Advice on submerged inboard---Please
Arin Brost
It was parked at the dock for 2 hours before I noticed that it was pretty
full of water (about 1/3 up the engine). Two of us were able to get the
plug in and bail the water out. The bilge took care of the rest of the
water. Seemed like the electrical accessories were operational.
After the boat dried out I turned the key and it simply made a single
click/clunk sound but did not even attempt to turnover. We checked the
battery, which had been underwater, and it seemed low, so we charged it. An
attempt at ignition produced the same result. I thought the battery was
ruined so we bought a new one, but the new battery produced the same result.
At this point we pulled the oil dipstick and water came out. We then
promptly trailered the boat.
The best we can figure is that the starter is shorted out and that there is
water in the oil which would need to be changed. If this is wrong or there
is more to it, I would appreciate any insight or shared experiences on what
could be done to return this boat to operating condition.
Thank you.
Sybil
more water than you expect. The engine won't turn over
because it's FULL of water.
After draining the oil and putting in new oil AND
filter, and BEFORE you try to start the engine, pull the
spark plugs and run the starter to expel any water from
the cylinders. If you don't pull the plugs you'll
"hydraulic" the engine and bend and break a lot of
parts.
After you expel the water from the cylinders, replace
the plugs and start the engine and bring it up to
temperature. Now change the oil and filter again.
(personal preference, but reality)
Be sure to get a big enough bucket to hold the oil and
water when you drain it.
Keep us informed...please.
Robin Moore
full of water. I'm not convinced that anything short of a complete
teardown of the engine will work however. I guess I'd try draining
oil/pulling plugs etc... first however. You didn't mention how long the
engine has been like this so if it's been even a little while you may
have considerable corrosion inside the engine and/or seized rings. I'd
also change the transmission oil and lubricate every cable, fitting etc.
you can see.
Good luck!
Sybil
tranny. My memories not what it used to be. (lucky for
some)
Sorry, I forgot to mention the tranny...
Robin Moore wrote:
>
> I'd concur with the diagnosis that your block & cylinders are likely
> full of water. I'm not convinced that anything short of a complete
> teardown of the engine will work however. I guess I'd try draining
> oil/pulling plugs etc... first however. You didn't mention how long the
> engine has been like this so if it's been even a little while you may
> have considerable corrosion inside the engine and/or seized rings. I'd
> also change the transmission oil and lubricate every cable, fitting etc.
> you can see.
>
> Good luck!
>
> Sybil wrote:
> >
snip
Mark Lenox
I hope you didn't hydro-lock the engine when you hit the starter the first
time. Hopefully, the electrical system wasn't working well enough to engage the
starter. If there was water in the cylinders when you attempted to turn it
over, and the starter engaged, it could be major overhaul time. Hopefully that
is not the case.
The good news is that you probably didn't do too much damage. As long as you get
to it quickly so corrosion doesn't start to set in, you're in good shape. Also,
since your engine wasn't completely submerged, chances are it's not too
contaminated. If it's just the crankcase oil (that's not good mind you, but
relatively speaking) it's pretty solvable.
What we used to do with raceboats that were completely submerged is as follows:
1) drain everything.
2) pull the sparkplugs out.
3) use kerosene to flush out the intake manifold & cylinder heads by pouring it
down the carb and turning the engine over by hand. Removing the carburator will
give you better access to control where it's going. This will help collect the
water, and get some lubrication on the valve stems before you restart it. You
can probably omit this step as the intake doesn't appear contaminated.
4) refill crankcase with oil, and new filter.
5) get the ignition and starter working again by whatever means necessary.
5) with plugs still out, turn the engine over 20 or 30 revolutions with the
starter. Be careful not to overheat the starter.
7) replace the plugs & start it.
8) bring the engine up to normal operating temperature for at least 20 minutes.
Do not strain it at this time as the oil probably still has lots of stuff in it
you don't want permanently embedded in the bearings. Warming it up should get
nearly all the moisture out of it. The biggest problem is any leftover
contaminants that came in with the water, sand for example.
9) drain and refill crankcase oil, and change filter again
10) take the boat out and drive it for a couple hours.
11) change the oil and filter again.
12) write on the chalkboard 1000 times, "I will check the drain plug before
launching the boat".
Mark Lenox
David L. Barcomb
Robin Moore wrote:
> I'd concur with the diagnosis that your block & cylinders are likely
> full of water. I'm not convinced that anything short of a complete
> teardown of the engine will work however. I guess I'd try draining
> oil/pulling plugs etc... first however. You didn't mention how long the
> engine has been like this so if it's been even a little while you may
> have considerable corrosion inside the engine and/or seized rings. I'd
> also change the transmission oil and lubricate every cable, fitting etc.
> you can see.
>
> > > After the boat dried out I turned the key and it simply made a single
> > > click/clunk sound but did not even attempt to turnover. We checked the
> > > battery, which had been underwater, and it seemed low, so we charged it. An
> > > attempt at ignition produced the same result. I thought the battery was
> > > ruined so we bought a new one, but the new battery produced the same result.
