water droplet on spark plug.

[bamaj]

Re: water droplet on spark plug.

lightly lapped the head,may need more but was afraid to go too far.water still coming out but was less,looked like it was mainly coming out around bolt holes.should I put light coat of silicone on gasket.if so what type should I use.thanks

 

[pnwboat]

Re: water droplet on spark plug.

I've used the Permatex Ultra Grey. Really tough stuff. Just make sure that you wipe down all the sealing surfaces with some carburetor cleaner, or better, Acetone. Don't need very much silicone. Just apply to the surfaces that seal the water jacket to the gasket, and around the bolt holes. Let it set up for 3 or 4 hours, or may take overnight if the temperatures are below 60?F.

 

[bamaj]

Re: water droplet on spark plug.

is there a trick to getting exhaust cover off to replace exhaust gaskets without talking the power head off? I have loosened all the 1/4 bolts(most broke loose with 7/16 open end wrench).i have all wires laying out of the way. thanks.

 

[pnwboat]

Re: water droplet on spark plug.

Double check down low on the exhaust cover. Sometimes it's hard to see the bolts down there. If you've got'em all loose, then the cover is just stuck. May have to take a razor blade or gasket scraper and push it down where the gasket is to get the cover to start to release. Be careful if you pry with a screw driver. Don't want to damage the sealing surfaces or break a piece off.

 

[bamaj]

Re: water droplet on spark plug.

exhaust plate came right out,I had found a scratch in the cylinder,frank said he thought it would be ok as it has 128 compression,looking with the plate off the piston has a scored spot on it but the rings do not have a cut on them and they are free moving.do not know if someone knew it and put a set of rings in it and ran it that way.want to put a pic up but cannot do it with iphone,and home computer is down.with compression 128 and upper piston 125 I guess I'll put it back togather when the gaskets come in next week.

 

[MickLovin]

Re: water droplet on spark plug.

Hey Bamaj,you said your fuel is a week old but that doesn't mean your tank didn't have water in it, after getting the head and exhaust gaskets on, I would be checking my tank if you haven't already done so.
Were the plugs which had water on them clean when you pull them or did they just have a droplet or two on them. It is more than likely from your head or exhaust gasket, but just want to make sure you rule out your fuel system as well. Not trying to lead you astray but the fuel system is an easy one to rule out. If you have a water separator I wouldn't suggest water in the fuel/tank.

 

[bamaj]

Re: water droplet on spark plug.

just a few droplets on lower plug,but when I pulled head there was a little water behind piston.exhaust gaskets were falling apart and looked like little of it was missing.itll be a week before gaskets get here.ill get bored and try to cut my own by then.i'll be putting a water-separator in the line before long.thanks Mick.

 

[MickLovin]

Re: water droplet on spark plug.

Ah no worries Bamaj, the more things you rule out the less you will have to deal with

 

[bamaj]

Re: water droplet on spark plug.

do the exhaust gaskets go on dry or use silicone? thanks

 

[pnwboat]

Re: water droplet on spark plug.

Typically you don't need any RTV silicone. I do use a very thin film once in a while if the gasket sealing surfaces are pitted enough from corrosion.

 

[bamaj]

Re: water droplet on spark plug.

thanks pnwboat,I'll put it on dry for there's very little pitting,if it leaks I'll pull it off and do something different.torque is 70 in pounds I've read from other post.i have it snugged up so I'll c what happens.

 

[pnwboat]

Re: water droplet on spark plug.

Good luck! Keeping my fingers crossed........

 

[MickLovin]

Re: water droplet on spark plug.

Yea good luck with it mate, I hope all goes well.

 

[bamaj]

Re: water droplet on spark plug.

where is the best place to start looking at starting problem,I've got every thing back togather and motor will not turn over,I can jump the starter out so I have power,but will not turn with switch.the only wires I took loose were ground and they're all back in place unless I crossed one to the wrong place.

 

[pnwboat]

Re: water droplet on spark plug.

Make sure the throttle handle is in the neutral position. Might have to push it forward and back into neutral. If that doesn't work, look at the neutral safety switch itself. It's either mounted on the motor by the throttle linkage and has two wires, usually yellow that go to it.

There should be two small wires on the starter solenoid that are attached to the two small terminals on the solenoid itself. One is yellow that goes to the neutral safety switch. Make sure it's attached. The other one is a black wire that should go to ground. Maybe that ground wire is not connected?

 

[Nordin]

Re: water droplet on spark plug.

Check the neutral switch. The engine must be in neutral to start.

 

[bamaj]

Re: water droplet on spark plug.

I had a ground wire mounted in the wrong place,cranking now and no water on plugs so far but head is still leaking between top left bolt and the next bolt down.thats the only leak and leaking very little, it's torqued to 240 inch pounds so I guess I'll take it off and reseal it one more time.maybe I was little too lite on permatex.

 

[pnwboat]

Re: water droplet on spark plug.

That's really odd that the water is leaking around the head bolts with a new head gasket. Are you torquing the head bolts in the correct sequence starting with the bolts in the middle of the head and working your way towards the ends of the head?

 

[bamaj]

Re: water droplet on spark plug.

yes sir,I found a pic of that earlier,don't know unless the motors been hot and warped the head.just leaking in one small spot.i pulled it and cleaned it and put little more silicone.ifin this does not work I'll carry it to a shop and have it checked.at least there was not moisture in the cylinder this time when I pulled the head off.ill crank it tomorrow and see what happens,if it's ok I'll take it to the lake tomorrow or Saturday.thanks

 

[pnwboat]

Re: water droplet on spark plug.

Well I guess it seems that you're making some progress. Sounds like you may have fixed the moisture in the cylinder problem.

You know....I was just thinking. I've replaced a lot of head gaskets and never experienced what you are describing. Not that I'm an expert or anything like that. Just seems odd. I was thinking that it may not be the head gasket at all. Your head has a cover ( item#23 in diag. below). There is a engine cooling water passage below the cover to cool the head before it is dumped out of the block. After you remove the head bolts and head, the head cover is held on with two bolts by the spark plugs. There is no gasket. Just some type of gasket sealer. I wonder if you remove it and apply some new Permatex sealer if that might be where your leak is?

Mercury, Mercruiser, Force, etc. - CYLINDER BLOCK - 40/50 H.P.

If you can see the water leaking out between the head and block, then it's probably not the cover. If the water is coming out from under the bolt head itself, then it could be the cover.