4.3 mercruiser water in oil! Am i paranoid?

[cliffblue]

Re: 4.3 mercruiser water in oil! Am i paranoid?

Hey Grizz, I have the same problem. I've had my 2001 4.3 for three years and it is still milk shake at oil change. The design of the dip stick tube keeps the oil on the dip stick looking great. Mine level doesn't rise either. I'm about to pull the intake and heads off to see if I can find a cause. I pressured it up about a year and a half ago and it held 25 psi over night. When I looked into the marine gasket set, I couldn't find a Fel-Pro marine set with vortec intake gaskets, so I bought a separate intake set. Why doesn't the intake gasket need to be marine too? I will post the project when i get started. Good luck, Cliff

 

[thumpar]

Re: 4.3 mercruiser water in oil! Am i paranoid?

The intake gasket doesn't have metal in it like the head gasket.

 

[fen-isl]

Re: 4.3 mercruiser water in oil! Am i paranoid?

I had same problem last year with my 1996 4.3 gen+
My oil looked clean on the dipstick and never rose either Went to winterize and it was a swirled milk shake with tan goo under valve covers. Found that dipstick only reads the fill level but does not enter oil pan directly as tube goes down side then 90 degree angle into bottom of pan.
I missed some key diagnostic trouble shooting which the guys on here gave me hell for and rightly so. It cost me alot more money and nights in garage then it should have. I should have pressurized cooling side 1st. Instead I pulled intake and one of heads. Did find ever so slight rust line at rear a starboard side of intake(was that my leak?) don't know couldn't press test now. Anyway that engine has one time use bolts had to buy all new intake and head bolts. There is a special torque procedure which there is a revision for the intake torque you will have to search thru the iboats threads to find. I had to buy a torque angle gauge . You torque to a specified spec then install gauge and tighten a certian amount of degrees past, this stretches the bolt to its maximum yeild( and is why its a one time bolt)
Use only mercruiser parts The intake gasket changed the silicon sealing material is thicker and now is aluminum instead of plastic( maybe they new there was a problem)
I put engine back together, press tested checked ok replaced one piece exhaust manifolds with aluminum from performance product technologies (PPT) they are ceramic infused coated on the inside and outside plus guaranteed for 5 years as long as you replace anodes every year and about 40 lbs lighter. Get ur self the oem repair manual Don s put a link on my thread last year

http://forums.iboats.com/mercruiser...ves/1996-mercruiser-4-3-water-oil-587773.html

Good luck

 

[fen-isl]

Re: 4.3 mercruiser water in oil! Am i paranoid?

Oh yeah not to keep babbling but winterized 2 days ago and oil was ok
Hope its just your intake gasket

Good luck

 

[cliffblue]

Re: 4.3 mercruiser water in oil! Am i paranoid?

Sorry to ask a question in your thread Grizz, fen, are you saying that the Mercruiser intake gasket is different, (read better), than the fel-pro? Grizz, is yours vortec?

 

[fen-isl]

Re: 4.3 mercruiser water in oil! Am i paranoid?

Hey cfcliffb
Not sure what the felpro gaskets look like or if they are even able to be used in a marine environment. I just know when my gaskets came in they were different from the original as they were aluminum versa black plastic. I questioned this from supplier and on here and got same basic answer they are the correct gasket set. Just one more note when i went to pull off my intake originally, After removing bolts there was hardly any resistance. Making me think it might have been loose. I did find a thread some where that said after so many hrs the intake should be checked for tightness on the 4.3 vortec engine
My engine is a vortec model gen +

 

[cliffblue]

Re: 4.3 mercruiser water in oil! Am i paranoid?

Thanks fen. Good info for doing the top end. Interesting to hear your praise for the aluminum exhausts. I have to make the change myself.

 

[Grizzy1967]

Pressurized heads and block

Pressurized heads and block

Had water in oil so rigged up contraption to pressurize system. It leaks two lbs a minute. But I can't hear the air escaping. One question would a cylinder leak down test tell me more? Or just tear it apart and find out?
Compression test @ 125-138 across the board.
Also thoughts on you think it is heads, head gasket, intake gasket, or block.
Engine is 4.3 mercrusier.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Pressurized heads and block

Re: Pressurized heads and block

Had water in oil so rigged up contraption to pressurize system. It leaks two lbs a minute. But I can't hear the air escaping. One question would a cylinder leak down test tell me more? Or just tear it apart and find out?
Compression test @ 125-138 across the board.
Also thoughts on you think it is heads, head gasket, intake gasket, or block.
Engine is 4.3 mercrusier.
Thanks in advance.

Ayuh,.... Ya need to open up, or remove whatever ya can to be able to Hear the air loss,...

Open the carb, Wot,...
Pull All the spark plugs,...
Remove the oil fill cap, 'n dipstick,...
Pull the exhaust off, if necessary,...

Or,... Pull the motor out, mount it on a stand, 'n remove the tin,... oil pan, valve covers, etc,...

 

[Grizzy1967]

Re: 4.3 mercruiser water in oil! Am i paranoid?

Guys I don't know why I was never notified that y'all had commented in this thread but yes my is a vortec. I got around to finally pressure testing. After a bout with leaking adaptors mine holds good air. Shew.... Had me worried when I first put air on it and it leaked. Took some soapy water and found the culprit. One of the adaptors that I used!!!!

 

[Grizzy1967]

Re: Pressurized heads and block

Re: Pressurized heads and block

Leaky test adaptors. Easy fix. Shew.....had me worried. Holds air now. Thanks

 

[Bondo]

Re: Pressurized heads and block

Re: Pressurized heads and block

Leaky test adaptors. Easy fix. Shew.....had me worried. Holds air now. Thanks

Ayuh,.... I merged yer threads to keep the knowledge in here together,...

Glad ya got 'er figured out,...

Good Luck,...

 

[Grizzy1967]

Re: Pressurized heads and block

Re: Pressurized heads and block

Now off to fix the trim limit switch and convert over to two piece exhaust manifolds.

 

[nic420]

Re: 4.3 mercruiser water in oil! Am i paranoid?



You have a hose coming from behind the engine. Disconnect that hose and use it as your pressurising end. You will also have a hose going to the bottom of each exhaust manifold from the thermostat housing. Remove those hoses (2) from each of the manifolds and plug them. You're now ready to pressure test...

Chris.......

I have the same problem and trying to do a pressure test. Does the motor have to be at TDC for the test?

 

[nola mike]

You'll want to start your own thread instead of tacking on to this one. (But no, doesn't have to be at TDC).
@GA_Boater

 

[GA_Boater]

I have the same problem and trying to do a pressure test. Does the motor have to be at TDC for the test?

You'll want to start your own thread instead of tacking on to this one. (But no, doesn't have to be at TDC).
@GA_Boater

What Mike said. Start your own thread.