1992 Bayliner Capri V6 4.3 MerCruiser engine won't turn over

Hello,

I just bought a 1992 Bayliner Capri V6 4.3 engine. The guy said that the last time it was in the water was 3 years ago. He used it on a Saturday with no problems and when he launched it on the next day he didn't run the blower and the engine cover blew off into the air. Yes, an explosion. He quickly extinguished the fire and pulled it out of the water and let it sit for three years. I thought, Yes, what a deal, fix the fuel leak and start the engine. OK, I got there to see the boat and put a well charged battery in and tried the key. I just got a strong click. I tried to turn the engine by hand and couldn't get it to budge. My friend said that we could put Marvel Mystery oil into the cylinders and let it sit for a day and try it again.

Is there anything any of you would suggest?

Is it possible that the explosion could cause the engine to seize?

Is it possible that an engine problem could cause an explosion?

Could it just be stuck from sitting for three years?

The boat is beautiful, new paint, new bimini top, new split-back seats and upholstery. I tried to turn the prop in forward and reverse, it seems to do what it's supposed to do, that is turns one way in forward and the other way in reverse and free wheels in neutral.

Thanks in advance for your help. I have read many of the discussions on other topics here and I am really impressed with the knowledge in this forum. I am glad I found it. I have two other running boats and one I haven't used in years. I am not new to boating so I have already had my first and second happiest days of my life. Now I am just hoping to make this boat my keeper for a while.

Arthur.

Re: 1992 Bayliner Capri V6 4.3 MerCruiser engine won't turn over

This is an engine issue, not a Bayliner Capri issue. A moderator will likely move this to the Mercruiser forum area.

The fire did not likely sieze the engine,
Not winterizing it after the shutdown has probably cracked the block.

Pull the sparkplugs. If water comes out, start crying!
Look for rust on the plugs and pistons.
Spray in a good shot of penetrating oil, wait a few hours.
Try to turn the crankshaft with a socket and breaker bar.
Normal is Clockwise looking Aft.

Good luck.

Re: 1992 Bayliner Capri V6 4.3 MerCruiser engine won't turn over

I doubt it is frozen if you are in Cal. I would pull all the plugs and try to turn it over. If nothing happens then I would put the oil in all the cylinders and give it a couple days and try it again with all the plugs out. If that doesn't work then it sounds like a engine rebuild or replace situation. Best of luck.

Re: 1992 Bayliner Capri V6 4.3 MerCruiser engine won't turn over

Hi,

Thank you both for your quick reply.

I pulled all the plugs and sprayed some penetrating oil in each one and started working on other stuff while waiting for the oil to work its way to the rings. After about three hours I tried again still stuck. Then I squirted a couple of ounces of Marvel Mystery Oil into each cylinder and my friend broke the aluminum front pulley so we pulled that off and I went to the hardware store to get a couple of long bolts to fit into the holes that mount the pulley and used a tire iron from Harbor Fright to leverage between those bolts and it moved. I kept on trying and it started moving some more and finally turned pretty good. I heard some noise and we found it to be coming from the out drive so I lowered the drive and tried again and it started turning without any noise.

Now I have to replace the starter and the alternator as they are both frozen. That leads to my MerCruiser specific question. What's the best way to pull the second bolt out of the starter housing to remove the starter. I have removed all of the bell housing bolts along the top half. I am hoping that there are none around the bottom half. Am I going in the right direction? Does the flywheel cover plate come off with the starter in place or do I have to remove the starter to get that off. That is the part that is blocking the removal of the bolt that holds the starter on. I tried an open end wrench, can't get a socket on to it and so far with all the top bolts off of the bell housing it still won't move away from the engine. I see two very large bolts pointing down holding the small part of the bell housing to the bottom of the boat right next to the transom. If I remove those, would I loose alignment of the coupling between the engine and drive?

Re: 1992 Bayliner Capri V6 4.3 MerCruiser engine won't turn over

Try...

http://boatinfo.no/lib/library.html

Looks like you need Mercruiser Manuals #5, or #6 and #7

I am not familiar with that engine.
The Drive Coupler is normally mounted to the flywheel.
The "Bellhousing???" ... sounds like the engine mount, take it off and the engine may drop!!! Your judgement call!

Also... Drive in up position for transportation only, to clear ground, Down if engine is turning.
The U-Joint will not last long trying to turn it more than a few degrees out of alignment.

I see that Taft, CA is having freezing weather this week. I would say to be sure to drain the block, but that advice is a few years too late.

If you haven't changed the Oil, Do it now! Did any water come out or did it look cloudy?

Re: 1992 Bayliner Capri V6 4.3 MerCruiser engine won't turn over

I hope you got a REALLY good deal.

