O.K. I'm buying a boat.....UPDATE: bought one BAD news....

Subliminal

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Oct 21, 2009
Messages
555
Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat.....UPDATE: bought one BAD news....

Well, fortunately for you it's a good time of year to have the boat down, eh? ;)

On 4 cylinder engines, I believe the outside two pistons go up and down together and the inside two go up and down together.

I think that of the two going up and down together, one is on the compression stroke and one is not.

In my experience (I used to love playing with Dodge 4 Cylinder turbo engines...you could buy the car for a few hundred bucks, put in a new head gasket and have a fast running car for nothing) I'd say it's more likely than not that your HG is just busted between #2 and #3. The compression from one is just going to the other and vice versa as they go up and down together.

Now, if you overheated, you'll probably want to have the head checked for level and maybe decked....but if you do the rest of the work yourself, and if you can do it without yanking the engine, then it shouldn't cost much and shouldn't even take that long, outside of dropping the head off at a machine shop.

Now, of course anything can go wrong, like has been said it could be a valve or a piston or any number of things, but I don't see how someone can do a simple compression check and give you a definitive answer like that.

That's like going to a doctor who asks you to cough and tells you it's swine flu...lol...there should be a tad bit more testing, me thinks.
 

jkust

Rear Admiral
Joined
Aug 2, 2008
Messages
4,942
Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat.....UPDATE: bought one BAD news....

Sorry about engine problems. I have read about these situations on several occasions. I am guessing 3k is a deal breaker
 

Philster

Captain
Joined
Sep 15, 2009
Messages
3,342
Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat.....UPDATE: bought one BAD news....

A good overheating will make short work of older gaskets. It will also make short work of aluminum.

Here is my experience watching others chase similar issues:

If you have all cast iron block, head and manifold, I would say with great certainty you have done nothing more than toasted a gasket and all other 'soft' components (which, quite frankly, should be replaced anyway to freshen the motor up).

If your case was one of a bad overheating, and you had aluminum heads or block, then I would only be 50% sure. Sure, the head gasket gets toasted, but the alum parts won't seat properly, and no head gasket job is going to make the parts fit perfectly.

I believe you have cast iron everything on/in that engine. I would be shocked if a head gasket and basic attention to the head and all maintenance parts didn't solve everything. If it is easy to work on, which posters say it is, then it's less than a grand.
 

Gary H NC

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Dec 1, 2005
Messages
8,972
Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat.....UPDATE: bought one BAD news....

My bet is a head gasket too....That shop sounds like they want to take you for a ride!
DO NOT LET THEM WORK ON IT!!!

Wish i was closer,i could have the head off and find the problem in about an hour..:rolleyes:
 

Pez Vela

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Dec 4, 2004
Messages
504
Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat.....UPDATE: bought one BAD news....

Even if the guy knew something was wrong with that thing before selling it to you, you have no leg to stand on and no legal recourse. He can lie to your face and tell you everything is OK even if everything isnt. The key here is whats on paper ....."as is" meaning you accept the boat AS IS. If you would have asked for a warranty maybe he would have given you one but he would have charged alot more for the boat. You didnt ask for a warranty and you didnt get a warranty.

suck it up
break out your wallet
chaulk it up as lesson learned
get the manuals for the engine
move forward

That assertion is flat out wrong. Even in an "as is" sale, the seller may not make material misrepresentations nor actively conceal known problems. If the seller does so, the buyer may be entitled to rescind the transaction.

By your account, the seller knew immediately what was wrong when you spoke to him (switched hose connections) ... and that is very revealing as to his degree of knowledge of the problem. Please tell us exactly what conversations, if any, you had with the seller, prior to purchase, regarding his DIY engine work.

This is not to say that you have any legal recourse in this particular case, but only to point out that a seller may not hide behind an "as is" provision to avoid the consequences of fraudulent conduct.
 

jonesg

Admiral
Joined
Feb 22, 2008
Messages
7,174
Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat.....UPDATE: bought one BAD news....

I wouldn't bother the seller for anything, accept he made an honest mistake that you would have caught if you went about familiarizing yourself with the boat responsibly before taking off on a test cruise.

Sounds like it blew the head gasket, no big deal with a volvo.
The head comes off easy peasy.

And I add, it doesn't sound like you got good advise before buying this boat, or you completely ignored it.

Driving 7 hrs to buy a boat that you cannot test ride,
no-one on this site would say thats good advise.

I've made the similar mistakes but it was in the days before the internet and I didn't have access to the experts back then , boating can be more than unforgiving and not everyone is cut out to own a boat .

I think the biggest newbie mistake is to look at a boat the same as a used car, lets take the boat for a shakeout cruise ?, big mistake.

Just turn the key and take off and what ? hope it runs good?
 

madurodave

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jul 15, 2009
Messages
347
Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat.....UPDATE: bought one BAD news....

good advise pez.

and we shouldn't kick him while he's down. lesson learned and time to move onward and upward
 

WAVENBYE2

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Apr 28, 2007
Messages
1,636
Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat.....UPDATE: bought one BAD news....

Well I wish you the best of luck and would take the advice here and have a reputal shop take a look at her for you, $3000 is out of the question, keep us updated on what you find out, would like to see how it turned out for you, not too bad I hope.
 

Vert1go

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Sep 26, 2008
Messages
42
Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat.....UPDATE: bought one BAD news....

So are you saying that the previous owner had some cooling hoses connected improperly? Unfortunately, as you already know there's not really anything you can do about it now with the previous owner, but I would certainly have the engine checked out by another mechanic - preferably someone a good friend or family member trusts.
 

