V6-200 SX Corrosion/paint bubbling

[imstriker]

This seems crazy to me so I'm hoping someone has an idea. My boat has been in service 2 seasons now and the amount of paint bubbling up and off on the outdrive seems crazy. Is it possible it has the wrong anode on it or is this just normal? We had a Merc for 6 years on the previous boat and I never saw this. Meanwhile the anode looks brand new. Would really appreciate any help or ideas. I put one example photo up and here is a link to several photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/rZt5xcREjWd1mosT6

 

[dingbat]

That “zinc” looks no where close to new

New would be bright and shiney. No surface erosion or white powdery buildup.

All the ground cables still in place?

Using zinc anodes in fresh water by chance?

 

[tpenfield]

The outdrive is depleting, and not the anode . . . nothing normal about that

You should replace the anodes every year and make sure they have good electrical contact with the outdrive housing.

 

[muc]

I have seen this a few times ------ it's NOT normal.

Some of the things that I've seen cause this.
1. 2 houses down the shore, they had a "invisible fence" for their dog installed that went into the lake.
2. Had a small pond dug in their yard with underwater lighting.
3. They were using an automotive (cheap) battery charger to keep the boat batteries charged.
4. Installed a carbon monoxide detector and used the boats bonding system for ground.
5. Installed a new bilge pump and let the cheap butt connectors lay in the bilge water.
6. And the hardest one to track down ---- A company across the river was welding and using some railroad tracks that went into the river as an ground. Checked that boat like 4 times and always got good readings. There was no reason for it to be corroding like it was. Then one time The test meters went crazy and happened to see the arc flash across the river.

In all of these situations the customer was sure it was an Volvo/MerCruiser problem. But only a couple of times did it turn out to be something that was covered under warranty.

There are many many things that can cause this. You can fix this yourself. The test equipment is less than $300 and the knowledge can be had for less then $200. It's the time it takes to get the knowledge and do the testing that's the most expensive.

Sorry but there is no easy answer to your question. Without doing the proper tests --- it's a guessing game.

 

[QBhoy]

Hi. Although the paint looks original, I’m suspecting it’s had a paint job. The anode behind the prop should not be painted. Someone has painted that.
Mother reason for this could be excessive heat ?
The rusted bolts would be a concern. Perhaps caused by the painted anode.

 

[imstriker]

The boat is a 2016, we bought it new. It's the original anode and paint. I replaced the anode on my Merc over the years when it started to eat away, but really didn't see any material missing on this one. It's all still the setup we bought from the dealer.

In terms of what the anode is, I really don't know. It's the one that came from the dealer.

The rusted bolts seem really odd to me too. There are several of them that are rusting away.

Thanks all for the replies.

 

[imstriker]

Oh, and I should say this is on a 2016 Stingray 208LR. The boat in my signature is the old one but the forum doesn't seem to want to let me edit it.

 

[BRICH1260]

Are you in fresh or salt water, what type of anode are you using? There is no anode in the pic so I don't see what you guys are referring to. Take and post some more pictures of the anodes when you can.

 

[muc]

Pics are in the google link in the first post.
Anodes are probably aluminum because that’s what come stock and only really good dealers change them out before sale. Volvo had a program for freshwater dealers to change them out for magnesium, but didn’t pay labor. So only smart dealers did it.

Looking at the pictures, problem is most likely “stray current corrosion”. This could be coming from the boat or something near where the boat is slipped.

Sorry to say this, but the drive and TSK are probably past the point of “no return”. Correcting the cause of this will slow down the damage but it will always have issues as long as it’s kept in the water. The time to address this problem was 1 1/2 years ago when it first showed up.

If the boats boat is in salt water, disregard all this. Because I “don’t know nothin” about saltwater.

 

[imstriker]

Thanks for the replies. I dropped it off at the dealer today to take a look at. We'll see what they come back with.

 

[muc]

Ask the dealer about a ACP (active corrosion protection) system and how much it would cost to install.
If the boat already has this system, ask if it has gone bad and/or why you have such severe corrosion. If something is wrong with this boat it’s possible there might be some warranty coverage.

 

[imstriker]

Heard back from the dealer today. They said it was stray current just like was said above. Said I could keep it like it is or have them remove, clean, repaint for around $1200. I guess that isn't too bad considering. Bigger question now is what to do with my slip. Obviously I cannot put the boat back in our slip this season or there will not be anything left of it.

Active Corrosion Protection is a new one to me. The parts do not look that expensive. Would that system protect against stray current then?

Thanks again all!

 

[imstriker]

Next question... Some things I am reading say that swapping to magnesium anodes would prevent the stray current issue. Any truth in that?

 

[dingbat]

Bigger question now is what to do with my slip. Obviously I cannot put the boat back in our slip this season or there will not be anything left of it.

The first thing I would do is to confirm your system is intact and working. Something as mundane as a bad ground wire can cause the problem

Are you using shore power? Anyone near you using shore power?

 

[imstriker]

I am not using shore power. My section of the docks does not have power run to it. However, they added a new section of covered/powered docks about 3 slips away from me. I called them earlier today and they claim everything was done right and it is setup properly. They said it was probably a nearby boat with an issue.

 

[muc]

ACP and magnesium anodes will help mask the symptoms, but only a little. First you must rule out problems with your boat and then go searching for the cause.

 

[imstriker]

Gotcha, thanks! I'm going to call our Marina today and try to get the money back on our slip. If nothing else we'll go to being a trailer queen for a while. I don't think in any case that I would be able to sleep with the boat left in the slip at this point.

 

[Lubak572]

Have the marina call out an electrician to check. Check with your slipmates to see if they are having issues too.

 

[imstriker]

I tried on the marina. They got really defensive and started telling me everything was fine without looking. That's part of the reason I think I'm just going to run away. This all happened this year when they happened to open a new section of powered docks just down from my unpowered slip. I know it is not scientific, but it sure seems like the right timing.

 

[imstriker]

Update: I got my money back from the marina pretty easily, almost suspiciously easy. At any rate, that part is behind me. So now the question is cleanup. Should I let our dealer take the drive off, clean, repaint for around $1,200 or is that something I can largely tackle at home now that the boat is a trailer queen?