Eric the Red
Cadet
- Joined
- Jun 16, 2012
- Messages
- 11
Earlier this summer I bought a 1976 Reinell 20' Cuddy with a Mercruiser 250 CID GM inline 6 and a Mercruiser Pre-Alpha outdrive. It ran when I bought it, but didn't by the time I got to the lake the next morning. Long story short, after masquerading as a marine mechanic every evening for a month, and after replacing the intermediate shift cable, thermostat, and water pump, then the head (with hardened valve seats and all brand new valves) and the exhaust/ intake manifold (new BARR), the exhaust elbow, the interior exhaust bellows, spark plugs, wires, cap, rotor, points, battery, and battery cables, we finally made it to the lake and were able to actually pull away from the dock. -yay-
The boat and motor steadily improved over the next 3 weeks as I tweaked the carb and valve lash, and we were able to get in a couple of tubing trips with all 5 kids and an overnight trip with just the Admiral and me before disaster struck yet again...
We were pulling the tube with 3 kids on it (HO Atomic 4 from Costco) at 3000 RPM (WOT is supposed to be 3900-4300 I've read, but I've never run it that high. 3200 is as much as I can get, and even that was decreasing slowly), 140 degrees, great oil presure, motor was humming right along at 25 mph for 10 minutes or so, and BANG! Out of nowhere we got one bang then the engine died very suddenly, and the boat stopped dead in the water almost sending the other 2 kids through the windshield, luckily the Admiral was facing backwards in a chair, and I was braced and standing.
Before getting the ride of shame back to the dock, by 4 drunk dudes at 20 mph that were nice enough to try and kill my entire family by slamming us into not just the dock, but the gas station, and then a sheer rock wall, I was able to do some trouble shooting. Needless to say, my 36 year old body has felt better, but the boat and family survived. Never, ever try to stop a 4,000 plus pound object travelling 12 mph by putting your body in front of it. I got better...
Back to the trouble shooting. Starter engages, but can't turn motor over. I pulled the plugs, they look perfect, and no water in cylinders. 160 psi in each cylinder. Removed rocker arm cover, valve springs, valves stems, and push rods look great from what I can see. Oil is right at the full mark, and still looks new. No oil slick behind the boat when we stopped. Outdrive 'looks' ok. Shifter seems to be working. While being towed I could shift into forward. There is a 'clicking' and the outdrive tries to climb the rams.
Anywho, I think its the upper outdrive, not the kill switch or starter solenoid...
Any suggestions whould be appriciated.
The boat and motor steadily improved over the next 3 weeks as I tweaked the carb and valve lash, and we were able to get in a couple of tubing trips with all 5 kids and an overnight trip with just the Admiral and me before disaster struck yet again...
We were pulling the tube with 3 kids on it (HO Atomic 4 from Costco) at 3000 RPM (WOT is supposed to be 3900-4300 I've read, but I've never run it that high. 3200 is as much as I can get, and even that was decreasing slowly), 140 degrees, great oil presure, motor was humming right along at 25 mph for 10 minutes or so, and BANG! Out of nowhere we got one bang then the engine died very suddenly, and the boat stopped dead in the water almost sending the other 2 kids through the windshield, luckily the Admiral was facing backwards in a chair, and I was braced and standing.
Before getting the ride of shame back to the dock, by 4 drunk dudes at 20 mph that were nice enough to try and kill my entire family by slamming us into not just the dock, but the gas station, and then a sheer rock wall, I was able to do some trouble shooting. Needless to say, my 36 year old body has felt better, but the boat and family survived. Never, ever try to stop a 4,000 plus pound object travelling 12 mph by putting your body in front of it. I got better...
Back to the trouble shooting. Starter engages, but can't turn motor over. I pulled the plugs, they look perfect, and no water in cylinders. 160 psi in each cylinder. Removed rocker arm cover, valve springs, valves stems, and push rods look great from what I can see. Oil is right at the full mark, and still looks new. No oil slick behind the boat when we stopped. Outdrive 'looks' ok. Shifter seems to be working. While being towed I could shift into forward. There is a 'clicking' and the outdrive tries to climb the rams.
Anywho, I think its the upper outdrive, not the kill switch or starter solenoid...
Any suggestions whould be appriciated.
