Can you start these in cold temperatures out of water?

[badduxx]

So i came into possession of a crappy boat. It is cold here, (20 - 40 F) at this time of year. I have no idea if the engine or other parts are functional.

I have a lot of engine experience in general (cars, small engines, other vehicles) so I know how an engine works, how to troubleshoot, etc. I am sure that I could do the starting process in warmer weather without incident, however, I'd like to check if this thing is even usable sooner than later to get it out of my driveway if it is junk.

I searched the internet, youtube, and this forum but I cannot find the answer to this question:

Can you start the engine outside and out of water using the earmuffs and a hose in cold temperatures?

 

[crazy charlie]

You certainly can however you will have to run antifreeze thru it when you are done after you introduce fresh water into the system.If you pull the drive off ,you can try to start it without introducing water into the system as long as you are just trying to see if it runs.You can have it run for a minute or two without water so you wont have to re-winterize it.Warmer weather is near but 20s at night is still not so good when there is water anywhere in the motor or system.Charlie

 

[badduxx]

You certainly can however you will have to run antifreeze thru it when you are done after you introduce fresh water into the system.If you pull the drive off ,you can try to start it without introducing water into the system as long as you are just trying to see if it runs.You can have it run for a minute or two without water so you wont have to re-winterize it.Warmer weather is near but 20s at night is still not so good when there is water anywhere in the motor or system.Charlie

Thanks for the quick reply. That answers my question. If you don't mind me asking, is there anything I should look for in the drive if I have it apart or before I start it?

 

[crazy charlie]

it would help to know what engine and drive you have but I would 100% recommend a water pump service in any drive that is new to you

 

[crazy charlie]

Hopefully the engine WAS winterized prior to your getting it

 

[Sea Rider]

If it's an outboard motor ? can test it at neutral for say 1-2 minutes with lower leg submerged in a barrel with an adequate high level of warm water.

Happy Boating​

 

[Lou C]

If you are thinking of doing this what you need to do first is learn where all the raw water drains are on whatever engine you are working on. Sucking AF up the outdrive will not cut it because idling a cold engine on the water hose in cold weather the thermostat probably won’t open. This will allow raw water to stay in the engine and when it freezes it will crack the block/heads. So either learn how to drain it first or wait till there is no risk of freezing.

 

[JASinIL2006]

Might be helpful if you would let us know what kind of engine and drive you’re looking at...

 

[Lou C]

Agreed you can run an outboard in freezing temps just make sure the motor is tilted down so it drains but any raw water cooled inboard motor MUST BE DRAINED after running in freezing temps or if freezing temps are anticipated. Thousands of people in the south just got a very expensive lesson in this!
And as I’ve said countless times running in AF sucking it up from a winterizing tank doesn’t cut it either. If you think that works you don’t understand how raw water cooling works on inboards.

 

[badduxx]

Might be helpful if you would let us know what kind of engine and drive you’re looking at...

It is a 1979 sear ray boat with what I would surmise would be a 1978-9 mercruiser 165 I6 and I think the sterndrive is 01622017

 

[badduxx]

it would help to know what engine and drive you have but I would 100% recommend a water pump service in any drive that is new to you

It is a 1979 sea ray boat with what I would surmise would be a 1978-9 mercruiser 165 I6 and I think the sterndrive is 01622017

I ended up doing as you suggested and removed the sterndrive but have not tried to start the engine yet. I know you can only run it for a minute or so, which is fine, i just want proof of concept that the thing might start.

I found the blow out diagrams for the stern drive and watched some information about replacing the impeller and water pump stuff. I am assuming that is what you meant by water pump service. I also did see rebulid kits for the entire unit, but common sense tells me to see if there are any issues before getting into that part. Is that correct?

 

[Scott Danforth]

It is a 1979 sea ray boat with what I would surmise would be a 1978-9 mercruiser 165 I6 and I think the sterndrive is 01622017

I ended up doing as you suggested and removed the sterndrive but have not tried to start the engine yet. I know you can only run it for a minute or so, which is fine, i just want proof of concept that the thing might start.