H8tank

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Dec 17, 2008
Messages
182
Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat.....UPDATE: bought one BAD news....

Even if the guy knew something was wrong with that thing before selling it to you, you have no leg to stand on and no legal recourse. He can lie to your face and tell you everything is OK even if everything isnt. The key here is whats on paper ....."as is" meaning you accept the boat AS IS.

That is not true, and there are enough threads here over the years to prove it. I doubt you are a lawyer, so you probably shouldn't be offering legal advice.

Edit, however, I would call the guy and ask him to help with the repair expense, but going to court is not worth the time and effort for this. It sucks, hopefully he'll do the right thing.
 

Dhadley

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Feb 4, 2001
Messages
16,978
Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat.....UPDATE: bought one BAD news....

Rob, noticed you haven't updated in a while - hope repairs are going OK. Anyway, keep in mind there are no hoses to switch or remove or anything like that just to back it in the water just to run it.

Just something to keep in mind....
 

airdvr1227

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Jul 15, 2009
Messages
1,666
Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat.....UPDATE: bought one BAD news....

That assertion is flat out wrong. Even in an "as is" sale, the seller may not make material misrepresentations nor actively conceal known problems. If the seller does so, the buyer may be entitled to rescind the transaction.

By your account, the seller knew immediately what was wrong when you spoke to him (switched hose connections) ... and that is very revealing as to his degree of knowledge of the problem. Please tell us exactly what conversations, if any, you had with the seller, prior to purchase, regarding his DIY engine work.

This is not to say that you have any legal recourse in this particular case, but only to point out that a seller may not hide behind an "as is" provision to avoid the consequences of fraudulent conduct.


I'd have to say the only time that would apply is if he wasn't given an opportunity to inspect it before purchase.
 

robbyr1

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Oct 23, 2009
Messages
99
Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat.....UPDATE: bought one BAD news....

Hi Guys,

Thanks for all the replies, it sure helps having knowledgable people's input.

I am taking all your advice in and sure do appreciate the thoughts.

I am having a couple friends (who know motors pretty good) come over on Saturday and we're gonna start taking things apart. It sounds like for sure I have a blown head gasket between the 2 & 3 cylinders and the rubber exhaust tube is leaking, too.
So we're gonna start taking it apart and see what what's up. I'll let you know what we find. From what I hear, it will be easy to tell once we get the head cover off.

So far I know to make sure I take lots of pictures, label and place everything as it comes out and make sure I have a manual. We'll see how it goes.

As for the seller, he's being real shady and taking NO responsibilty for HIM reversing the hoses. There's not much I can do, but karma's a b*tch.
 

robbyr1

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Oct 23, 2009
Messages
99
Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat.....UPDATE: More BAD news....

Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat.....UPDATE: More BAD news....

I just got back from the machine shop, the head is cracked in 2 places! (hairline cracks only, but can't be welded as one is in the combustion chamber). So I need to buy AT LEAST another head for $1000-ish (called around to a couple boat shops, Duchows, Skipper Buds, etc.)

Do you guys think that I also cracked the block? Am I just better off buying a new motor? (can't really afford that) Most of the guys I've talked to can't believe that I cracked the head & don't think that the block would be cracked, too (both head and block are cast iron).

I just wasted $300 on a machine shop decking the head just to find out that it's useless, I'd hate to waste more to find out I cracked the block too. What do you guys think?
 

ajgraz

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Mar 1, 2010
Messages
1,858
Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat.....UPDATE: bought one BAD news....

The machine shop decked the head before checking for cracks? If so, I'd definitely be wanting some money back if the head truly is "useless".

How did they check for cracks anyway? Magnaflux? Did they show you? Are they offering to sell you a new head perchance?

And how cracked is cracked? Are the cracks anywhere water will intrude into the cylinder (water jacket), or will cause compression issues (edge of the chamber)? I dunno about Volvo 3.0L/2.5L, but GM (Buick) 3800 V6 iron/iron auto engines (for example) came from the factory with hairline cracks between the valves, and you just run those without worrying about it.

Unless someone with more experience with your specific motor chimes in, at this point I suspect you have little to lose from replacing the head gasket, making sure the cooling system is up-to-snuff, and giving her another sea trial.
 

Knot Waiting

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jun 23, 2006
Messages
761
Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat.....UPDATE: bought one BAD news....

Did they show you these cracks and if so, are you able to photograph their location and post them up here? A visual aid may help to determine the severity of your problem.
 

AZBoatDreamer

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Aug 5, 2009
Messages
1,100
Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat.....UPDATE: bought one BAD news....

Pardon my comment but I just finished reviewing my boat manual.

It says in event of a overheat situation the motor will go into a protection mode and limit the RPM's to prevent damage. I guess this isn't a standard feature on most boats. I watch my Temp, and oil gages like a hawk. I don't want to over heat anything.

Sorry to hear about your issues.
 

robbyr1

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Oct 23, 2009
Messages
99
Re: O.K. I'm buying a boat.....UPDATE: bought one BAD news....

Thanks for the replies, guys. I just picked up the head from the machine shop. The guy said that he didn't see the cracks until after machineing it (there was .018 warping between the 2 & 3 cylinders so he had to machine it pretty good). He seemed like a straight up guy and only charged me $150 after hearing my bad-luck story. They don't sell heads so I don't think there was an ulterior motive.

The cracks are on the side of a chamber and one on the side of the water jacket, so I guess I'm head shopping. My main concern now is that the block is cracked too, with my luck with this boat I don't know.

I'm having a hard time finding a new or remanned head. It IS a GM head (who knew), casting #14096620, pn #10140599.

What do you guys think?
 

fishrdan

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Jan 25, 2008
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