Re: 1992 Bayliner Capri V6 4.3 MerCruiser engine won't turn over

Hi,

OK, I have drained the block by removing the lowest hose and left it open. the boat was in Los Angeles so I don'tthink it's gotten cold enough to freeze there.

Is it egough to set most of the ater out and leave it open? Is there a seperate drain plug for the block?

Thanks,

Arthur.

Re: 1992 Bayliner Capri V6 4.3 MerCruiser engine won't turn over

I am sure you need to drain the exhaust headers also.
There could be 3 to 7 spots to drain. Depending on the motor.
You really want to run the motor and flush some marine/RV antifreeze through it, but that is not an option at this point.
Your temps are in the high 20's at night and above freezing daily, so you may not actually get the block to freeze.
A 40 watt (not too hot) trouble light on a cookie sheet under the engine might be good insurance.
Better safe than sorry.

Re: 1992 Bayliner Capri V6 4.3 MerCruiser engine won't turn over

UncleWillie,

I haven't thought of keeping it worm using a work light. Thanks.

Should I add antifreeze to it? It isn't a fresh water cooling system.

On my 1986 (a different boat), I do have a closed fresh water cooling system. I want to flush it with something that will desolve the rust. Is that OK? There is way too much rust coming out of it. I have filled it with clean water twice and drained it. It came out cleaner the second time.



Jerryh3,

I did got a geed deal on this boat. Check out my post on the "Funny Craigslist" thread. I got this one for $250. The guy was asking $500 but when I got there I couldn't turn the engine. The seller said that if it didn't sell, his alternative was to let a "boat disposal company" take it and they were going to wave the disposal fee in exchange for the parts". I love Craigslist.

Re: 1992 Bayliner Capri V6 4.3 MerCruiser engine won't turn over

Let me tell you about the boat I just bought. A 1992 Bayliner Capri with a 4.3 Merdruiser V6 and Alpha One outdrive. The guy was asking $500 for it and said in the ad the he had some mechanical problems three years ago and hasn't tried to anything with it since. I asked him if he was firm on the price and he said yes. I drove 100 miles to see it anyway. When I got there I looked at it and the engine compartment was podered in yellow dust and there was some charring on the starboard stern seat cusion and some of the wires at the breaker switch looked burned externally. The seller explained that there had been an explosion that blew the engine cover 20 feet in the air. He got into the habat of starting the engine without running the blower. I hooked up a battery and tried the starter. It just clicked. I tried to turn the engine by hand and it was stuck. I said that the price would have been OK if the engine would at least turn and if I could get the starter to turn it. I bowed my head and stared at the engine for a couple of minutes waiting for a reaction from the seller, then I looked at him and asked how flexible he was on the price. He said that he had called a boat disposal company that offered to waive their fees in exchange for the title to the boat and trailer. I offered $200 and he came back at me with $250 so I took it. Sprayed some Knock'er Loose Peetrant into the spark plug holes and waited 30 minutes, followed that with Marvel Mystery Oil and waited 3 hours, started working it loose and after a few tries it turned. After a couple of days it turned better. Now a few weeks later it turns freely by hand with the spark plugs out. I have to replace the starter, got that used for about $30. I also had to get the alternator unstuck. I have been wiping the fire extinguisher powder off to uncover a beautiful mercruiser engine that looks new. This engine will run just fine in a few days. It has good compression and the wires on only chared medium rare. I found the fuel leak at the vent tube neck. I have spent about $45 so far on this repair. The oil looks like it was just changed, everything else works. I spayed the alternator with that "Knock're Loose" and put a wrench on the center bolt and tapped it with the handle of a big screw driver and it started to turn after hitting it three times. then I was able to turn it by hand. I am taking in to the Auto Zone to get it tested tomorrow. If I can put off buying a new alternator for a while that's a plus.

What do you guys think? Did I get a really good deal?

Re: 1992 Bayliner Capri V6 4.3 MerCruiser engine won't turn over

by doing all the work yourself.....i think you did ok on it

Re: 1992 Bayliner Capri V6 4.3 MerCruiser engine won't turn over

Thanks. The next thing I have to do is find a bolt that will be easier to install and remove later when its time to replace the starter again. The problem is that the original bolt has a 9/16 inch head on it and it is very close to the flysheel cover. So close that it is impossible to get a regular socket on it. I got a cheepo socket and put a steel rod through it and ground it down evenly on the bench grinder. I did that just enough to get in to go onto the head of the bolt and it came out fine. I found out that Mercruiser sells a replacement bolt for it that has a 1/2 inch head on it. I heard that now it is standard for the starter bolt to come with the 1/2 inch head. I don't know how much they charge for it but I will see if I can find it locally first. I may go with a allen style bolt or torx if I can find it.