I found the blow out diagrams for the stern drive and watched some information about replacing the impeller and water pump stuff. I am assuming that is what you meant by water pump service. I also did see rebulid kits for the entire unit, but common sense tells me to see if there are any issues before getting into that part. Is that correct?

first, you bought a 43 year old boat. assume the transom and stringers are rotten

second, what is a "blow out diagram" ?

prior to starting that inliner, you will need to make sure the points are serviced. you will also need a good flow of water from your garden hose

 

[badduxx]

first, you bought a 43 year old boat. assume the transom and stringers are rotten

second, what is a "blow out diagram" ?

prior to starting that inliner, you will need to make sure the points are serviced. you will also need a good flow of water from your garden hose

Thanks for the information about the transom and stringers is useful and I suppose that would be the next step after seeing if the engine and sterndrive are operational and decide whether or not I am going to keep or scrap the whole thing which based on the condition may be a possibility lol.

The blow out diagram I was referring to is the parts / assembly diagram that shows how the whole thing goes together. It is also used to specify the parts you want to order.

 

[tpenfield]

As for the cold temperature question, assuming you get the engine running to check it out. . . You will need to winterize it immediately once tested.

In 20-30˚ F temperatures, any remaining water inside the engine (usually about 3 gallons) will freeze within 24 hours.

 

[crazy charlie]

It is a 1979 sea ray boat with what I would surmise would be a 1978-9 mercruiser 165 I6 and I think the sterndrive is 01622017



QUOTE"I found the blow out diagrams for the stern drive and watched some information about replacing the impeller and water pump stuff. I am assuming that is what you meant by water pump service. I also did see rebulid kits for the entire unit, but common sense tells me to see if there are any issues before getting into that part. Is that correct? QUOTE"

Yes correct.The kit includes the impeller ,impeller housing and wear plate with gaskets.As you already mentioned ,I would focus on getting it running first.Pull the plugs ,clean them up ,spray some starting fluid in each cylinder before putting each plug back ,fresh fuel and crank it over and see what happens and post back.Charlie

 

[Lou C]

If that’s what you have those were great easy to maintain engines. Should be easy to get at drain plugs vs those on a V6 or V8. The wood rot issue really depends the climate where the boat lived all those years. If it was stored in a very dry climate like the arid southwest it could be fine, same thing if stored in a more damp climate if stored inside. If left outside even if covered in a damp climate there is probably extensive rot. Polyester resin over wood is just not a long lasting type of construction for damp climates. The right combination of temperature and moisture and you get rot, unless the boat was really well built (unlikely for production boats) or kept out of moist climates.

 

[poconojoe]

You should not only be checking if the engine just starts. You need to run it long enough to see if the block is ok, not cracked from improper winterizing.
Then you need to remove the drain plugs and properly winterize it.
Spring is around the corner. Why not just wait a month or so? This way you can take your time and not worry about your block freezing.

 

[JASinIL2006]

You should not only be checking if the engine just starts. You need to run it long enough to see if the block is ok, not cracked from improper winterizing.
Then you need to remove the drain plugs and properly winterize it.
Spring is around the corner. Why not just wait a month or so? This way you can take your time and not worry about your block freezing.

This seems like pretty solid advice to me. If you were more familiar with draining your engine to protect against freeze damage, running it now would be such a big deal. But if you don't know what you're doing (yet), the chances of a weather change coming along and freezing your engine with water in it are too great. Waiting until it's a bit nicer out and you can take your time to work your way through things to check makes a lot of sense.

 

[badduxx]

You should not only be checking if the engine just starts. You need to run it long enough to see if the block is ok, not cracked from improper winterizing.
Then you need to remove the drain plugs and properly winterize it.
Spring is around the corner. Why not just wait a month or so? This way you can take your time and not worry about your block freezing.

I understand what you are saying, and it makes sense, but the deal with this boat is that i am 100% sure nothing proper has been done with it for at least 3 years. I mean the engine has been exposed with no cover for 3 winters anyway. There was a block of ice past the top of the oil pan until i defrosted it the last few days lol.

To add a little bit of seasoning to the casserole there was also like a bag of leaves melted in the ice. So I mean I just want to even see if the thing starts before i even pull it in my garage which will require me to clean it lol -- part of why I need to act quickly is that in my neighborhood there are stupid rules about storing boats before may 15 before someone calls code enforcement.

I mean I didn't buy this boat, technically I inherited it, so its not like i expect anything from it

 

[Alumarine]

I'd have no trouble running it. Just make sure you drain the block and
manifold afterwards.
You can run a water hose directly to the motor.
You should be able to see a hose running from the transom over the intake manifold to the thermostat housing area.
The hose is the size of a heater hose on car.
That's where you can hook a hose up to run it.