98 mercruiser 3.0 water in oil

[schmit80]

i bought a 2004 bayliner with a 98 mercruiser 3.0 alpha engine in it, when i bought it the oil looked brand new and i thought this was kinda suspicios...but never owning a boat it ran great so i bought it..i took it to the river twice and noticed the oil was milky, i paid a guy 2000 bucks and he said he fixed it with new exhaust manifold gasket, took it out again water in the oil, took it to same guy and now apparently the exhaust manifold has a hole in it and head gasket is blown...paid another 1000 for head gasket and new manifold...took it out water in the oil...now hes telling me my block is cracked....is there any other way water could be getting or a way to test if the block is cracked...im not letting this guy touch my boat again

 

[achris]

Re: 98 mercruiser 3.0 water in oil

Hello Schmit80, and :welcome: to iBoats...

We hear this story a lot... Just bought a boat, great deal, etc, etc....

About the only way to check for a cracked block is to pressure test the engine. With the head still on, pressurise the water jacket and see if you get a pressure loss. If you do, it's most likely a crack, and the fact that you're getting water in the oil... yeah. A cracked manifold would not leak water into the oil.... and neither would a blown head gasket.

Have a read of this thread. He has the same problem (only difference between a 165 in-line 6 and your 140 is 2 cylinders)... You'll also find the testing procedure in there....
http://forums.iboats.com/mercruiser...es/mercruiser-165hp-has-milky-oil-627723.html

Chris........

 

[schmit80]

Re: 98 mercruiser 3.0 water in oil

what a clown, this supposedly certified mechanic told me water can get throught the head gasket to the oil or the exhaust manifold...i guess its my own fault for buying it without ever even driving a boat or knowing much about them....so the only way water can get into the oil is a cracked block or head??

im just so bummed, paid 6500 put 3000 into it already, never had fun...dont know what to do

 

[achris]

Re: 98 mercruiser 3.0 water in oil

There are plenty of good 3 litre blocks around. If it were me, I'd just keep my eyes open for a 'donor boat'. One that's pretty beat up and only good for a bone-yard, but with a decent engine. Buy it, strip the engine out, transfer all the good gear from your engine onto the good block, happy boating.... You will see a 4 cylinder engine known as a '470'. It's a 3.7 litre 4 cylinder, producing 170hp. If you get offered one of those.... Keep walking, nothing to see... Really, a great concept, poorly executed... Also known as Merc's nightmare child. They finished production in 1989, and that made people happy....

The engine block you would be looking for has a one piece rear main seal. That block started in 1990, so hopefully, there are plenty out there for you....

GL

Chris.......

 

[schmit80]

Re: 98 mercruiser 3.0 water in oil

sadly i live in hawaii and it cost as much as the engine is to buy to ship it here if they ship it here at all

 

[achris]

Re: 98 mercruiser 3.0 water in oil

sadly i live in hawaii and it cost as much as the engine is to buy to ship it here if they ship it here at all

Hawaii, and a cracked block???? Does it get to freezing there? Or did the boat come from the continent?

Chris.......
(I'm in Perth, Australia. Never seen a freeze at home... Like snow skiing though )

 

[schmit80]

Re: 98 mercruiser 3.0 water in oil

no it was bought new here, thats what im saying i think this guy is a clown how would the head crack

 

[achris]

98 mercruiser 3.0 water in oil

It's possible the exhaust elbow is leaking (especially if it's the original) and the water is running into cyl #4, then passing the rings and contaminating the oil. Pull the exhaust elbow off and examine it, closely. Turn it upside down and give the 'roof' a good punching with a screwdriver. (just your hand, not a hammer)...

BTW, this is 'clasping at straws'...

Chris......

 

[schmit80]

Re: 98 mercruiser 3.0 water in oil

he replaced the exhaust elbow on the first fix, brand new that was part of the 2000 buck

 

[schmit80]

Re: 98 mercruiser 3.0 water in oil

this is the work he did the first time...after this he replaced head gasket and exhaust manifold

 

[achris]

Re: 98 mercruiser 3.0 water in oil

Is the oil level in the sump (oil pan) rising?

 

[schmit80]

Re: 98 mercruiser 3.0 water in oil

nope its just getting milky, does anyone know what other motor i can replace this one with its in a 2004 bayliner 175 bowrider?

 

[achris]

Re: 98 mercruiser 3.0 water in oil

If you have the engine bay space, and are willing to also change the drive, a 4.3L V6 is a very nice engine...

If the oil level is not rising, then it may just be residual water in the engine that is contaminating the oil.

Chris......

 

[84EdH]

Re: 98 mercruiser 3.0 water in oil

Schmit, hello, and sorry to hear about your trouble. Was the block pressurized by the mechanic at the start of this, or did they just start replacing parts? That's what it sounds like. The likelihood of having a bad exhaust gasket, bad exhaust manifold and bad head gasket all at the same time is pretty remote.

What I would do now is change the oil a couple of times, run the engine, and monitor the oil for water. keep track of the oil level on the dipstick and see what happens. As Chris said (stalk), if the water in the oil is just left over and being washed down from all the nooks and crannies it got into, changing the oil out a couple of times might flush out any residual water.

if you find new water continues to intrude, it is time to pressure test the block properly,and find where the leak is occurring. The leak area should be able to be identified by a good mechanic by air pressure testing. Hope this helps!