If anyone has any input on this I would greatly appreciate it.

 

I have a Mercury outboard 60HP fourstroke thats new as of october of last year.  I got it it's 20 hr service and have had no issues with it at all.  Last weekend I suddenly get the 6 second steady horn.  I throttle back, come to a stop and break out the owners manual.  It pretty much says turn around, your day is done.  I take it to a local shop that services mercury, pretty good guys.  After doing the engine download im told it was an "e-stop guardian overheat" and they couldnt replicate the issue using just rabbit ears in their shop.  Today they will be putting it in the water to test it under a load.  If they cant give me a better diagnosis, does anyone here have any ideas on what it could be??  Has this happened to you before and if so, what was the outcome?  Any help is appreciated!

 

Heres a quick pic of the engine...  pretty new.

 

 

Did you operate it in any area that had thick vegetation?  That can choke the intake, and cause overheating.  It happened to me at Guntersville last year.

^^^This.

Something else you can try when you're on the water if it occurs again. Put the boat in neutral and rev the engine (there is a button on the forward controls you depress and then push the throttle forward) to try and clear out any crap that may have entered the cooling system. Do this a few times. There is no load on the motor and with any luck it will clear it out without tripping the Guardian. Also, when you get home after fishing dirty water or water filled with vegetation, flush out the motor. On my Opti there is a flush port on the back of the motor just below the cowling. I assume yours may be similar. This is done with the motor off and it back flushes the cooling system.

Gents,

 

Thanks for the input, I appreciate it.  I have gone through some areas with serious wood debris and some vegetation, but I had no idea it was this bad!  Below is a pic of a temp bulb pulled form my engine today.  As for flushing my engine after each use... im embarassed to say that I did not know about that and I think this is the result of ignorance!  I appreciate the help.

 

Great tip on how to flush the engine while on the water!

Gents,

 

Thanks for the input, I appreciate it.  I have gone through some areas with serious wood debris and some vegetation, but I had no idea it was this bad!  Below is a pic of a temp bulb pulled form my engine today.  As for flushing my engine after each use... im embarassed to say that I did not know about that and I think this is the result of ignorance!  I appreciate the help.

 

Your motor should have come with a plastic quick connect to attach to your garden hose.

Yes it should have, but the shady-ass dealership I bought the boat from didn't provide me with one.