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Alarm going off after rain flooding

BaylinerDude

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Joined
Jun 20, 2025
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I've got a 2017 Bayliner 180 Bowrider, and unfortunately, we got hit with some pretty extreme rainfall over the past couple of days. Despite having the cover on, the boat ended up accumulating a significant amount of water in the bilge. I've since bailed it out, run the bilge pump, and have the boat tilted with the plug out to dry thoroughly. However, I'm now getting an intermittent, continuous alarm sound. It wasn't doing this before the flooding. Bilge pump is dry and working, battery connections are tight and clean, oil level is good and the engine is cold. Has anyone else experienced an alarm issue like this after their boat was flooded by rain? Are there specific sensors or electrical components in these Bayliners that are especially vulnerable? What could be the problem? I'm hesitant to even try starting the engine until I figure this out. Any insights or troubleshooting tips would be greatly appreciated!
 
I think the sensor must be wet or could be the oil pressure, temp, or even a float switch stuck, the wiring harnesses around the engine and under the dash are places you could check out, I'd let everything dry fully still though disconnect/reconnect key connectors, and see if it clears.
 
I've got a 2017 Bayliner 180 Bowrider, and unfortunately, we got hit with some pretty extreme rainfall over the past couple of days. Despite having the cover on, the boat ended up accumulating a significant amount of water in the bilge. I've since bailed it out, run the bilge pump, and have the boat tilted with the plug out to dry thoroughly. However, I'm now getting an intermittent, continuous alarm sound. It wasn't doing this before the flooding. Bilge pump is dry and working, battery connections are tight and clean, oil level is good and the engine is cold. Has anyone else experienced an alarm issue like this after their boat was flooded by rain? Are there specific sensors or electrical components in these Bayliners that are especially vulnerable? What could be the problem? I'm hesitant to even try starting the engine until I figure this out. Any insights or troubleshooting tips would be greatly appreciated!
well, it's possible that the water got into a sensor on the engine itself. A lot of engine alarms, even for something as simple as low oil pressure or a bad sensor, are continuous and intermittent.
It might not be a 'warning' but a 'failure' alarm. Your best bet is to give everything a few days to dry out completely, and if the alarm persists, it's likely a sensor that's now faulty. A marine mechanic with the right diagnostic tools could probably pinpoint it quickly
 
Hopefully this has been fixed! But anyway, I agree with the others that it could be because of a water-logged sensor or a connection that got corroded from the bilge water. A lot of times, the alarms on these 180s can be tied to a few things. The water temp sensor and the oil pressure switch are usually low on the engine and could have gotten submerged. The float switch for the bilge pump might have also gotten stuck or failed after being overworked. Let us know what you found!
 
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