how bad is water in heads?

Here is the main question __How bad is it when you get water in the heads? It?s a long story,,heres some background,,just got a 1997 2100 LSR with a 350 8 cyl 2 barrel thuinderbolt. Got it in june ran it twice on the lake had fun,,by the end of the second run noticed it was hard to start but being new to boats didn?t really look at the gauges much but I know it had gas,,the third time we took off and it overheaded within ten minutes,,got hot smoked and it just died out and wouldn?t restart. Took it to a mechanic I heard a few good things about. The guy said it had sand in the engine so they did a total rebuild,,$5000 later I am on the lake taking it out for a test run just putting around at idle for 20 min,,then spead it up a bit to 2000 rpm,,I hear an alrm going off but I think it?s the depth finder it goes off right away,,the temp guage is slowly going up but I see it lower when the t-stat opens but it seems the temp keeps going higher and higher before the t-stat opens,,so the temp guage is going up and down,,the alarm goes off again I slow to an idle,,its about 190degress,,goes down to 170,,alarm goes off, so I try to limp it back in bu then alarm sounds it jumps up to 220 degress and won?t restart,,ligh faint smoke in the engine compartment and a sound like frying bacon on a pan. I get towed ,,go back to the mech,,first he says my temp guage is bad,,( it sure seems like it overheated to me),,I ask why didn?t it restart,,he says my starter is bad too,, they just put in a new starter for the rebuild,,then when I call back he says he found water in the cylinder heads,,he thinks maybe it was some backwash from the test run in his tank..being I juts had the engine rebuilt ,,how bad is this water in the heads? Will I need to have a total new rebuild done again? Will it weaken my new rebuilt engine? Should I look for a new mechanic,,I think the starter is fine, I think maybe they put the t-stat in wrong or the messed up when they reconnected engine,,he says he ran it for 2 hours with no problem after the rebuild and it was fine??

Re: how bad is water in heads?

Backwash from a test run ????
You are either not understanding what he is trying to tell you or he is full of manure.
Its hard to tell what you got for your 5k not knowing exactly how the rebuild was done. I would think any boat mechanic that does a total in and out rebuild/replacement would include a lake run. The one I know does.
I would be looking for a second opinion of a different mechanic. It could be something as simple as a bad t-stat, worn/bad impeller. Or something worse, blown head gasket, cracked block or head. Folks here that have had a similar prob will give you lots ideas to check out yourself if you are so inclined.
Good luck!

Re: how bad is water in heads?

Sand in the engine? Time for a second opinion.

Re: how bad is water in heads?

fire 911 said:

when I call back he says he found water in the cylinder heads,,he thinks maybe it was some backwash from the test run in his tank

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I do not understand that at all! He is talking about water in the cylinders right? Any water in there from his test would be gone after the first exhaust stroke when you started it. If the engine turned over when you tried to start on the lake, the water must have come from inside the engine. BTW Did they replace the impeller in the outdrive? I really think you need another mechanic to look at this.

Re: how bad is water in heads?

Second on a new mechanic. A rebuild should include a new thermostat and impeller. We always do for our own peace of mind as well as the eliminate problems for warranty. Replaced starter? Was it bad or was the engine just temporarily seized from the over heat?

There is susposed to water in the heads for cooling, was it in the intake or exhaust passes? It is not supposed to be there if it was I would suspect he botched the gaskets.

Re: how bad is water in heads?

fire 911 said:

Should I look for a new mechanic??

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You think?

Is this a marine mechanic? (I think not).

Water in the engine is not a good thing - any competent marine mechanic is going to be able to tell you why. Or at the very least be able to go through a basic check list. Did he ever mention anything about your manifolds or risers?

Way too many unanswered questions here.

Re: how bad is water in heads?

I'd definitely look for a new mechanic. I'm not buying anything he's told you so far.

Re: how bad is water in heads?

thanks foir the feedback !! this has been very frustrating,,it was a total rebuild, heads, cylinders, short block, i also had a new impeller and a new water pump and a new starter,,he said the risers were good and the manifold were not leaking,,i don't know if the water is coming from the intake or exhaust passes,, i've already invested 5000 and if i take it to a different mechanic of course he is going to blame any problems on the work a new mechanic does,,so i am kind of commited to at leats get it from him in a working condition but i am only going to be able to run it a few times before i have to store it for the winter so any new problems won't even emerge until next season,,i'll keep you posted,,i am just worried that all the work that was done is being ruined by these new problems

Re: how bad is water in heads?

this is a warranty problem if he did the impeller.

however.....there is not one thing you reported he said that makes any sence.....none of it. !

time to go to the biggest most trusted marine dealer in the area.....and have them go over your boat.....
then you pay for them......but the old mechanic gets to do the work they say.

or......just quit going to him....and sue him.

btw.....where are you?

Re: how bad is water in heads?

You must have some kind of a warranty with this guy!? You should have INSISTED on a test run with him or someone on his behalf.
I'm sure he is TOO far from the lake, right?

Re: how bad is water in heads?

Did you pay with a credit card buy chance?............

Re: how bad is water in heads?

Good lord.... the starter seems to be failing because it is trying to crank an engine that has water in the cylinders. Water won't compress, so the starter clunks or gives out.

This is reading like a train wreck. You need someone with you who understand marine engines and what type of 'rebuild' this guy did. A full rebuild is about replacing all the moving parts or more. if you have water instrusion issues that led to engine failure, rebuilding the engine with all new moving parts and getting the block squared away doesn't fix the intrusion issue. What if you have a rotted head or rotted exhaust and got your engine rebuilt without addressing the head or exhaust? Well, exactly what happened.

And your 'mechanic' -- even if you got 50% of what he said right -- is a bull-shi@er... an idiot... or both...

.

Re: how bad is water in heads?

I would find a different mechanic and a good lawyer. sounds like you were taken by the first mechanic