Help with 1981 chaparral mercruiser 120 hp

Hello I am recently new an I am hoping someone can help. My buddy has a 1981 chaparral With a 120 hp mercruiser. Couple days ago he recently put it in the water an it ran good for twenty mins. Then he noticed that water was pouring out of the motor into the boat. Water seemed to be coming from the block so He thinks it's a cracked block. Wat can we do if it is. Can u replace the block? Can u weld it ? How bad are we talking. Thank u for ur time.

Re: Help with 1981 chaparral mercruiser 120 hp

If it is a cracked block, you can epoxy it with Marine-Tex or similar. Not perfect but works very well if done right.

Re: Help with 1981 chaparral mercruiser 120 hp

zbnutcase said:

If it is a cracked block, you can epoxy it with Marine-Tex or similar. Not perfect but works very well if done right.

Click to expand...

Ok great thank u. Water coming out of the block would most likely be a cracked block rite?? Are there any other ways to fix it if that doesn't work.

Re: Help with 1981 chaparral mercruiser 120 hp

depending on the damage, it might be able to get welded.

Re: Help with 1981 chaparral mercruiser 120 hp

You really need to have a good look and see where the water is coming from. By the sounds of it there is problems which sound like lack of proper winterization, which can crack the block, manifolds ect. The water may be coming from a pushed out core plug which is more often refered to a freeze plug which would indicate the motor certainly has froze.

Have you checked the oil for signs of water, milky looking or the oil level is rising? Again time for a good look down there as there are many possibilities.

Re: Help with 1981 chaparral mercruiser 120 hp

carcraze said:

You really need to have a good look and see where the water is coming from. By the sounds of it there is problems which sound like lack of proper winterization, which can crack the block, manifolds ect. The water may be coming from a pushed out core plug which is more often refered to a freeze plug which would indicate the motor certainly has froze.

Have you checked the oil for signs of water, milky looking or the oil level is rising? Again time for a good look down there as there are many possibilities.

Click to expand...

Ok we took a quick look an there is water in the oil real milky. It starts rite up an runs smooth wat can we do

Re: Help with 1981 chaparral mercruiser 120 hp

Pull the engine and inspect for damage. Engine is junk, look for a long block. Look at the exhaust manifolds for cracks as well. Chances are the whole thing is junk. Expensive lesson on winterization...

Re: Help with 1981 chaparral mercruiser 120 hp

Pretty much what Searay said.

Yep milky oil is an indication of a crack in the block, and possibly manifolds, risers. I have heard a manifold crack can do that alone but that to me would be pretty remote at best. You may want to do a pressure test on the engine cooling system wihtout the manifolds in the picture just to eliminate that and it will tell you for sure if the block is done for. Because it runs well really just says it may not have cracked into a cylinder probably cracked into an oil gallery or lifter area.

There have been some threads about finding block cracks and repairing them I have not done anything like that myself. The best solution is of course a new reman motor or long bock.

There are some threads about this subject (quite a lot) generally due to improper winterization. They refer to some decent priced places for a replacement motor, you may want to do some searches here also some refer to repairing mind you I probably would not take that route.

There are some very experianced PPL here (more so than I) and may be able to help you out with a motor source or ifyou find one they can tell you if it is advisable to use or purchase.

Good luck and keep us posted how it turns out.