SO lessons are being learned, and the wife is ready to freak out on the dang boat.
I have posted part of the issue in another thread, but I needed to start this one to make it relevant to the forum topic selection.
I have a 1993 fourwinns with an OMC outdrive and a ford 302 paperweight. I had this on the lake this year and it ran fine for a while. While boating around I noticed I had to throttle up and down a few time at points so that I could get on plane. Mostly only when I would slow down to cruise in a no wake zone, or after starting . While cruising after lunch I couldnt get to plane. The motor sounded fine, but just couldnt get speed like loss of power. I opened up the motor compartment and put the motor in Neutral for idle. In neutral I revved up and felt like it was right. I only revved a couple times. I put back into forward and pulled the blowback hose off of the flame arrestor. I notices the white looking oil in the tube, and felt steam coming from blow back tube. As soon as I took the actual flame arrestor off the boat regained power and we boated around for a while. I figuered it was moisture mixing in the carb from the steam. I Checked the oil dipstick and oil was clear and at the right level. We boated around for a while longer and stopped to fish a little . We started back up and cruised out of the cove. Very slowly heading out and somehow hit something in the water. I looked in the engine compartment but noticed no more water than normal. I throttled up but had the same issue as before. I told the wife to drive and to keep throttle all the way down while I manipulated the choke on the carb. I thought maybe it was just to closed off. I decided at that point that the carb was messed up. Then I noticed more water in the bilge. The auto float kicked in and bailed the water. I was looking for a crack and noticed the power steering fluid oil cooler had a leak. I attempted to push it together and it came apart in my hand. I pushed it back together and help it together and told the wife to head to the docks. I pulled the dipstick to check the oil again because at the time I pulled the hose off of the oil cooler and noticed the millky orangish looking oil. I thought this was the engine oil at the time. I pulled the dipstick and it was clear. The wife was driving but we couldnt get enough speed to get on plane. I was holding the Oil cooler together and talking to the wife and noticed the oil pressure was pegged out , but the tmp was still below 240. The oil cooler wasnt hot at all and I had it pushed together tight enough that there was only a small leak. I pulled the cap off of the oil and looked into it. I could see any oil, but noticed moisture . I pulled the dipstick again and this time the oil was not clear but more like pecan color. Also the oil was half way up the stick. We got to the docks and I trailered the boat. I put the boat in my garage and rebuilt the carb. I am now at a loss. I took the boat out to the yard on muffs and turned the key over. the first time it locked up for a second. then it cranks over, but slowly. I had never heard this before, but I can say that the battery wasnt acting right and I have a voltage leak somewhere so it could be due to low voltage. I cranked the boat to adjust the carb and ran for about 20 minutes. I checked oil and there for sure is water in it.
My question is what do any of you think? Could this be a head gasket? I would also say that I thought I knew how to winterize a boat until this problem. Now I know I didnt drain the oil cooler or the motor. My question is would you think that I cracked the block? The oil and oil pressure was fine for 4-5 hours. then issues happened. I know the oil cooler is due to winterizing. I have repaired this. I just dont know what to do with the water. I have read every thread on this issue and watched countless Youtube videos with cars and what little I can find on Marine Engines. I cant find one single thread with pics and a breakdown on changing the gasket. Save for one on Youtube. nothing about testing with pics. Everything just says block off hoses, but what hoses? Anyway Any ideas are appreciated.
I have posted part of the issue in another thread, but I needed to start this one to make it relevant to the forum topic selection.
I have a 1993 fourwinns with an OMC outdrive and a ford 302 paperweight. I had this on the lake this year and it ran fine for a while. While boating around I noticed I had to throttle up and down a few time at points so that I could get on plane. Mostly only when I would slow down to cruise in a no wake zone, or after starting . While cruising after lunch I couldnt get to plane. The motor sounded fine, but just couldnt get speed like loss of power. I opened up the motor compartment and put the motor in Neutral for idle. In neutral I revved up and felt like it was right. I only revved a couple times. I put back into forward and pulled the blowback hose off of the flame arrestor. I notices the white looking oil in the tube, and felt steam coming from blow back tube. As soon as I took the actual flame arrestor off the boat regained power and we boated around for a while. I figuered it was moisture mixing in the carb from the steam. I Checked the oil dipstick and oil was clear and at the right level. We boated around for a while longer and stopped to fish a little . We started back up and cruised out of the cove. Very slowly heading out and somehow hit something in the water. I looked in the engine compartment but noticed no more water than normal. I throttled up but had the same issue as before. I told the wife to drive and to keep throttle all the way down while I manipulated the choke on the carb. I thought maybe it was just to closed off. I decided at that point that the carb was messed up. Then I noticed more water in the bilge. The auto float kicked in and bailed the water. I was looking for a crack and noticed the power steering fluid oil cooler had a leak. I attempted to push it together and it came apart in my hand. I pushed it back together and help it together and told the wife to head to the docks. I pulled the dipstick to check the oil again because at the time I pulled the hose off of the oil cooler and noticed the millky orangish looking oil. I thought this was the engine oil at the time. I pulled the dipstick and it was clear. The wife was driving but we couldnt get enough speed to get on plane. I was holding the Oil cooler together and talking to the wife and noticed the oil pressure was pegged out , but the tmp was still below 240. The oil cooler wasnt hot at all and I had it pushed together tight enough that there was only a small leak. I pulled the cap off of the oil and looked into it. I could see any oil, but noticed moisture . I pulled the dipstick again and this time the oil was not clear but more like pecan color. Also the oil was half way up the stick. We got to the docks and I trailered the boat. I put the boat in my garage and rebuilt the carb. I am now at a loss. I took the boat out to the yard on muffs and turned the key over. the first time it locked up for a second. then it cranks over, but slowly. I had never heard this before, but I can say that the battery wasnt acting right and I have a voltage leak somewhere so it could be due to low voltage. I cranked the boat to adjust the carb and ran for about 20 minutes. I checked oil and there for sure is water in it.
My question is what do any of you think? Could this be a head gasket? I would also say that I thought I knew how to winterize a boat until this problem. Now I know I didnt drain the oil cooler or the motor. My question is would you think that I cracked the block? The oil and oil pressure was fine for 4-5 hours. then issues happened. I know the oil cooler is due to winterizing. I have repaired this. I just dont know what to do with the water. I have read every thread on this issue and watched countless Youtube videos with cars and what little I can find on Marine Engines. I cant find one single thread with pics and a breakdown on changing the gasket. Save for one on Youtube. nothing about testing with pics. Everything just says block off hoses, but what hoses? Anyway Any ideas are appreciated.