> > > At this point we pulled the oil dipstick and water came out. We then
> > > promptly trailered the boat.
Trying to start the boat was a bad idea (Oh well to late now). My friends Ski
Centuriion sank a few years ago. We got the boat out of the water and I gave
my friend specific instructions to not to try and start the baot. After I told him
what to do he brought the boat to a shop that fixed it. With a proper draining of
the engine the motor ran fine. My friend did need a new interior because it
was ruined and had to fix other things because the boat sank and was under
water for 2 days. The engine is still running fine!
The same storm that sank my friends Ski Centurion also sank another boat
on the lake that ended up at the same shop as my friends boat. This person
tried to start their boat and needed a new Engine to go with everything
else he had to fix.
Good Luck. I hope your engine is OK.
Dave Barcomb
David L. Barcomb
>
>
> Sorry, I forgot to mention the tranny...
>
> Robin Moore wrote:
> >
> > I'd concur with the diagnosis that your block & cylinders are likely
> > full of water. I'm not convinced that anything short of a complete
> > teardown of the engine will work however.
Not needed if properly drained (as was described, don't forget
to turn over with the plugs out first) and refilled with oil and started.
Dave Barcomb
> I guess I'd try draining
> > oil/pulling plugs etc... first however. You didn't mention how long the
> > engine has been like this so if it's been even a little while you may
> > have considerable corrosion inside the engine and/or seized rings. I'd
> > also change the transmission oil and lubricate every cable, fitting etc.
> > you can see.
> >
David L. Barcomb
Arin Brost wrote:
> Thank you for the responses. Seems that you were all right on the money
> with this. The boat required 3 oil changes, a transmission fluid change,
> and a good drying out of the starter and alternator. All performed at a
> service center.
Great news! I would find a place nearby that rebuilds starters
andalternators. After being wet like that they are more likely to fail in the
future.
Dave Barcomb
>
>
> Lucky for me the starter was shorted out at the time we bailed the boat out,
> because I would have tried starting the thing for certain. I did not know
> an engine could be ruined in this situation...but now I do. Although, after
> writing on the chalkboard 1000 times, "I will check the drain plug before
> launching the boat", I doubt it will happen again to me.
>
> Thank you.
>
> Arin
vern_reeve
then I always dangle it from the steering wheel so it's the first
thing I see when I launch the boat.
On Wed, 4 Aug 1999 12:10:00 -0500, "Arin Brost" <abr...@hycite.com>
wrote:
>Thank you for the responses. Seems that you were all right on the money
>with this. The boat required 3 oil changes, a transmission fluid change,
>and a good drying out of the starter and alternator. All performed at a
>service center.
>
Nick
<?@?.?> writes
>I put a short rope with a loop on the t-handle for my drain plug,
>then I always dangle it from the steering wheel so it's the first
>thing I see when I launch the boat.
I don't have a drain plug. I feel I'm missing out on all this worry...
:)
--
Nick
Mont Buckles
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
--
Howdy,
I have drains on both of the inboards that I have owned, but never take
them out. The bilge pump is in the lowest point in the hull and taking
the plug out wouldn't let any extra water out anyway. Am I missing
something?
Except for winterization, why take them out?
-mont
**********************************************************************
Greg Wait
> them out. The bilge pump is in the lowest point in the hull and taking
> the plug out wouldn't let any extra water out anyway. Am I missing
> something?
>
> Except for winterization, why take them out?
I prefer to let the bilge dry out. No bilge pump will take out 100% of the
water. To avoid musty smells it's just smart to let the bilge drain and dry
completely, at least from time to time.
--
Greg Wait <gr...@behindtheboat.com>
Editor - Behind The Boat's WAKECENTRAL http://www.wakecentral.com
One World, One Wake.
vern_reeve
get, if you let it evaporate with the cover closed, it could cause
some mildewing. Also, gas fumes are heavier than air, so they tend to
settle in the lowest place in the boat, opening the drain plug helps
to make sure they are gone. I know the blower is supposed to get all
the fumes out, but if you forget to turn it on... I have a friend
whose boat blew up because of gas fumes in the engine compartment.
So, it might not be necessary to take the drain plugs out, but I feel
like its worth it.
On Thu, 05 Aug 1999 19:34:02 -0600, Mont Buckles
<Mont.B...@analog.com> wrote:
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
>
>
>--
>Howdy,
>Nick wrote:
>>
>> In article <37a8bcd7....@news-server.bendcable.com>, Vern Reeve
>> <?@?.?> writes
>> >I put a short rope with a loop on the t-handle for my drain plug,
>> >then I always dangle it from the steering wheel so it's the first
>> >thing I see when I launch the boat.
>>
>> I don't have a drain plug. I feel I'm missing out on all this worry...
>>
>> :)
>> --
>>
>> Nick
>
>I have drains on both of the inboards that I have owned, but never take
>them out. The bilge pump is in the lowest point in the hull and taking
>the plug out wouldn't let any extra water out anyway. Am I missing
>something?
>
>Except for winterization, why take them out?
>
>-mont
>**********************************************************************