NEED Help. I too got towed in...

[pvisser]

Hello all. Bad first day of boating here in Lake Ontario...<br /><br />I have a 1983 Doral with a 1983 OMC 3.8L V6 I/O power center. The engine ran, and still runds great. Took her out for a small spin, and just as I was leaving the marina, gave a little gas, the dang thing seemed to have poped out of gear. No reverse or forward. When I put it in gear it makes the same sound as a power steering pump under alot of pressure would make, but the prop no turn?<br /><br />How big a problem have I got here?

 

[vipzach]

Re: NEED Help. I too got towed in...

Pull the drain plug on the outdrive and see if you have metal shavings!

 

[JIm Cook]

Re: NEED Help. I too got towed in...

Could be the engine coupling.

 

[marinemech1]

Re: NEED Help. I too got towed in...

examine ball gears are they stripped?<br />could also be the water pump shaft<br />put drive in gear see if you can turn prop?<br />if you can look at ball gears to see if there spinning?<br />if there not probably water pump shaft or drive problem<br />if they are engine coupler is likely the cause

 

[pvisser]

Re: NEED Help. I too got towed in...

OK went to the marina (Boat is still in the water) to see if the boat was till floating... And it was. Ran the engine for 10 mins and the temp reached 240, I shut it down b4 it overheated. This motor usually runs around the 190 range. Is the prop and the water pump somehow related? I always thought that the water pump was on the front with the belts? Little puzzled? Or is this an impellor?<br /><br />Thanks Again

 

[Reel Poor]

Re: NEED Help. I too got towed in...

190 is over heating, 240 is HOT.<br />The circulating pump is on the front of engine and run by a belt. The raw water pump impeller is in the drive. If the drive is not turning neither is the raw water pump impeller. This may be the reason for 240 degrees.

 

[Boatist]

Re: NEED Help. I too got towed in...

Pvisser<br />The shaft between the upper gear box and the water pump is stripped. This shaft also driver the outdrive water pump. This is a very common problem. It is a splined shaft that connect to another spline shaft that goes down to the water pump and lower unit. OMC make the splines to fine so after a number of years they do exactly what yours did. If you look over board the **** hole that sprays water on the ball gears will also have no watter. The water pump shaft and the lower unit dirve shaft will not be turning. All you can do is replace the shafts. Since your right at the water pump do it also.

 

[BrettNC]

Re: NEED Help. I too got towed in...

190 isn't over heating. Anything over 220 is considered overheating. Marine engines are calibrated for optimum efficiency in lower water temperatures. Most marine engines run between 160-180 because of the higher heat transfer due to the raw water supply. They can handle anything below 220 just fine.

 

[KaGee]

Re: NEED Help. I too got towed in...

Originally posted by BrettNC:<br /> 190 isn't over heating... Anything over 220 is considered overheating. They can handle anything below 220 just fine.

Alrighty then!

 

[KaGee]

Re: NEED Help. I too got towed in...

pvisser...<br /><br />Sorry to hear your problems.<br /><br />I hope for your sake that it is the waterpump drive shaft. If it's the coupler, you have to basically pull the engine to fix.

 

[pvisser]

Re: NEED Help. I too got towed in...

Mechanic figures it's the coupler. I was advised by my mechanic that we need to pull the engine to properly replace the part. 8hrs labour so the OMC labour book says. But the weekend will tell more.

 

[Boatist]

Re: NEED Help. I too got towed in...

Pvisser<br />Just check and see if the engine ball gear is turning then check the outdrive ball gear. The water pump short shaft is so common I would put money on it.

 

[BrettNC]

Re: NEED Help. I too got towed in...

Kagee,<br /><br />Let me know if there is something that you don't understand about engine cooling. I'll be glad to help you out.

 

[Don S]

Re: NEED Help. I too got towed in...

Originally posted by BrettNC:<br /> 190 isn't over heating. Anything over 220 is considered overheating. Marine engines are calibrated for optimum efficiency in lower water temperatures. Most marine engines run between 160-180 because of the higher heat transfer due to the raw water supply. They can handle anything below 220 just fine.

Hold on there Brett, 220° might be ok for cars, but not for boats. Anything over 180° should be reason for concern in marine applications. Except for the Volvo OHC engines that were supposed to be around 190°.

 

[BrettNC]

Re: NEED Help. I too got towed in...

Let me reiterate what I just stated. 190 is not overheating. Temperatures of up to 220 will not overheat the engine. It will not cause damage to the engine block or the exhaust. I want to state this because I see too many people claiming that anything over 180 is way too hot and will ruin the block, which is just not true at all. My boat runs at 180. Most blocks, especially the newer GM blocks, will tolerate up to 220 just fine. That is how they are designed. Also boats may run in the 190's with the addition of a closed cooling system. I state this because I see too much misinformation on this board sometimes.

 

[Don S]

Re: NEED Help. I too got towed in...

Ok, now I see what you meant, and I agree. <br />NO, the engines will not be harmed with a 220° temperature, but if you see that on your gauge, you can be rest assured you have a cooling problem on your boat.<br />And there will not be any cracked blocks and blown head gaskets, and siezed engines because the temp went to a max of 220°.

 

[BrettNC]

Re: NEED Help. I too got towed in...

I agree. The reason I made the statement is because someone posted on this thread earlier saying that 190 is overheating. I don't want people to read that and think they're ruining motors if they're running at 190.

 

[trog100]

Re: NEED Help. I too got towed in...

i think people mean different things by overheating.. u are right to point out that no engine damage is being done at 220..<br /><br />but my boat engine is set to run at 140.. if i saw 220 on the gauge i would panic.. he he he<br /><br />personally i think 140 is way to cool for engine efficiency but i accept the logic behind it.. its set cool to limit salt water corrosion cos its raw water cooled so i read..<br /><br />i wouldnt like to say that it was "optimized to run this cool thow".. more like it just runs inefficiently..<br /><br />being as as my boat is a freshwater boat i should probably ignore the manual and take it up to a more efficient 190 or so.. he he<br /><br />trog100

 

[BrettNC]

Re: NEED Help. I too got towed in...

As a rule of thumb most engines are designed to operate within a certain temperature range. Marine manufacturers calibrate an engine setup for the temperature that it will run. The manufacturers know that marine engines will run cooler so the engine is set to run more efficiently in that lower temperature range. This is especially true for modern fuel injected engines.

 

[Boatist]

Re: NEED Help. I too got towed in...

I guess I disagree that 220 is ok. Unless it is a closed cooling system then 220 is too hot. Last time I checked steam is not a good coolent and since water boils at 212 that is too hot. Steam does not cool the block evenly. Also saltwater motor leave far too many deposits above 190 that is why thermostats are 150 degrees. Lets see at 220 the water boils and turns to steam which exits the outdrive leaving all the salt behind.