Boght the boat, first day on the lake leaves me stranded

[wally jr]

Re: Boght the boat, first day on the lake leaves me stranded

lucky for you you were on a lake and not in an inlet..lol it could be a # of electrical problems. your best bet without looking at it is get yourself an owners manual!!! go to troubleshooting and almost garunteed to have yours there... good luck... ps, if i were you i would chk all my fuses since you just bought the boat and make sure they are the right sizes for the right spots.. the overheating problem as well will have a section in your manual..

 

[Blk-n-Blu]

Re: Boght the boat, first day on the lake leaves me stranded

Alek, Seems you have the attention of some experienced sailors here. For a little more about the problem you might have look here:<br /> http://www.marinemechanic.com/site/page88.html <br />BTW You might try NAPA auto for Marine Parts they have quite a catalogue of marine stuff.<br /> Good Luck

 

[texsun]

Re: Boght the boat, first day on the lake leaves me stranded

I had the starter on my '96 Larson tested and then rebuilt at a starter/alternator shop. Cost about $100.00 if memory serves.

 

[AlekM2]

Re: Boght the boat, first day on the lake leaves me stranded

Originally posted by datawire:<br /> If the starter is in the shape you describe - it could be rusted to it's stator AND still engaged in the flywheel. That would make it very hard to turn by hand too <br /><br />Have you heard what caused the boat to explode on Lake Ouachita the other day?

No I did not, but I assume because of using an auto parts? I have read on several discussions here, and have realized that the concern is real, so not autozone for me. I found the part in the Marine Mega Mall here, so if somebody localy doesn't have it for a similar price, I will order it from here. <br /><br /><br />I have no problem if it is the starter. $200 later I will have a running boat, and the starter is a normal wear and tear. However, I am afraid that the engine may be hydro-locked wich could have caused the starter bearings to be worn out.<br /><br />On top of that, this doesn't solve my overheating problem.

 

[JustMrWill]

Re: Boght the boat, first day on the lake leaves me stranded

Shoot in the dark....<br />Water getting into engine...<br />Water not very good at lubricating pistons and such.<br />Lack of lubrication = heat?<br /><br />Now, worst case senerio...un-lubed pistons and high heat = sieged engine.<br /><br />****BIG DISCLAIMER - I am new to boats so at best this is a guess.*****

 

[boaterntexas]

Re: Boght the boat, first day on the lake leaves me stranded

Sorry to hijack the thread. <br /><br />You ark boys that talk about lake ouachita.. What happened up there? I frequent that lake and have heard nothing of an exploding boat.. Fill a nieghbor in please. BTW DATAWIRE, where in LA are you.. I'm in Texarkana. <br /><br />you may now have you thread back.

 

[brownies]

Re: Boght the boat, first day on the lake leaves me stranded

Just my luck.<br /> Engine block froze and cracked during the winter. I never knew it and 1st time out on the lake, it ran fine for awhile. Then it began to knock. I had spun a rod way way away from anywhere due to water mixing with the oil from that crack. I tried to limp it home, but, when you spin a rod bearing, small metal particles from this circulate throught the oil and before long...I had spun several rods. Due to all this abnormal friction, engine behan to overheat. (weak water pump, stuck thermostat, water passage restrictions could had something to do with it also).<br /> This overheating caused the cylinder head to crack and probably blew the head gasket as well.<br /> This in turn let water into a cylinder and on top of a piston which proceeded to hydraulic this cylinder.<br /> One piston coming to an abrubt halt like that would have been considered devastating....but, I still had three more that were wanting to "GO GO GO".<br /> This BROKE the siezed connection rod which ripped a hole in the edge of my oil pan while a small piece went through the side of the engine block. <br /> Still going strong...errr...well, it was moving a bit faster than the cloud of smoke following me.<br /> I never knew when the lifters came apart, bending the pushrods and sending one through the valve cover. That was just a bonus at this point.<br /> What you should learn from this is: NO BOAT IS COMPLETE WITHOUT A PADDLE.

 

[brownies]

Re: Boght the boat, first day on the lake leaves me stranded

Sorry, what I meant was....ONE small little thing can cause EVERYTHING to come unwound. On a boat it's usually Freezing or Overheating that can be blamed for larger problems.

 

[AlekM2]

Re: Boght the boat, first day on the lake leaves me stranded

Originally posted by brownies:<br /> Sorry, what I meant was....ONE small little thing can cause EVERYTHING to come unwound. On a boat it's usually Freezing or Overheating that can be blamed for larger problems.

What is the max ok temperature that a boat can be run? 180? I know this is time related, but anything over 200 is deadly?

 

[DHPMARINE]

Re: Boght the boat, first day on the lake leaves me stranded

Alek 200 is too hot you should have been around 170 at the most.<br />have you pulled the plugs yet?<br />DHP

 

[AlekM2]

Re: Boght the boat, first day on the lake leaves me stranded

Yes, they were bit wet. But since the engine would not crank I assume is the reason why I didn't see any water coming out. The starter, actualy the bendex was messed up so that was the reason why the engine would not crank. I am afraid the engine is locked up so I am bringing it to the marina I bought it from.

