or Techmate.

I for one would rather just buy the Diacom than try and spend my time fooling with an OBDII and trying to get it to work on my VP boat engine.

Then I will have more time to work on the VP boat engine.