4.3 l mercruiser locked up while driving. Engine experts needed!!!

[bikermjp]

Hi everyone. I have a problem that I need some help with. I had the boat out and was towing the kids on a tube. I took a sharp turn and when we straightened out the boat seemed to have less power. When I throttled down the engine quit and would not turn over at all any more. When I lifted the engine cover it seemed to be ticking and popping like it was over heated. This is what I did to try and check what could be wrong.

1. Checked cooling lines and all had water coming out of drain plugs.
2. Checked engine oil and no water present in oil.
3. Removed spark plugs and serpentine belt and the engine turned over very very slowly.
4. Checked battery voltage and it was fine.

Thanks in advance any and all help from you guys out there would be greatly appreciated it was our first trip on the water this year.

 

[ktbarrentine]

Re: 4.3 l mercruiser locked up while driving. Engine experts needed!!!

What was your temperature gauge doing during all of this? When was your last routine drive maintenance / impeller change, etc.?

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: 4.3 l mercruiser locked up while driving. Engine experts needed!!!

If all the gauges were normal and you didnt smoke the motor then it sounds like its out of outdrive oil

 

[tpenfield]

Re: 4.3 l mercruiser locked up while driving. Engine experts needed!!!

Based on what you described so far, I would remove the outdrive and see if the engine will turn over easily with the outdrive off.

If so, then you know where the problem is.

 

[achris]

Re: 4.3 l mercruiser locked up while driving. Engine experts needed!!!

Hi everyone. I have a problem that I need some help with. I had the boat out and was towing the kids on a tube. I took a sharp turn and when we straightened out the boat seemed to have less power. When I throttled down the engine quit and would not turn over at all any more. When I lifted the engine cover it seemed to be ticking and popping like it was over heated. This is what I did to try and check what could be wrong.

1. Checked cooling lines and all had water coming out of drain plugs.
2. Checked engine oil and no water present in oil.
3. Removed spark plugs and serpentine belt and the engine turned over very very slowly.
4. Checked battery voltage and it was fine.

Thanks in advance any and all help from you guys out there would be greatly appreciated it was our first trip on the water this year.

The 4.3 litre engine has been used by Mercury since 1986, and it has seen many changes in that time. For us to help you we need to know which 4.3 you have, and to do that we need your engine serial number, and a few more facts about the engine.
1. Let's start with the serial number.
2. Closed cooling or raw water?
3. Did you see any water coming from the spark plug holes as you attempted to turn the engine over?
4. Do you have a drive oil monitor bottle? If so, was it empty?

Help us to help you. Please give us as much information as you can.

Chris......

 

[makonnen]

Re: 4.3 l mercruiser locked up while driving. Engine experts needed!!!

To add to what achris said, pictures and / or video would really help too.

What was the battery voltage while you were cranking?

Turn the engine over using the crank pulley bolt, does it feel tight?

 

[bikermjp]

Re: 4.3 l mercruiser locked up while driving. Engine experts needed!!!

To be honest I didn't even look at the gauge. When it started to power down I looked to the engine compartment and shut it off and quickly lifted the hood because I thought there was smoke.

 

[bikermjp]

Re: 4.3 l mercruiser locked up while driving. Engine experts needed!!!

I do not have the serial number handy but I will get it when I go back to the lake.

The engine is raw water cooled. I know the impeller was working because I fired the boat up for the first time to find the location of my bottom drain plug and water poured out until I shut it down.

No water came out of the plug holes and there was no moisture on the plugs when I removed them.

There is no reservoir bottle but I did check the level before I put it in the water that day. Would it be possible for a seal to go and have the oil leak out?

I will try to remove the outdrive and see if that makes a difference.

Again thanks for all the suggestions

 

[greggullion@hotmail.com]

I had the same thing happen on my 4.3 with a Yamaha stern got it home pulled plugs turned over put plugs back in check water pumps both raw water and on motor look good pulled out thermostat don’t know what else to check before I put it back in water

 

[achris]

Please start your own thread, this one is 6 years old, and nobody will be looking at it.

iboats moderators...