1995 5.7 blown headgasket

[bill70]

My friends got a 1995 celebrity fishhawk with the 5.7 mercruiser with bravo 3 outdrive. He had the oil in the motor changed, impellar and outdrive oil, new bottom paint and outdrive paint over the winter by a marina. He drove it from the marina to his slip which was about 5 miles, no issues. Parked it for a couple weeks. We took it out it was running rough, went to get fresh gas, then it ran great, got up faster than it ever did the previous year that hes had. Ran about 28 mph top speed last year, this year got up to 35mph. Then all of the suddon after about 30 seconds of WOT the motor dies.

I pull the engine cover off, there is slug all over the motor, pull the dip stick and water is litterally shooting out of the dipstick for a long time, more than 5 min a consistant stream of water about 4 inches in the air.

So im guess the headgasket blew? People are telling him that on his motor the block/heads cant be resurfaced and that he needs a complete new engine. Is that true? Is it because its not worth the money or is it that it cant be done?

 

[achris]

Re: 1995 5.7 blown headgasket

It's not a head gasket. Sounds more like a cracked engine block. Did you see freezing temperatures during the winter? Was the engine winterized?

If it was mine, I'd just get a standard truck engine and drop that in (with all the marine bits of course).... Or a new long-block.

Chris........

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: 1995 5.7 blown headgasket

Before conclusions are jumped to about the exact cause of water in the oil, a little bit of diagnostic work needs to be done.

The engine should have it's oil and water drained out, and then should have the cooling system pressure tested. Not a very common occurrence for a SBC to just blow a head gasket out of the blue. But very common for an improperly winterized engine to crack the block over the winter, and end up having the issue your friend has now.

If it is in fact just a gasket blow, blocks and heads can most certainly be resurfaced if they are still otherwise in good shape (not rotted away from use in salt water). If there is a crack in the block, it's scrap.

 

[bill70]

Re: 1995 5.7 blown headgasket



We put two bottles of antifreeze through the hoses on the front of the motor until the overflowed, after draining all the water out with the drain plugs. So I dont think it could have cracked over the winter. We did start it in late april and my friend thinks it did not drop below freezing after that. But odds are it might have.

 

[bill70]

Re: 1995 5.7 blown headgasket

The picture is kind of small, but it was enough water in the motor that it was shooting out of the valve cover breather tubes. Thats why there is sludge all over the motor. Does the raw water run through the block as well or just through the heads?

 

[achris]

Re: 1995 5.7 blown headgasket

The picture is kind of small, but it was enough water in the motor that it was shooting out of the valve cover breather tubes. Thats why there is sludge all over the motor. Does the raw water run through the block as well or just through the heads?

The entire engine; heads, intake and exhaust manifolds, and block....

 

[Bondo]

Re: 1995 5.7 blown headgasket

View attachment 197029

We put two bottles of antifreeze through the hoses on the front of the motor until the overflowed, after draining all the water out with the drain plugs. So I dont think it could have cracked over the winter. We did start it in late april and my friend thinks it did not drop below freezing after that. But odds are it might have.

Ayuh,.... Whatever happened, 'n was called winterizin',... Wasn't,....

I'm guessin' the manifolds, 'n not the block was doped up,...

I'd also guessin' yer Bud, needs a new Long Block motor,... Minimum,...

That's a Cracked block, not a blown head gasket,...

 

[bill70]

Re: 1995 5.7 blown headgasket

We drained the water out of the drain plugs completly and then refilled with antifreeze till we saw it drip out the plugs to make sure no more water was in it. Then closed them off and filled the rest of the way. I have been doing it this way for years on my boat and never had a problem. I think it would have had of been after april when it was started for the first time and then left with water in it. It was in the 40s in May.

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: 1995 5.7 blown headgasket

We drained the water out of the drain plugs completly and then refilled with antifreeze

Did those drain plugs include the ones on the side of the block just above the oil pan?

If so, did you stick anything in the drain plug holes (piece of wire, pick, screwdriver, etc) to make sure they were clear of sand?

 

[Glastron3.0GLP-C]

Re: 1995 5.7 blown headgasket

It did not go below 38 in April. I am in the same area and was checking the weather daily for my boat. It sounds like a winterization problem. Was the engine drained completely? Was the engine in the position showing in the manual? If the engine was tilted in a wrong direction might kept water.

 

[achris]

Re: 1995 5.7 blown headgasket

Antifreeze, antifreeze, antifreeze.... Why is everybody obsessed with filling the engine with expensive liquid antifreeze when the best antifreeze is free? And what's more, if there's a pocket of water left, this free antifreeze allows it to expand without pushing on the block....

Bondo's favourite saying... Air don't freeze....

Chris.......

 

[bill70]

Re: 1995 5.7 blown headgasket

Well the theory is that the antifreeze will mix with whatever water pocket is left in there and there will be no chance that it freezes. We poured enough antifreeze that it came out the outdrive and all four drain plugs.

 

[bill70]

Re: 1995 5.7 blown headgasket

April 2-4th night temps were 28 degrees and below for Annapolis where the boat is. May 14th we had a night that dropped to 34 degrees. That is in the city, the boat was at a marina 10 miles away which could have seen temps below 32.

 

[bonzoscott]

Re: 1995 5.7 blown headgasket

I don't think "April 2-4th night temps were 28 degrees" was a problem. Your best bet, next, is a pressure test.

 

[Bondo]

Re: 1995 5.7 blown headgasket

I don't think "April 2-4th night temps were 28 degrees" was a problem. Your best bet, next, is a pressure test.

Ayuh,... Most definitely the Next step,...

Isolate the Block's coolin' jackets, 'n plumb in 'bout 15 psi of air, then Listen,...

Follow the sound to the Cracks,....