Steps to Take When My boat sank from heavy rain & winds

[surveyor1951]

I retreived my boat late yesterday afternoon. My motor info is:
Engine=Mercury SN=0f758732 3.0L LX Alpha One
Mercruiser-SN=0f651546
Transom SN=0f651546
Today I drained the oil, pulled the spark plugs,blew air into the block through the spark plugs holes, then sprayed fogging oil down the cylinders. Blew out the carb with air then sprayed fogging oil into it. Cleaned the distributor (used air compressor)then sprayed white lith. grease around it & used a electrical spray for the contacts. Air blew all the spark plug & coil wires & sprayed the wires with electrical spray. I pulled the alternator off to air dry it. I put new oil in the engine. I tried turning the crank by hand put had to put a screw driver in the slots to turn it. I would have like to turn it over a few times to get the oil moving around the cylinders (not running though). I need to get a new battery & a pump to siphon the gas tank tomorrow. Then I will try to crank it over a few times to get the oil circulated.
Before I actually try to start it up, is there any other steps I should take. I would like to run it for 1/2 hour just to evaporate any moisture left in the engine block. Then change the oil again before I put it away for winter. I'll have to put methanol in the gas tank too, just to get rid of the moisture.
Any other steps or things to do? Any help would be much apprieciated. Thanks

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: Steps to Take When My boat sank from heavy rain & winds

Howdy,


Sorry your engine was submerged!


Here's the Mercruiser service bulletins that might help addresses this.

http://www.boatfix.com/merc/Bullet/01/01_10.pdf
http://www.boatfix.com/merc/Bullet/01/01_13.pdf

Once you get the water out of the oil you may have to change it a couple of times to get it all out. Then running it at a high enough power setting to "boil" the rest of the water out is usually best. If possible, get the oil up to 180 degrees or higher.

If this happened in salt water, you may have to replace the starter and alternator. You may get away with just rinsing it with clean water and allowing it to dry.

If the engine was under water for only overnight or so, you should be able to recover it completely. (starter and alternator might be saved if rinsed clean)

Is it on a trailer? If so, remove the tank gage sender and use a 20 foot length or so of clear vinyl hose to siphon the tank through the sender hole. tip the bow up enough to get the fuel and water to run to the back. use the siphon as a vacuum to remove all the liquid in the tank.

If the engine wasn't under water very long, you shouldn't have to, but to ensure that you have all the water out of the oil passages, after you change the oil, you could remove the distributor and turn the oil pump with a drill motor to prime the oil pump and purge any water out of the oil passages.

Good luck,


Rick

 

[achris]

Re: Steps to Take When My boat sank from heavy rain & winds

The first thing I would be doing is picking up the phone to the insurance company... "Hey guys, you just bought a boat"....
It's not just the engine that you need to worry about. What about the drive, the bellows will be full of water, as will all the shift and throttle cables, and depending on the construction, the floor and any other wooden structures will be water-logged, and every piece of wire in the boat, and all the fittings, the fuel and steering systems, the instruments, all water damaged... Unless they are replaced now, you'll be chasing water damage problems for the next 10 years...

I know it's not a good scenario, but that's the way I see it....

JHMO,

Chris........

 

[surveyor1951]

Re: Steps to Take When My boat sank from heavy rain & winds

My Progress: I got a new battery & hooked it up..The gauges, alternator, starter motor, trim & bilge, they are all working. I changed the oil a second time after I blew out the water through the spark plug holes by turning the engine over but not starting it. I cleaned all the spark plugs to get any moisture off them sprayed electrical spray on the ignition wires & put fogging oil down the spark plug holes. I added a little gas in the carb. I blew out my gas lines & drained the gas tank & filled the tank with fresh gas & added some gas line anti freeze.Once I did my checks & was satisfied I proceeded to start it. It was spitting & sputtering but would not turn over. It sounded like it would fire up a few times. Tried it for about 10 minutes, then my starter motor quit on me. It just makes that whirring noise when the solenoid spins. I'll have to get one tomorrow & try it again. I followed the Fleet Admiral advice & read the 2 pdf files he attached. Should I change the oil again, this will be the 3rd time I changed the oil since I drained it originally? It was fresh water where it sank. Any other advice I should follow at this stage. Any help would be much apprieciated. Thanks

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Steps to Take When My boat sank from heavy rain & winds

What you dont understand is that anything electrical connected to a battery is finished. starters, alt, cables, wiring , trim motor/pump, steering cable, etc.did you take the dist cap off ans clean there? Are you sure the plugs are clean and not fouled again?
How deep did it go in?

 

[Walt T]

Re: Steps to Take When My boat sank from heavy rain & winds

Yep, call your insurance company. That boat will cause you nothing but headaches from here on out. I refuse to work on sunk boats due to the fact I would end up "married" to it. Listen to what the guys are telling you. Experience and knowledge here, pay attention or you'll be spending more time on this site than on the water next summer.

 

[surveyor1951]

Re: Steps to Take When My boat sank from heavy rain & winds

Phoned the insurance company, have to take it to the local Mercury dealer, where I bought it to get it assessed. That will be on Saturday. Will be a nice drive to Montana. I do want to be on the water next spring & summer.