Brokenback
Cadet
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2020
- Messages
- 18
Hello,
I have a 88 mercruiser 4.3 Chevy inboard
Winterized it two years ago in the fall.
Last August I pulled the starter to see why the last trip out on the water the starter wasn't engaging correctly and was grinding. I had some heart issues so I wasn't able to mess with the boat after I winterized it at that time until last August I pulled the starter found that one of the starter bolts was very loose and the shim was trying to fall out one of them I have three shims in it as I had a terrible time trying to shim it when I put the new starter on and I ended up with three in it it would start just fine but it was still a little noisy so I went ahead and pulled the starter even though I seen the bolt was loose just to inspect the drive and the flywheel because of the grinding issues I seen the flywheel had a missing tooth but it had been that way when I put the new starter on a couple of years before so I wasn't worried about that but I was too sick to put starter back on so I just left it off covered the boat back up for the winter again so that would be the second winter that it was covered up but it was winterized the first year then here today we uncovered the boat and raise the deck up and looked and that was wet under there it was moisture I'm thinking the cover had blown up on the back there and some of the water was up on the deck the padded deck above the the motor. My son said he would help me get this boat back together as I'm not well enough to do it by myself anymore so he pulled the spark plugs and I had him squirt some transmission fluid in all the cylinders to lubricate them because it's been set in so long and then crank it over by hand with the crankshaft bolt as he was cranking it over I looked down where the starter hole is on the bell housing and water was spraying out of it and it was quite a bit he did it several times then I looked in and you can see water laying down in the bottom of the bell housing is old rusty water when I winterize this motor a couple of years ago I've been antifreeze in it after I was done as I always do and have for years just filled it back up with antifreeze and left it until I unwinterize it now I did drain all the antifreeze out last summer in August when I was going to work on it then and found I couldn't get starter back on because I got sick but it's never had water put back in it since then so it shouldn't have anything by the antifreeze in the motor if there's anything left but there is a lot of water in the bell housing and I'm not sure where it came from I'm worried water ran down between the the hood and the body of the boat onto the top of the motor and then down into the bell housing and filled that up as it has been sitting there for 2 years however last summer when I the day I pulled the starter off I didn't see any water sitting inside of it I think I would if I took a picture and there is rust on the flywheel which I have that picture I'm going to share with you from last August that shows the rust so there's been water in there and I also show you the video of the water spraying now that today anybody that can help me to be great I'm not sure if the water can get in there from the top of the motor other than where the motor bolts up to outdrive or not but boy there's a lot of water in bell housing. the motor doesn't look like it's had water run down from the deck above. But it is also possible that water got under the winter cover and filled up the transom up above the flywheel hole because I have the starter laying out of it. but the drain plug is not in it so it should have ran out but yes there's leaves so maybe they got stopped up in there and then eventually came out any help would be great.. Thanks
I have a 88 mercruiser 4.3 Chevy inboard
Winterized it two years ago in the fall.
Last August I pulled the starter to see why the last trip out on the water the starter wasn't engaging correctly and was grinding. I had some heart issues so I wasn't able to mess with the boat after I winterized it at that time until last August I pulled the starter found that one of the starter bolts was very loose and the shim was trying to fall out one of them I have three shims in it as I had a terrible time trying to shim it when I put the new starter on and I ended up with three in it it would start just fine but it was still a little noisy so I went ahead and pulled the starter even though I seen the bolt was loose just to inspect the drive and the flywheel because of the grinding issues I seen the flywheel had a missing tooth but it had been that way when I put the new starter on a couple of years before so I wasn't worried about that but I was too sick to put starter back on so I just left it off covered the boat back up for the winter again so that would be the second winter that it was covered up but it was winterized the first year then here today we uncovered the boat and raise the deck up and looked and that was wet under there it was moisture I'm thinking the cover had blown up on the back there and some of the water was up on the deck the padded deck above the the motor. My son said he would help me get this boat back together as I'm not well enough to do it by myself anymore so he pulled the spark plugs and I had him squirt some transmission fluid in all the cylinders to lubricate them because it's been set in so long and then crank it over by hand with the crankshaft bolt as he was cranking it over I looked down where the starter hole is on the bell housing and water was spraying out of it and it was quite a bit he did it several times then I looked in and you can see water laying down in the bottom of the bell housing is old rusty water when I winterize this motor a couple of years ago I've been antifreeze in it after I was done as I always do and have for years just filled it back up with antifreeze and left it until I unwinterize it now I did drain all the antifreeze out last summer in August when I was going to work on it then and found I couldn't get starter back on because I got sick but it's never had water put back in it since then so it shouldn't have anything by the antifreeze in the motor if there's anything left but there is a lot of water in the bell housing and I'm not sure where it came from I'm worried water ran down between the the hood and the body of the boat onto the top of the motor and then down into the bell housing and filled that up as it has been sitting there for 2 years however last summer when I the day I pulled the starter off I didn't see any water sitting inside of it I think I would if I took a picture and there is rust on the flywheel which I have that picture I'm going to share with you from last August that shows the rust so there's been water in there and I also show you the video of the water spraying now that today anybody that can help me to be great I'm not sure if the water can get in there from the top of the motor other than where the motor bolts up to outdrive or not but boy there's a lot of water in bell housing. the motor doesn't look like it's had water run down from the deck above. But it is also possible that water got under the winter cover and filled up the transom up above the flywheel hole because I have the starter laying out of it. but the drain plug is not in it so it should have ran out but yes there's leaves so maybe they got stopped up in there and then eventually came out any help would be great.. Thanks
