Mercruiser 3.0L Leaking Water

[borakid]

Hi -

I'm kinda new to boating and I picked up a 1992 bayliner capri this year. It has a 3.0L Alpha One. It runs well but it developed a water leak at some point. I just noticed it today and it only leaks when the engine is running. I check the oil regularly and haven't noticed any milky stuff; it looks pretty normal.

 

[love1u0]

Re: Mercruiser 3.0L Leaking Water

I would pull the exhaust manifold off and see where the water is coming from.

 

[Peaceful Pirate]

Re: Mercruiser 3.0L Leaking Water

I agree with love1u0. You are going to need to get the manifold off to see exactly where your problem is. From the pictures, it appears to be a problem you have had for a while. It could be either a bad manifold gasket or a rusted out manifold. However; considering your cold winters, I would put my money on a cracked block caused by the failure to properly drain the block during the winter.

 

[Knotenuftime]

Re: Mercruiser 3.0L Leaking Water

With the engine off, try reaching to the bottom side of the " Y " . The manifold that takes the water from each side of the block and discharges thru the transom. You could have a small hole developing. If so you will have to pull that engine. Good luck

 

[Knotenuftime]

Re: Mercruiser 3.0L Leaking Water

Is that the alternator in the pic ?

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Mercruiser 3.0L Leaking Water

Cracked manifold from freeze damage
Cracked block from freeze damage
Leak from a poorly repaired cracked block
Bad core plug
Could use a better engine pic, Merc are usually black, OMC`s are usually grey or blue.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Mercruiser 3.0L Leaking Water

Ayuh,... The picture is shot too low,...The Leak is coming from the Top of those rust trails...

 

[borakid]

Re: Mercruiser 3.0L Leaking Water

Thanks everyone! I don't know if this pic is better or not, either way, I'm going to take the exhaust manifold off and see what I can see.

At times, the CT river was pretty low this year and I grounded it more than once in the muck. Could that have caused this damage (water + mud + pressure = sandblasting effect?) or do you think it was older than that?

 

[bigskiohio]

Re: Mercruiser 3.0L Leaking Water

rusted out manifold as there is no gasket there for coolant. No coolant travels between manifold and head

 

[borakid]

Re: Mercruiser 3.0L Leaking Water

Sadly, I think it's a cracked block... It must not have been winterized properly last year. I was stupidly scammed

 

[Peaceful Pirate]

Re: Mercruiser 3.0L Leaking Water

Sorry to "see" the bad news! Well, on the bright side, it does give you something to do over the long cold winter! Best of luck to you.

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Mercruiser 3.0L Leaking Water

May be somewhat repairable with JB Weld. Clean and "V" the area, wash with Acetone, apply some JB and hope.

 

[catfish hunter]

Re: Mercruiser 3.0L Leaking Water

My friends 3.0l block was cracked in the same spot. I just welded it up and took a grinder to it to smoth it out. Its been 2 years now and still holding strong! If you go this route, make sure you have water in the bottom of the boat, a welding blanket to protect the floor and hull, and a fire extinguisher! I didnt like doing this but my friend did not have the money for another motor. Its just something to think about.

 

[Peaceful Pirate]

Re: Mercruiser 3.0L Leaking Water

A block is tough to weld on a good day. You need someone with experience in cast iron and you need to pull the block to do the proper prep work. As Bt Doctur mentioned, you might want to try JB Weld first.

This might help you as you decide what way to go: http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=315823. Good luck!

 

[fat fanny]

Re: Mercruiser 3.0L Leaking Water

Do a little research on welding cast you will find out that with the right pre and post heating process and prepping the weld area by bevel grinding the crack and cleanin with acetone the fractured area will be stronger than the area around it this weld is usually performed with a bronze rod and the proper flux. I hae done and seen this done on steam radiator engine blocks and numerous other cast items and believe it or not you should not have to remove the engine because at this point you have nothing to loose call a weld shop and get a price it can pobably be done in a few hours @ about a couple hundred bucks even a couple of motor shops can steer you in the right direction. good luck remember @ this point you have nothing to loose and the whole winter to think about it. Good luck

 

[borakid]

Re: Mercruiser 3.0L Leaking Water

Thanks everyone! Would you do JB Weld or Marine Tex? I've used JB Weld for other stuff around the house. That's what I'll try first. Now - people have mentioned drilling the ends, to prevent the crack from spreading. Do I drill all the way through, just a little bit, or skip the drilling all together?

 

[catfish hunter]

Re: Mercruiser 3.0L Leaking Water

JB Weld has a higher heat range so I would stick with that. However, keep in mind that JB Weld is just a temp fix(if it fixes it at all). I dont think I would drill. Thats just me. I would still think about taking it somewhere to have welded. Might be around 100 bucks but I think its worth the peace of mind.

 

[borakid]

Re: Mercruiser 3.0L Leaking Water

I cleaned it up w/ a wire brush and such. Does this look like it was repaired at some point? I'm just going to JB Weld it for now - I'm already looking for a bigger boat anyway .

 

[Peaceful Pirate]

Re: Mercruiser 3.0L Leaking Water

Looks like your observation might be correct. Appears to have been a nice weld, but obviously did not correct the problem for the long term. Considering the size of this thing, I would strongly recommend that you not expend a great deal of time, effort and/or money on this block. Save yourself some aggravation and just look for a replacement block/engine. The damage here is far beyond reasonable repair.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Mercruiser 3.0L Leaking Water

I cleaned it up w/ a wire brush and such. Does this look like it was repaired at some point?

Nope,... Not really....

It does look like there's another crack, lower in the 1st picture....
Going from high portside, down to the Coreplug...

That boat's gonna need a block sooner or later,.... The headgasket'll blow soon...
The Big crack is right at the lower deck level....