Hi - I am looking for the opinion of more experienced boaters and mechanics with regard to an experience I recently had. Thanks and excuse my ignorance regarding boat engines.
I am a member of a boat club which keeps and maintains a group of boats that we are able to reserve and use when we like. We recently went out on a Sea Ray 200 select which has a mercruiser sterndrive. After 2 1/2 hours of driving it unexpectedly overheated and we required a tow to get back to the marina.
After the initial overheating, I looked in the engine compartment and noticed that there was no cap on the reservoir marked "lube" and it was basically empty and there appeared to be lube in the bilge. My first thought was someone forgot to replace the cap when filling it and that was the cause of the problem. Because we were very unhappy with the situation, I complained to the management of the club and described the event. The response I got was,
"What happened in your case was a piece of a gasket broke off and clogged a water passage which contributed to the overheating of the engine. This was just a freak thing that happened."
Does this seem like a legitimate cause or does it seem like they are trying to cover negligence? Could a broken gasket cause the cap to blow off or something? Or are they two unrelated problems?
I appreciate anyone's opinion on this as we are trying to decide whether to remain in the club.
I am a member of a boat club which keeps and maintains a group of boats that we are able to reserve and use when we like. We recently went out on a Sea Ray 200 select which has a mercruiser sterndrive. After 2 1/2 hours of driving it unexpectedly overheated and we required a tow to get back to the marina.
After the initial overheating, I looked in the engine compartment and noticed that there was no cap on the reservoir marked "lube" and it was basically empty and there appeared to be lube in the bilge. My first thought was someone forgot to replace the cap when filling it and that was the cause of the problem. Because we were very unhappy with the situation, I complained to the management of the club and described the event. The response I got was,
"What happened in your case was a piece of a gasket broke off and clogged a water passage which contributed to the overheating of the engine. This was just a freak thing that happened."
Does this seem like a legitimate cause or does it seem like they are trying to cover negligence? Could a broken gasket cause the cap to blow off or something? Or are they two unrelated problems?
I appreciate anyone's opinion on this as we are trying to decide whether to remain in the club.
