Did I do some damage?

[Acer2428]

Hi all,

This is a '76 Newman Mark V with a 302 OMC in it.

Anyhow, the boat has been a nightmare.

First time: Bilge pump went out. Motor flooded with water, eventually cut out.

Wired in new bilge, went back out, fired up fine.

Next time out: SWTICH for bilge went out (damn 30 yr old wiring) and engine flooded and cut out again. We held the bilge wires directly to the battery and drained all the water out, but the motor wouldn't restart. Turns over, but won't fire.

I'm hoping something just got wet and needed to dry out, but could the water hitting the oil pan/block crack it?

Th guy who sold me the boat really did a hack job on everythign and I have a leak when I make hard left turns (seperate thread).

Thanks all,

Sam

 

[180shabah]

Re: Did I do some damage?

First things first...

Quit putzing with the bilge pump and fix the leak.

 

[wire2]

Re: Did I do some damage?

Water against the outside of the engine won't hurt. Cars driving in the rain/puddles splash the engine all the time.

You would have some steam/water vapor in the engine bay as the water rose and contacted hot parts. Open the distributor, see if there's any condensation in the cap. There shouldn't be on a sealed marine unit but if so, that will kill the spark. Also watch for arcing from the HV tower of the coil to either + or -.

 

[freddyray21]

Re: Did I do some damage?

I agree fix the leak. I have had mine out several times this year and never once have had run the bilge pump. Let alone get water in enough to kill the motor.

 

[firehog6305]

Re: Did I do some damage?

everytime I have purchased a used boat, the previous owner has done a hack job with the wiring, before you take it out again, spend a day or two and go through all the wiring, its a cheap fix to alot of problems, and if you have to depend on your bilge pump to keep you afloat, you need to fix that leak first

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Did I do some damage?

If you are getting water deep enough in the bilge to kill the engine you have a MAJOR leak. Find the leak first then go from there.
Also a very good chance the starter will need replaced soon.They don't take being submerged very well.
Although we don't know what drive it is the ujoint bellows could be the cause of the leak,along with about a dozen other things...

 

[Acer2428]

Re: Did I do some damage?

Son of a ......

I JUST bought this boat.

Would you say it's a major enough problem I should ask for my money back? He certainly never implied there was a major leak of any kind when I bought it.

I know he recently replaced the outdrive and seems to have done a hack job on the outdrive seal (lots of gods of sealant). I assume this could cause the leak?

Also, I noticed when I make a HARD left, water comes into the boat about halfway up the hull (can't see entry point, but it comes in and slides back into the bilge).

This was the second time I'd taken the boat out. Never noticed it on the river, but took it tubing on the lake....turns + stern squat = bad.

How easy/hard is to re-seal the outdrive? I took a screwdriver to everything on the boat (lots of loose stuff) and 3-4 of the screws holding the OD seal just spun.

Is this boat screwed? Where do I even start?

Thanks.

Sam

 

[Acer2428]

Re: Did I do some damage?

I should say, that there are no visible gouges where one would think the water was coming in (pass. side hull) . I will take some pictures tonight.

I'm assuming it's behind the rub-rail. but no idea how to test/get to it.

 

[backwater dawg]

Re: Did I do some damage?

first question???? are there lakes in Iowa?????

 

[Acer2428]

Re: Did I do some damage?

Sailorville lake near Des Moines.

I bought the boat from a guy in Western IA, as I'm working for Cargill in Nebraska, but I'm a student at Iowa State Univ.

Took it up to Lewis and Clark lake where I had to get towed in TWICE and kinda put a damper on the camping/boating weekend with friends. I LOVE projects, but not if there's a major problem here.

 

[Acer2428]

Re: Did I do some damage?

Looked up the bellows kit ($147) in the iboats store. Is this something I should do and just consider it preventitive maint.?

Also, there are several sets of OMC outdrive gasket sets. Which do I need? Will provide pics of the outdrive/boat when I get out of work here.

 

[capecodder116]

Re: Did I do some damage?

First I totally agree with everyone....FIND AND FIX THE LEAK....You say there was "lots of sealant around the outdrive"...If you have this boat on a trailer just take it to the ramp, take it off the trailer and just pull it aside of the ramp and start checking for leaks...check the transom area around the drive first....and any thru hull fittings....geeeees...did you take this boat out for a test drive before you bought it...???

 

[Firestar]

Re: Did I do some damage?

Your transom may be soft too. Step on the lower unit and see if it flexes the transom. Do this while it's on the trailer out of the water. If it does you have a major problem there.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Did I do some damage?

You definitely also have to replace your starter once you fix your leak.

I had a leak in my boat. The way I found it was by accident. I was using my digital camera to take pictures in an area I couldn't get my head in to look. Since it was at night, I could see the flash shining through a joint that needed its sealant replaced.

 

[wire2]

Re: Did I do some damage?

A '76 OMC uses the rubber "boot" where the mid-drive mounts to the transom, have you had a good look at the folds to the left and right of it? It's a common area for small splits to start.

 

[sabastianunf]

Re: Did I do some damage?

If everything on this boat is hacked then I would try to get my money back - probably not going to have much luck as this sound like an "as is" purchase. If you can't get your money back you will want to find the leak before you buy any parts. If it is the bellows you will need to replace other parts while you have the bellows off. You will want to inspect the u-joints, gimbal bearing and try to find out how old the manifolds and riser are. My guess is that all these will need to be replaced sooner than later.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Did I do some damage?

Your transom may be soft too. Step on the lower unit and see if it flexes the transom. Do this while it's on the trailer out of the water. If it does you have a major problem there.

This is a stringer OMC so this is not an issue.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Did I do some damage?

This is a stringer drive.Big rubber boot,no bellows.
The gobs of sealant you see is the previous owners attempt to stop the leak in a rotted transom.Unless you see a tear or hole in that boot.
Get your money back if at all possible!!

 

[RubberFrog]

Re: Did I do some damage?

Now you know why it was for sale. Consider this a learning experience. Sell it for parts and buy another boat.

 

[Acer2428]

Re: Did I do some damage?

Wow.

I'll see what the guy has to say. There's no saving this one?

Of course, just my luck, couldn't be as simple as a new boot and some sealant?

So, a rotted transom? Can someone explain? The water is seeping through somehow? I did buy the boat as-is, but he implied there was nothing wrong with the boat. I would consider a rotten transom a major defect and certainly that would have been noticable.

Hopefully he's not a total scumbag and helps me out. Is there anything I can do to this boat to at least help it along so I can have some fun every once in a while with it?

I'm a college student and, if I have to sell it, won't be able to buy a new boat. How much do you think the parts are worth? Motor is fine, trailer is fine, etc.

I'll go back and check the boot.
Attached are some pictures with comments.

Gobs of sealant:

Where I noticed a slight trickle of water....right where the deck meets the hull:

Pretty sure my little side leak is coming from these rub-rail holes: