Mercruiser 4.3L Alpha one stalling after water in bilge

[HappilyWaterlogged]

So, I pulled by little 2002 bayliner capri w/ Merc i/o(my first boat) up on the same sandbar I did last year (salt water)...but something different happened.
I didn't realize it at first, but apparently the sand bar pushed the lower unit up allowing water to enter the bilge... quite a bit.

Driving in rougher seas open ocean, my engine stalled...yes, I shat my pants... then did again when I looked inside at my water level. I'll never forget that feeling

I got the water out and there was no water entering which led me to believe the sand bar had pushed the lower unit up creating a temporary leak...I later repeated the process confirming.

So, once the water was out, the engine started right up! It ran fine.

Next time out it sputtered and stalled.
But started back up. no water was in bilge. next time out it was worse... when it stopped, I had to let the engine rest a bit before it would start back up. (??)
The last time, it stalled mid idle.
From running perfect idling, or 25 knots... just stopping.
1/2 tank of gas
Any thoughts?
Thanks

 

[Bondo]

I got the water out and there was no water entering which led me to believe the sand bar had pushed the lower unit up creating a temporary leak...I later repeated the process confirming.

Ayuh,.... Welcome Aboard,..... Yer boat has a very rotten transom that needs to be fixed,.....

 

[tpenfield]

:welcome:

Those sandbars are tricky, they keep moving around year-to-year. Generally speaking beaching a boat is a lake sport, not an ocean/bay water sport.

As Bondo mentioned, the water getting in thing sounds like a rotten transom, which is typical for a Bayliner of 15+ years old.

I would check the transom, and also the bellows to see if you can further verify the source of the leak.

The engine stalling thing is probably due to the salt water bath that it got. Did you rinse the engine off? Check the electrical wiring and connections to see if there is anything obvious.

Also, check the oil to see if it looks good or milky.

 

[Scott Danforth]

the water entering the bilge is from a rotten transom. most likely the stringers are bad too

the stalling from having the bilge flooded could be a bad connection that just got worse.

anything electrical that was submerged in salt water will soon fail.

 

[HappilyWaterlogged]

:welcome:

Those sandbars are tricky, they keep moving around year-to-year. Generally speaking beaching a boat is a lake sport, not an ocean/bay water sport.

As Bondo mentioned, the water getting in thing sounds like a rotten transom, which is typical for a Bayliner of 15+ years old.

I would check the transom, and also the bellows to see if you can further verify the source of the leak.

The engine stalling thing is probably due to the salt water bath that it got. Did you rinse the engine off? Check the electrical wiring and connections to see if there is anything obvious.

Also, check the oil to see if it looks good or milky.

I did rinse, thoroughly...got home and filled the entire bilge with fresh... drove around, then drained... that was some murky water. With my luck I did more damage doing that.ha

What wires going to what would I be looking for to inspect?
Thanks

 

[Scott Danforth]

filling the bilge with water while its on the trailer is a no no. not only does it add about a thousand pounds to the trailer, severely overloading it, it gets water into areas that it shouldnt be.

anything that was wet will need to be inspected, and most likely replaced. the issue is the salt water wicks up the wiring and in about 6 months, the wire is completely corroded.