 

[datawire]

Re: Boght the boat, first day on the lake leaves me stranded

Alek - I didn't mean to imply that accident was related to auto vs marine parts. However - there are enough differences between the two types of parts to make me shy away from a "cheap" alternative. It's hard to coast to the side and walk to the gas station when you're in the middle of the lake <br /><br />Boaterntexas - Hi neighbor, I'm in Pine Bluff I'm not sure what happened. We heard on the news Monday that a boat had exploded and there were 2 injuries. Been watching for additional updates but have not seen anything.

 

[AlekM2]

Re: Boght the boat, first day on the lake leaves me stranded

datawire<br /><br />I work in pine bluff and I bought the boat in question from Spencer's marina. ANy experience with him? I brought the boat to him and I am waithing to see what he will say today.<br /><br />I went to autozone because I assumed some of the parts are the same between a marine engine and a auto engine. I see how marine parts should be beter sealed and protected from moist, water, etc, however I don't see why would an alternator or a starter emit gas as some of the posters here have said in different topics.

 

[rybad]

Re: Boght the boat, first day on the lake leaves me stranded

Before you take it in, check your oil. See if the oil level is HIGH, and check for "milky" color in the oil, and under the valve covers. My bet is that you have either a blown head gasket, or worse - cracked head or block. From what I read, it definately sounds like hyrdolock. (I had the same thing happen this spring .. froze block, cracked, ran fine for about 30-45 minutes until the water start to take over the oil, then locked)<br /><br />Either way, it's not cheap to fix. I would make the marina pay for it.<br /><br />Good Luck

 

[mikegrant]

Re: Boght the boat, first day on the lake leaves me stranded

I don't know if this applies to the situation but a friend of mine was describing a situation which occurs somewhat frequently with Penta's especially older ones...At least that is his observation....he has been a marine service manager for 1/2 a dozen years. <br /><br />Evidently when circumstances are right....which could be caused by backing up quickly or by getting large waves from the rear (and the engine is running) Penta's have a problem of sucking up water into the exhaust port. This doesn't happen on all motors on all boats at all times. My friend says he sees between 2 and 4 a year and has seen the same pattern virtually every year. I'm not sure which specific model(s) this applies to. In any case you end up with water in the oil and in extreme cases hydrolock. In the less extreme cases you get the other "normal" problems with water in your oil...overheating/scored pistons and so on.<br /><br />This might explain the engine turn-over problem but not the starter issue....<br /><br />I am not certain if Volvo is aware of this oddity or not....<br /><br />As many of the posters have suggested....you may have a big expensive mess on your hands.

 

[AlekM2]

Re: Boght the boat, first day on the lake leaves me stranded

Well, the mariner says the engine is not hydro locked which is a relief. Waithing on the starter to be re-built so that he can crank it. <br /><br />It appears that the water may have caused the friction and the overheating, but the source is still unknown. May be a gasket, but will see and keep you updated.<br /><br />Mboats, that is intersting about the volvo boats, in my case, I did run it bit in reverse before I took of on that stretch when I realized that the engine was overheating. The outdrive was all busted on this boat from the previus owner, so this fella completly re-built the outdrive. A nice volvo cobra sx. His reputation is that he is one of the best boat mechanics around here.<br /><br />A side question, do all engines (or at least some around my year) have audio alarm when the engine gets clost to overheating?

 

[Dunaruna]

Re: Boght the boat, first day on the lake leaves me stranded

Originally posted by Alek_M:<br /> <br />A side question, do all engines (or at least some around my year) have audio alarm when the engine gets clost to overheating?

This link may answer that question.<br /><br /> VP bulletins <br /><br />Aldo

 

[brownies]

Re: Boght the boat, first day on the lake leaves me stranded

Alek, <br /> One of the differences between marine and car electrical components is that marine parts are sealed better. Not so much to keep moisture out, but, to seal connections inside.<br /> When a starter is engaged, there is an internal spark. Due to the lack of ventilation in a boat engine compartment, there is a much greater chance of fumes lingering around. Fumes that can easily be ignited by a small spark.<br /> It is recomended to turn on your compartment vent fan and run it for several minutes prior to starting the engine to help reduce this danger. Marine electrical components also help reduce this danger MORE SO than "car parts".<br /> IF your boat is insured and it catches on fire...insurance adjusters will look for a reason NOT to pay and this will be the first place they begin their search.

 

[AlekM2]

Re: Boght the boat, first day on the lake leaves me stranded

brownies, thanks for pointing that out. I may need to instal a fan on mine. The switch is there, but the fan is missing.

 

[datawire]

Re: Boght the boat, first day on the lake leaves me stranded

Alek - I haven't had any personal experience with Spencers, but my son-in-law just had his lower unit replaced by them. Seems it mysteriously got torn up on his last fishing trip and he has no recollection of hitting anything. Hmmmm. He was pretty impressed with the mechanic, and it only took them about 2 days to complete the repair & replacement.<br /><br />You REALLY need to install an exhaust blower if you have an enclosed engine compartment. It may be a bit of a nusiance to remember to use it at first, but it will become second nature to you after a while. Safety is nothing to skimp on.