milky oil, and melted battery

[MNMARK]

Hello, We just bought a 1975 Seastar Islander Cuddy last friday and I'm thinking about naming it The Money Pit. We finally got it started after charging the battery took it out on the lake, it sounded rough, but ran. We stopped to go for a swim and after a hour the boat wouldn't start. The Neg on the top of the battery was melted off. I finally clamped the cable on







and we made it across the lake. Today I went down to clean it up, and put a new battery in. I checked the oil and it was a milky white color. It did start but I decided to call it a day. Can anyone help me on (1) why would the Neg post on the battery melt off? (2) Why would my oil be milky white? I'm beginning to think I got a bad deal for the $500 I spent. Here are a few pictures off the engine and battery. Thank you for your help, I am new to Iboats

 

[chaparall villain 2]

Re: milky oil, and melted battery

milky oil usually means water in it but the question is where is it coming from ... could be a blown head gasket ... not cheap but not horrible .. cracked head ... or cracked block hope its not the 3rd ... what kind of motor is it

 

[MNMARK]

Re: milky oil, and melted battery

its 351 Merc
thank you for your help. Should I run it?

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: milky oil, and melted battery

(1) why would the Neg post on the battery melt off?

It's usually because the connection is loose or corroded............ LOTS of current, + poor connection=heat. .....more than enough to melt lead!!

(2) Why would my oil be milky white?

You live in a place where engine blocks are exposed to freezing temperatures for months on end...... If the block was not properly drained, it will crack. Water in the oil is most frequently a cracked block ........Usually #1 on any list..........


If you want to rule out a cracked block, you NEED to pressure check it. It should easily hold 15psi or so ......

I'm beginning to think I got a bad deal for the $500 I spent.

$500 dollars boats are usually not worth much at all.



Sorry about that.



Rick

 

[searay3]

Re: milky oil, and melted battery

Did the seller tell you the block was cracked or the engine overheated? Probably not. The milky oil is water in the oil. You can do a compression check and see if it's even worth diagnosing further. If thats ok, change the oil and try it again. The melted post comes from poor connections creating heat. Could be something is shorted. How do the cables look. Probably need new ones, they can corrode inside. The boat looks nice, but I'm afraid this will cost a few thousand to get seaworthy again. The engine has issues, gonna possibly need rebuilt or a reman longblock.The exhaust manifolds, risers come into question if it wasn't winterized properly. If its a salt water boat, could be it just plain corroded thru as those need replaced after about 5 years of use. As old as they are they may need replaced as well. If you are not familiar with engines and drives, have someone pull the drive, inspect the risers, you already know the engine has issues, add it all up and go from there. Cheap boats rarely stay that way, especially that old.

 

[MNMARK]

Re: milky oil, and melted battery

Wow you guys are great, thank you

 

[MNMARK]

Re: milky oil, and melted battery

Any idea on how much this might cost me?

 

[MNMARK]

Re: milky oil, and melted battery

No they didn't tell if it was cracked, just that it ran rough

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: milky oil, and melted battery

No they didn't tell if it was cracked, just that it ran rough

They never do....... and actually, they might not have known........ Although most people check the oil and milky oil is hard to miss........



You need to replace the engine if the block is cracked. You can probably use a wrecking-yard truck engine (350 V-8 etc)

 

[MNMARK]

Re: milky oil, and melted battery

thank you, just one more question? How does one move up in rank here?

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: milky oil, and melted battery

thank you, just one more question? How does one move up in rank here?

You certainly don't have to know what you're talking about!!!!! Just post a LOT of messages!!

(But the people that don't, get beat up pretty bad, pretty quickly!!)