Cracked block or Intake manifold - Shoot me!

[2001SAN]

Possibly just his good will? If it could be covered by insurance I'd be over the moon. Never had good experiences with any insurance company though.

[Chexi]

If he represented that the boat was in sound mechanical condition, you have a claim against the PO. IF it is a dealer, their contract may say AS IS, but I would still push the point. If it was a dealer, you can do a lot of damage to them by telling the world that they sold you a boat with a cracked block without disclosing it. Either way, if the previous owner has a brain, he/it should cooperate.

[2001SAN]

Some updates - sort of...

The saga continues but progress is so slow. The cracked block is now possibly no longer cracked?!? I'm sooo confused and getting a little frustrated. Here's the story so far:

Mon 30th - Boat left in

Wed 2nd - I get call to say water is in oil

Wed 9th - I get call to say that on visual inspection block seems ok - intake manifold is most likely at fault

Thur 10th - I get call to say that intake mani seems fine and due to a bubble of water on the side of the block, the block is suspect.

Friday 11th - I get call to say that the suspeced crack on the block cannot be found with heat or penetrating dye and heads are next on the suspect list. Manifold bolts are seized so engine is coming out to get heads off. Tech also advises to contact the seller and inform him of the situation. Engine to come out early this week.

Monday 14th - Emailed seller with pics of partially stripped engine and mocha oil. Received gracious reply saying that he'll help as much as he can but he's as confused as me. Says block was drianed and filled with AF (as he has done every year) and there was no major frost last winter. He also refered to his run before selling and our water test where everything checked out ok.

Tuesday 15th - I called tech but engine not out yet. Backlog of work etc. Hopefully will have an answer by today or thursday. No guarantee though.

My head is spinning. What are the chances of getting this engine stripped to find no part at fault and water ingress was through sump plug when the boat was left in the rain? At least when I was told that they thought there was a crack in the block last week I thought I had a diagnosis and could begin to move forward. Forgive the ramble but I'm getting tired of thinking about this. At least the seller has agreed to cooperate if there is an issue and at least the block might not be cracked. There are precious few marine mechanics round here and this guy is the best. I guess I'll just have to put it to the back of my mind until I get a definate diagnosis. Who knows when that will be.

We have a long weekend booked on the lakes at he start of June but it looks like we'll be going with no boat at this rate.

Anyways, ramble/rant over.

D.

[AirTool]

before taking the heads and intake off....I would take the risers off and then plug or cap all the water connections and pressure test the water side. That will show any leaks from the water cavities. I'd fill it with water and test to 10 psi (no more than 15 !!). If there is a reasonable crack, you can test with air at just a few psi.

Maybe the risers can stay on if you disconnect and plug the hoses to them. I need to think about that but it is safer to take them off and maybe they are already off from your email.

I can't believe I'm pulling an all nighter and distracted with PN.

[2001SAN]

Risers are off already. I suggested a pressure test before the heads came off (intake is off already). The tech has dismissed the idea of rain water flat out and is convinced the issue lies elsewhere.

Don't sweat it, everyone needs a little break when working through the night! What's the occasion?

[AirTool]

Don't sweat it, everyone needs a little break when working through the night! What's the occasion?

Just running behind....further behind than usual.

[hyparks]

I had an issue with a mastercraft I owned that was putting water into the engine causing it to lock up and also had water in oil. Turned out a piece of the plastic/fibre glass exhaust had broke off inside blocking the exhaust exit. Water came out the exhaust and had nowhere to go and so backfilled into the engine.
I stripped my engine and rebuilt it before I found out. I feel your pain. Might be worth checking out?

[2001SAN]

I'm open to any suggestions!

When you say locking up do you mean hard starting symptoms or complete hydro lock?

[hyparks]

It would start up fine run for about a minute then hydro lock. Then would not start again as water at spark plugs etc.

[AirTool]

It would start up fine run for about a minute then hydro lock. Then would not start again as water at spark plugs etc.

did it make it past the rings and into the oil?

[hyparks]

Yes it did the first time. Hence the rebuild not being a total waste of time. After the rebuild it hydro locked but not got into the oil. That's when I found the blocked exhaust.

[2001SAN]

Ok, update time. Things have been slow.

The engine came out a couple of weeks ago. Tech wanted to remove heads but couldn't get exhaust manis off due to seized bolts. Eventally got them burned off and the heads came off. Had planned to send them off for pressure testing this week.

Today the tech calls me. They doused the block with penetrating dye over the weekend and some hairline cracks have started to show so it looks like a new block for me after all. Going to shout the seller with the good news and see what he says. I could do with some financial assistance on this one! The tech is recommending I change the intake manifolds while I'm there and the heads. Not sure if I can locate a long block though. It seems at least that I have a diagnosis finally.

My new boat has been a major headache - well, it's not the boats fault i guess. I'll be back with updates I'm sure!

Virtual hugs please.

D.