At first I thought it was a hassle but after I change this bolt it should be no problem. Working on boats for me is all good.

I should change the name of this thread to something like "Bayliner Bargain Project". Is it possible to change the name of a thread?

Re: 1992 Bayliner Capri V6 4.3 MerCruiser engine won't turn over

DO NOT use regular bolts or allen head bolts for starter bolts. Starter bolts are special and have knurled sections on them so they don't allow the starter to move around. Buy some new "Starter" bolts from your local Merc dealer, they have 1/2" heads on them.

I should change the name of this thread to something like "Bayliner Bargain Project". Is it possible to change the name of a thread?

Click to expand...

You don't want to do that on the engine forums, you should start a new thread with each different problem.
Not many people will look here if you post a problem with your drive with a title that says your engine won't turn over.

Re: 1992 Bayliner Capri V6 4.3 MerCruiser engine won't turn over

OK, I found the bolt and installed the starter. It fires up by priming or pumping the throtle but it dies. I think the float valve is gummed up. What do you think? Should I start a new thread?

Re: 1992 Bayliner Capri V6 4.3 MerCruiser engine won't turn over

I had to drain 28 gallons of old gas from the tank. I have a gallon of new gas with the proper amount of Chemtool mixed in. I have run that through by feathering the throtle to keep it running. I guess the bowl is now full of Chemtool treated has and has been there overnight. I tried it again but it does the same thing. Just dies after a few seconds, I guess enough time to let juel out of the bowl.

Maybe that's now the right idea because after it dies, there is always ebough fuel in it to pump the throtle and get about four or five good sprays out of the throtle body. Then I can start it and it will idle kind of soft and then dies. Is there a float adjustment on this?

Re: 1992 Bayliner Capri V6 4.3 MerCruiser engine won't turn over

ARTIZAN said:

OK, I found the bolt and installed the starter. It fires up by priming or pumping the throtle but it dies. I think the float valve is gummed up. What do you think? Should I start a new thread?

Click to expand...

Ayuh,.... rebuildin' the Carb might help,....


Startin' another thread won't....

Re: 1992 Bayliner Capri V6 4.3 MerCruiser engine won't turn over

+1, Rebuilding the Carb might help.

I don't think it is a float problem.
Pumping the throttle operates the accelerator pump and squirts fuel down the carburator throat.
The accelerator pump usually gets its fuel from the float bowl.
If accelerator pump is working that means the float valve is opening and filling the bowl.
Your problem sounds like the idle jets are blocked up.

When it starts to die, if you advance the throttle WITHOUT pumping it, will the engine rev up, and stay revved up?
Try this with caution, do not over rev the engine!

Short of rebuilding the carburetor, a good shot of carb cleaner in all the little nooks and crannies could be a quick fix.

Sounds good so far... do you have one idle mixture screw or two? One is mercarb two is rochester. Rebuild kit will be about $50. Are you running the boat on muffs? How's that 3+ year old impeller doing at keeping the engine cool? If you haven't addressed the impeller yet, I would make that your next stop. Goodluck!

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

Re: 1992 Bayliner Capri V6 4.3 MerCruiser engine won't turn over

Thanks Uncle Willie, that is a good suggestion.

90stingray, I have one idle mixture screw. Here is a picture of the carb.



I have the drive submerged in a tub of water. The boat did start making a railing noise coming from the drive. I assume that is the impeller? I should take a look at that. I don't know the Mercruiser outdrives at all. This is my first one. I really like the looks of it. It's an Alpha One. I have to find out where the impeller is located and how to change it. I guess there is also one for the engine? It looks to me that there is only one large water pump on this engine driven by the front pulleys like on a car.

Should I stop working getting the engine running right and go ahead and change the impeller on the drive?

Re: 1992 Bayliner Capri V6 4.3 MerCruiser engine won't turn over

ARTIZAN said:

OK, I found the bolt and installed the starter. It fires up by priming or pumping the throtle but it dies. I think the float valve is gummed up. What do you think? Should I start a new thread?

Click to expand...

I'm sorry, What I meant by "new thread" wasn't to rethread the bolt holes, but since this is really another engine question...

Anyway, I did manage to find the proper Mercruiser starter bolt with a 1/2 inch head, Part # 805343 from http://mercuryperformance.com. Nice people, best price, only $10.40. :facepalm:

Mercruiser has since changed the bolt that is installed at the factory to this one because many people were having trouble removing the earlier bolt with the 9/16 head because of the clearance problem. It is too close to the flywheel cover and you can't get the socket to go onto the bolt.