Hi Guys,
I'm helping a friend with his boat, he's all thumbs and unfortunately, I've had to do my own fair share of maintenance.
1998 Searay 180
3.0L Mercruiser
Alpha One outdrive
Just a few weeks ago his starter just completely fell off of his motor into his bilge while out on the water. We had it fixed and they had to put in a helicoil. All seemed fine until last night.
Everything was going fine when he noticed the boat slowing down then eventually died. He opened the engine compartment, only to find an oil and water mix (coffee w/ lots of cream) on top of his flame arrestor. It had blown the mixture out of the valve cover vent. The dipstick shows the same and is about 10 times past the full mark.
I realize we probably have 2 problems on our hands...the starter being loose & possibly seized with the sound he said it made (I don't think they installed the bracket) and the water in the oil. At this point I know if could be a number of things. I pulled the plugs last night, they were moist and smelt like gas, but there wasn't a clear indication that the cylinders were filled.
My plan of action was to start by tightening the starter to prevent damage to the flywheel, drain the oil, remove the filter, put new (cheap) oil in w/ a filter, and do a compression test. I'm really hoping it's something like the exhaust riser or the exhaust manifold since they're easy to get to. I have the same motor on my boat so swapping things before purchasing is a plus.
Would anyone else have a better or different course of action?
Thanks!
-Tim
I'm helping a friend with his boat, he's all thumbs and unfortunately, I've had to do my own fair share of maintenance.
1998 Searay 180
3.0L Mercruiser
Alpha One outdrive
Just a few weeks ago his starter just completely fell off of his motor into his bilge while out on the water. We had it fixed and they had to put in a helicoil. All seemed fine until last night.
Everything was going fine when he noticed the boat slowing down then eventually died. He opened the engine compartment, only to find an oil and water mix (coffee w/ lots of cream) on top of his flame arrestor. It had blown the mixture out of the valve cover vent. The dipstick shows the same and is about 10 times past the full mark.
I realize we probably have 2 problems on our hands...the starter being loose & possibly seized with the sound he said it made (I don't think they installed the bracket) and the water in the oil. At this point I know if could be a number of things. I pulled the plugs last night, they were moist and smelt like gas, but there wasn't a clear indication that the cylinders were filled.
My plan of action was to start by tightening the starter to prevent damage to the flywheel, drain the oil, remove the filter, put new (cheap) oil in w/ a filter, and do a compression test. I'm really hoping it's something like the exhaust riser or the exhaust manifold since they're easy to get to. I have the same motor on my boat so swapping things before purchasing is a plus.
Would anyone else have a better or different course of action?
Thanks!
-Tim
