virgin boatowner

[Forestfarm]

Just got my first boat at age 56. She is a 1986 Ebko Biarritz 20 ft. With 205mercruiser. The boat was improperly winterized and split the port side exhaust manifold. The boat has 465 hrs.It is freshwater lake boat in NH. It hasn't been in water in 2 years. I ordered manifold.I don't see any other evidence of freeze damage,all visible freeze plugs intact. I bought mercruiser service manual.I plan on replacing the manifold and firing it up to check for any other winterization related issues.I plan on servicing the lower unit next,water pump and lube.The motor appears to be completely unmolested,other than the freeze damage.I will change the motor oil once I warm it up. It has no evidence of water in oil at this point.I expect to have fuel delivery issues as result of 2 year lay up.I will deal with that once I verify the engine doesn't have serious issues. Being its my first mercruiser,can anyone give me any advice before I turn the key? I have turned the motor over by hand,its free.I am mechanically inclined,do all my own work on cars,truck,motorcycles,small engines etc..I need a seasoned veteran to run thru the list of items to square away before I attempt to put the boat in the water. Thank you in advance.

 

[Rick Stephens]

Congrats on the new boat. Sounds like you have your list down pretty good. Here's hoping the freeze damage is limited to the one manifold. Personally, I'd pull the other and acetone check it before assuming it's good. If nothing else, then you'll know for sure. Good time to check exhaust shutters while both mani's are off.

You are at the right place for going over things.

Rick

 

[Bondo]

.I expect to have fuel delivery issues as result of 2 year lay up.I will deal with that once I verify the engine doesn't have serious issues.

Ayuh,... Welcome Aboard,...... I'd test run it off a remote tank, hooked right to a fresh fuel filter,....
Much better than pumpin' 2 year old gas through-out the fuel system,....
Then once ya verify everything is alright, clean the tank, 'n the rest of the fuel system,...

Yer vintage 4.3l probably has a mechanical fuel pump, with a filter inside the housin',...
If so, ya oughta add a canister type filter, just ahead of the fuel pump,...
A much better filter, that traps water,....

As for water/ freeze damage, pull the block drains, 'n see if anything comes out,....
If nothin', maybe it was drained,..... or not,...
If antifreeze comes out, again maybe it's alright,.... or not,.....
Air pressure testin' the block's water passages after drainin' it is how to know for Sure,...

 

[Maclin]

I would be concerned that only the one manifold was damaged. You can see manifold external damage yes, but with the V6 or V8 engine block any catastrophic freeze damage is mostly internal water passages bursting, and may not show up until you run it and the cooling water starts leaking into the oil pan.

In Bondo 's last paragraph he mentions what to do to assess engine block. If it did crack inside then best to know now.

Good luck on this project!

 

[Forestfarm]

Thank you for the feedback.I will run it off of a remote tank first start.I will check the block drains first for signs of residual water/antifreeze.Is there a write up on how to pressure test the cooling system?This sounds like the way to go instead of running it and hoping for no water in the oil.As for the exhaust shutters,I havent learned enough yet to know where they are located and what they actually do.I have a lot to learn,thats for sure.At this point i wouldnt be surprised to find much more significant hidden freeze damage.Luckily i dont have much into this project yet.The rest of the boat and trailer are in very nice condition so if need be i can pull the engine if its beyond repair due to cracks in the block.I will keep you posted,i dont have the manifold yet and i need to learn th e procedure for pressure testing it.I assume i need to cap off the risers and put a air fitting into one of the block drains,I remember reading 15 psi somewhere.There is an awful lot of information to digest from multiple sources.Thanks for helping,saving me a lot of wasted time and expense.

 

[Rick Stephens]

Since you know one manifold is bad, just block off the water hose running to it. Then take the riser off the top of the other manifold and make a plate to seal the top of that manifold. All that is left is pull the water-in hose off the thermostat housing (comes in from the transom usually on left side) and either cap it and pressurize from a block drain or put a hose on the nipple where the input hose came off and pressurize form there. 15 pounds max. Then you can listen in. Easy to block off the other manifold should it be cracked and use mechanics stethoscope to listen to engine block.

Good luck.

Rick

 

[Forestfarm]

Thanks for the info. I will do the test with air as you describe,15psi max.I will let you the results by next weekend,other things keeping me from the boat. Thank you

 

[Forestfarm]

No longer a virgin,in fact ,quite the contrary.I took the big one right up the back door.It didnt take long for me to find the crack in the block on the starboard side midway on the block directly beneath the head.My question at this point is, would it be feasible to buy a short block from Rapido for $1600 or should i cut and run?The trailer is very nice shorelander.I can easily sell it for the $500 that i paid for the boat and trailer.The boat itself looks very nice,the hull looks great and the interior is in fine shape.It seems like i will have to pour another $2500 into it by the time i finish with the motor swap..I would appreciate any feedback from the professionals here,I had hoped to enjoy this boating adventure,but I can see this turning into a clustf__k .Thank you in advance

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,.... Ya don't want a short block, as the heads are probably cracked too,....
But,....
A long block crate motor would get ya boatin' in short order,.....

 

[Rick Stephens]

If the boat is in nice shape, drop a 350 block in it. - Good shape cannot be determined without drilling some test holes in the transom and the stringers to see if there is any rot. That is the deal killer more than engine. You do not necessarily need a 'marine' block. You can change out water pump and core plugs and make a pickup motor 'marine'. If you end up with a nice $3k boat, you got a deal.

 

[Forestfarm]

Thank you for the information. I will plan my next move.