arabiflora
Recruit
- Joined
- May 18, 2003
- Messages
- 4
Mercruiser 140 (sn 4514670) and Model I sterndrive (sn 4797930) on 1978 17 ft Sylvan trihull runabout. Was out on the WI River several weeks ago and strayed from the nav channel, ran onto a sand bar. Stupidly, I threw it into reverse and tried to power it off the sand. After several tries I gave up, waded out and pulled it via rope to deeper water. It started right up, I ran 10 minutes at 4k rpm to island campsite. Offloaded gear and set up tent (45 min). Went back into river to pick up friends at dock ~ 3 mi downstream. Ran 15-20 min at steady 4k and no problem except momentary hiccup near the end (1/2 sec cut-out) that did not recur in last 3 minutes of the drive.
When I powered down to survey the situation at dock, it idled down with an ominous sound-- like belt squeal but with distinctive metallic screeching undertones. Motor did not maintain idle on throttle down and stalled, never to start again. The engine cranked with great resistance, occasionally fires but cannot sustain operation.
I struggled for the better part of the next week to decide what might have gone wrong and what to do in order to get back out on the water. I ultimately concluded that the engine was shot (admittedly based on no further diagnostic tests) and would need to be replaced. As fate would have it, a 1978 Mercruiser 140 motor, completely rebuilt and complete with starter, carb, etc. came up for auction on EBay (completed auction item #270141785390) and I bought it for about $1500.
I have since removed the old motor, taken delivery of the rebuilt, and may be ready to install it. If you have endured my sorry tale of woe and folly so far, I hope that you MC experts out there could help me out with suggestions on how (or whether) to proceed. I can see three options:
1. Cut my losses-- resell the rebuilt, the block and accessories on the seized motor, outdrive (completely rebuilt by MC shop ~40 hrs ago), and miscellaneous boat parts, use proceeds to buy one of the many used boats on market locally;
2. Take my chances-- drop the motor in and see how it goes;
3. Increase my odds for success-- plunk some more money into the endeavor and use the opportunity of engine-out to refurbish transom, Gimbel ring, bell housing, etc.
If I went with option 2 (or 3), are there flushing operations that I could perform to ensure that the outdrive isn't itself damaged or contribute debris that might foul the new motor?
If I went with option 3, what maintenance tasks should I perform? I'll note that prior to the WI River incident the boat was operating almost flawlessly. It has small issues with trim pump (I suspect it merely needs a fluid top-off and perhaps a system bleed) and the TPS wiring is shot but bottom line is that drive goes up, the drive goes down; the only other symptom to note is a very minor leakage of water into bilge that cannot be accounted for by water over the hull-- 1" puddle after several hrs out on water.
That's my story. Sorry this is so long and thanks for bearing with me and for any suggestions that you old hands may be able to provide.
Scott
When I powered down to survey the situation at dock, it idled down with an ominous sound-- like belt squeal but with distinctive metallic screeching undertones. Motor did not maintain idle on throttle down and stalled, never to start again. The engine cranked with great resistance, occasionally fires but cannot sustain operation.
I struggled for the better part of the next week to decide what might have gone wrong and what to do in order to get back out on the water. I ultimately concluded that the engine was shot (admittedly based on no further diagnostic tests) and would need to be replaced. As fate would have it, a 1978 Mercruiser 140 motor, completely rebuilt and complete with starter, carb, etc. came up for auction on EBay (completed auction item #270141785390) and I bought it for about $1500.
I have since removed the old motor, taken delivery of the rebuilt, and may be ready to install it. If you have endured my sorry tale of woe and folly so far, I hope that you MC experts out there could help me out with suggestions on how (or whether) to proceed. I can see three options:
1. Cut my losses-- resell the rebuilt, the block and accessories on the seized motor, outdrive (completely rebuilt by MC shop ~40 hrs ago), and miscellaneous boat parts, use proceeds to buy one of the many used boats on market locally;
2. Take my chances-- drop the motor in and see how it goes;
3. Increase my odds for success-- plunk some more money into the endeavor and use the opportunity of engine-out to refurbish transom, Gimbel ring, bell housing, etc.
If I went with option 2 (or 3), are there flushing operations that I could perform to ensure that the outdrive isn't itself damaged or contribute debris that might foul the new motor?
If I went with option 3, what maintenance tasks should I perform? I'll note that prior to the WI River incident the boat was operating almost flawlessly. It has small issues with trim pump (I suspect it merely needs a fluid top-off and perhaps a system bleed) and the TPS wiring is shot but bottom line is that drive goes up, the drive goes down; the only other symptom to note is a very minor leakage of water into bilge that cannot be accounted for by water over the hull-- 1" puddle after several hrs out on water.
That's my story. Sorry this is so long and thanks for bearing with me and for any suggestions that you old hands may be able to provide.
Scott
