Engine: 4.3 EFI
Drive: Alpha-1
Raw water cooling
Exhaust manifold age: 5-7 years (estimate)
Just took my boat out for the first time since de-winterizing.
Over the winter:
Block plugs removed
Manifold plugs removed
lower water pump hose removed
Thermostat removed and antifreeze pored in thermostat housing until I saw some leak out the various spots on the engine.
I ran my engine on the muffs before I took it out today to make sure everything was working, it ran perfectly.
Got it out to the water, and ran the boat for about 20-25 minutes, got to an island and shut the boat down. Boat was working perfectly, with no signs of any problems.
When I got to the island, I pushed off, lowered my leg and started my engine.
Now, my shift cables are not perfectly setup. Sometimes the shift interrupt kicks in before reverse is fully engages.
While basically sitting in still water, I tried twice to get into reverse, both times stalling the engine because of my shift interrupt kicking in.
Now. Here's the problem. I went to start the engine for the 3rd time, and my starter clicked, and the engine turned about 1/2 turn and froze. Having no tools with me, all I could do is try to turn the crank by hand. I can move about 1/8-1/4 of a turn forwards, or backwards, and that's it.
I didn't have any tools with me, so I couldn't remove the spark plugs, I will have to do that tomorrow.
So my gut instinct is either hydro lock or some kind of mechanical obstruction (like a bolt in the bell housing or a broken tooth in the gear case or something)
If it's hydro lock, I don't think it was through the intake manifold, because I opened the throttle plate, and the intake looked dry. The only think I could think of would be the exhaust manifolds, but they had the plugs out of them all winter.
And I don't think it was water up the drive, as I was basically in still water not moving at the time.
Can anyone shed some light?
Is coolant (raw water) leaking into the exhaust side of the exhaust manifold really the only explanation?
Drive: Alpha-1
Raw water cooling
Exhaust manifold age: 5-7 years (estimate)
Just took my boat out for the first time since de-winterizing.
Over the winter:
Block plugs removed
Manifold plugs removed
lower water pump hose removed
Thermostat removed and antifreeze pored in thermostat housing until I saw some leak out the various spots on the engine.
I ran my engine on the muffs before I took it out today to make sure everything was working, it ran perfectly.
Got it out to the water, and ran the boat for about 20-25 minutes, got to an island and shut the boat down. Boat was working perfectly, with no signs of any problems.
When I got to the island, I pushed off, lowered my leg and started my engine.
Now, my shift cables are not perfectly setup. Sometimes the shift interrupt kicks in before reverse is fully engages.
While basically sitting in still water, I tried twice to get into reverse, both times stalling the engine because of my shift interrupt kicking in.
Now. Here's the problem. I went to start the engine for the 3rd time, and my starter clicked, and the engine turned about 1/2 turn and froze. Having no tools with me, all I could do is try to turn the crank by hand. I can move about 1/8-1/4 of a turn forwards, or backwards, and that's it.
I didn't have any tools with me, so I couldn't remove the spark plugs, I will have to do that tomorrow.
So my gut instinct is either hydro lock or some kind of mechanical obstruction (like a bolt in the bell housing or a broken tooth in the gear case or something)
If it's hydro lock, I don't think it was through the intake manifold, because I opened the throttle plate, and the intake looked dry. The only think I could think of would be the exhaust manifolds, but they had the plugs out of them all winter.
And I don't think it was water up the drive, as I was basically in still water not moving at the time.
Can anyone shed some light?
Is coolant (raw water) leaking into the exhaust side of the exhaust manifold really the only explanation?
