96 merc. 5.7 oil in water. no spark

[capnb]

I have a 96 3175 rogue with twin 260hp 5.7's. I was running about 2500 rpms and my port engine just quit. I checked the oil and it was full of water. Turned the engine over and there was no spark. I changed the oil and turned it over again and still no spark. Not even at the coil. Since then I have rebuilt the engine. I had a cracked head and busted head gasket so the water problem is fixed. I still can't get any spark even to the coil. Is it possible one of the sensors may have shorted out due to the high leven of the oil when it had water in it? Is There some sort of fail safe that in not aware of? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[wrench 3]

Re: 96 merc. 5.7 oil in water. no spark

I'm assuming that you have a Mercruiser and just wound up in the outboard forum by mistake. I'm sure a moderator will be along soon to relocate you.
'96 5.7L should have a Delco HEI ignition. The only sensor is in the distributor and the ignition module is in there also. I don't know how far into the engine you went, but make sure the distributor is turning. If that's OK then you need to check the wiring and then the pick up. If you need information try Boatinfo - The library, containing manuals, brochures and other technical documents from the last hundred years!

 

[capnb]

Re: 96 merc. 5.7 oil in water. no spark

Oops. First time on here. For starters i put new heads on and all new gaskets. Yes the distributor is turning and I've rebuilt plenty of engines and I'm positive everything is mechanically correct. The issue started before I rebuilt the engine. I was hoping something got wet and would have time to dry out. And also it is not a Delco hei. The coil is not on the distributor but is mounted just in front of it on the manifold.

 

[capnb]

96 merc. 5.7 oil in water. no spark

I have a 96 3175 rogue with twin 350tbi mercs and bravo 3's. I was cruising at about 2500rpm and my port engine just quit. I checked the oil and it was full of water. I also noticed there was no spark. So before I tore into the engines I drained the watery oil and refilled the main with new oil and cranked it over until i had oil pressure and the engine had good oil in it. I still had no spark at the coil. I went ahead and tore into the engine and ended up having a bad head gasket and cracked head. Put new heads on and all new gaskets. Now I still have the original problem of no fire from the coil. Is there some kind of fail safe or anything that will shut down the ignition system? Had anyone ever experienced this before?

 

[Bondo]

Re: 96 merc. 5.7 oil in water. no spark

I have a 96 3175 rogue with twin 350tbi mercs and bravo 3's. I was cruising at about 2500rpm and my port engine just quit. I checked the oil and it was full of water. I also noticed there was no spark. So before I tore into the engines I drained the watery oil and refilled the main with new oil and cranked it over until i had oil pressure and the engine had good oil in it. I still had no spark at the coil. I went ahead and tore into the engine and ended up having a bad head gasket and cracked head. Put new heads on and all new gaskets. Now I still have the original problem of no fire from the coil. Is there some kind of fail safe or anything that will shut down the ignition system? Had anyone ever experienced this before?

Ayuh,.... Welcome Aboard,.... Got the serial numbers of the dead motor,..??

With it, We'll know what ya got for ignition, 'n which way to go 'bout fixin' it,...

 

[alldodge]

Re: 96 merc. 5.7 oil in water. no spark

I have a 96 3175 rogue with twin 350tbi mercs and bravo 3's. I was cruising at about 2500rpm and my port engine just quit. I checked the oil and it was full of water. I also noticed there was no spark. So before I tore into the engines I drained the watery oil and refilled the main with new oil and cranked it over until i had oil pressure and the engine had good oil in it. I still had no spark at the coil. I went ahead and tore into the engine and ended up having a bad head gasket and cracked head. Put new heads on and all new gaskets. Now I still have the original problem of no fire from the coil. Is there some kind of fail safe or anything that will shut down the ignition system? Had anyone ever experienced this before?

:welcome: to iboats

The serial number would help a lot to get to your exact setup. I'll try taking a guess at what your setup might be. Figure you have a VST fuel setup and TB-IV ignition. Here is the trouble shooting diagram

 

[wrench 3]

Re: 96 merc. 5.7 oil in water. no spark

The marine community adopted the designation for the smaller Delco distributor that GM used on the earlier fuel injected engines. It's the one with the module sticking out through a notch in the base of the cap. There is an outside chance that you have a Thunderbolt IV system but they were pretty rare in that year.

 

[capnb]

Re: 96 merc. 5.7 oil in water. no spark

Ayuh,.... Welcome Aboard,.... Got the serial numbers of the dead motor,..??

With it, We'll know what ya got for ignition, 'n which way to go 'bout fixin' it,...

The serial number is OF791087

 

[capnb]

Re: 96 merc. 5.7 oil in water. no spark

It is the Delco not the thunderbolt.

 

[alldodge]

Re: 96 merc. 5.7 oil in water. no spark

OK you have a TB-V and a VST. Here is the TB-V troubleshoot chart. You will have a Delco Distributer

 

[capnb]

Re: 96 merc. 5.7 oil in water. no spark

I got it guys! Thanks for the help. It ended up bring the ignition module. Completely unrelated to the cracked had. Thanks again!