Excuse the ignorance, but what is foaming oil? I've definitely not overfilled. I'll check the sensors tomorrow!
Not sure how Ocean Yachts spec'd the oil alarms. Hopefully an Ocean yacht expert will come on. I'm a Bert guy and know a lil about Hatteras alarms. Not up completely on Oceans. Again, sounds like a flaky switch.
CF-2 oil has an anti foaming additive specificity for two stroke diesels (Detroits). Also, over filled oil, the crank can whip up the oil in the sump (pan) and cause air foam in the oil. Not a real big woo for quick errors but can drive an oil switch crazy. During your long runs, Does the alarm go away?
Thanks for all the assistance! It turns out I was a little low in oil. Topped up and all is good. I normally check at the dock before heading out, not before I start them every time. New rule: Check before starting every time!
It took less than a liter of oil. Is that a lot? Rrcapps, I'm not sure if your last response was humour or sarcasm. If sarcasm, I'm not sure what I did to prompt it. I quite openly admitted my technical limitations, and I was very happy to see all the responses, which I took to heart and followed through with. I have a DD mechanic friend that showed up today, looked at the oil and it wasn't quite at the top mark so he added some and the alarm stopped. I'm not sure if this is gone for good or maybe the sensor is still bad. At this point, I'll wait and see. If it happens again and the oil is right full, I'll replace the sensor. I bought a replacement in preparation anyway. I must thank you for all your advice. I was able to test the sensor, after finding it, and I now know how to test this in the future. Everybody has to learn somehow!
A little of both; Your engines holds about 6 US Gallons of oil each, plus oil for the hoses, cooler and filters. IMO, if it's not a gallon or so (4 liters), it was not low. I'm afraid my friend your problem may come back the next time the oil gets hot.
Let me ask another question; Do you have Allison clutches (transmissions)?? If so, has the oil level been changing there?
It was a litre, not a gallon! Oil level was about 3/4 in the dipstick. Why do you think it will come back when it gets hot? Not that I disagree, but interested in knowing your thoughts.
To help my poor typing skills, lets agree 1 quart equals 1 liter (1.05669 to 1) near 1 to 1. 4 liters to a fat gallon. You were not low on oil. Your low when it's cold and below the low mark; More than a gallon low. If one quart really makes a difference, something else is wrong. Wrong dip stick scribe, Allison front seal leaking, wrong oil in the sump. You mentioned DD 40w oil. You have not mentioned API CF-2 or CH/J-4 (two stroke or four stroke oil). Also what clutch you have. Lots of variables here,,, or just a bad oil pressure switch that worked dock side for you today. Something is trying to tell you something here. If not completely investigated and cured,,, Well,,, New 8V92s are not cheap. IMO, 1 quart of oil did not fix anything.
Make sure the engine is reading full. Pump the engine oil out into containers where you can measure exactly how much came out, then compare it what is supposed to be in there, also need to account for how much oil the filters hold, depending on size that can be guestimated.
Submit the engines serial number to a real Detroit shop. They will tell you the sumps oil capacity in US quarts. They may require the angle of the block but on Detroits, usually not. Your pump out would normally be the old pickup tube from the bottom/aft of the pan. Not the dip tube that enters the block/sump at mid block. Pump all out in the evening. Do Nothing. The next morning pump out again, there will be some more oil. Do not worry about the oil filters or lines, over night they have drained to their correct level. When all is out, then pump in the spec your real Detroit guy gave you. DO NOT RUN THE ENGINE. On the dip, this is your new high mark. Two stroke Detroits you read the dip cold or after at least a hour shut down. Read the dip warm, any where in-between the hi/low marks is good providing it's not over filled wen cold.
If your oil is old in terms of hours it gets thinner; this is a common cause for the oil alarm to sound. Note it most likely happened first at idle after the days cruising at higher rpm. Then more and more often. Change the oil and let us know if it still happens. Removing all the oil you can and changing filters does not give an accurate amount of oil to put back in- because the filters hold oil. On my 16-92's I'd pull out 16-17 gallons per side but put in closer to 18. That's my experience running a set of 16-92's for 11 years in a sportfish. Use an oil with a CF-2 rating ONLY.
Sorry I have not replied earlier. My email was hacked or infected so I shut down my computers until it could be fixed so I didn't continue sending infected messages to my contacts. I work in a technology field, but events of the last week make me appreciate the mechanical nature of thes 8-92's! Nobody can hack them!!! The oil is under 100 hours old, but I'm changing the oil/filters this week, along with the sensor. I'm not sure the name of the transmission but I'm back on the boat now and will check the manual and report back. Again, apologies for the absence, especially after so much response to my problem.