Re: Cracked Block and Improper Winterization?
I just called the mechanic about my questions below. He seemed very nice and receptive....so I tend to believe him. I hope I can.
Here's his answers:
1. Yes..Grind and JB weld.
2. "Had to loosen mounts and move up almost 1 inch to bring into alignment. Everything looked good. Just was out of alignment...most likely loose bolts/mounts that someone noticed later and simply tightened back up (leaving it misaligned)."
3. "The bellows looked great! So I didnt change them."
4. "We did not touch the petcocks because we do not drain the block. We pumped antifreeze through the engine for 30 minutes. That will get all the water out."
5. "The first thing we did was pump the oil out after we saw the cracks. We wanted to see how bad it was. The marine 25/40 oil is darker than what I am used to."
6. "Missed it." He then proceeded to give a quote on the parts so I could do it myself.
Here's my question....is running it through antifreeze for 30 minutes good enough? Is the water simply flowing right back into the antifreeze barrel and then being circulated back into the engine? The answer is Yes. Is that okay? AND....why does his Winterization Checklist say, "drain block and manifolds of water, fill cooling system with a system with antifreeze"
What do you think?
Sully
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From: sully
To: mechanic
Subject: RE: Winterization
Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2007 19:39:43 -0500
Ken,
Few questions...I would have liked to speak with you about these items in person, but you had left when I picked up the boat. See the pictures here for all these issues:
http://rides.webshots.com/album/561422189SJvbVJ?vhost=rides You can click on the little magnifying glass under each picture to see a large high-res picture.
1. What is your advice about the cracked block? Tim said you found no indication of water in the oil...and I dont see water leaking outside either. So...it would appear the crack is not all the way through. Should I just grind it down a bit and JB WELD it?
2. What did you find out about the severely misaligned engine? How did the stringers look? Were the engine mounts still in good shape?
3. Were the outdrive bellows still in that good of shape, to not replace them? I had hoped you would replace them, being that it had been so long since the outdrive had been serviced. Especially being that it would not really increase my labor cost (just parts).
4. The drain petcocks are very corroded and dont look like they were used to drain the block. How was the block/manifold drained? Or did you just use a flush kit?
5. The oil level is high and is also very dark for being new oil. Is it possible that you forgot to drain/replace it?
6. The port side exhaust bellow is in very bad shape. Did you not notice? I assume I can order it and replace it myself?
Thanks!
Sully
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From: mechanic
Date: Mon, 5 Nov 2007 14:47:34 -0500
Subject: Re: Winterization
To: sully
Sully
Our complete winterization chck list includes: add gas stabilizer to fuel tank, drain block and manifolds of water, fill cooling system with a system with antifreeze, change engine oil and filter,change fuel filter, run and fog engine, grease all external grease fittings, spray engine with rust inhibitor, lube shift, throttle and steering cables, check all accessible belts, hoses and bellows, drain and refill lower unit oil, remove and grease propeller shaft and bag outdrive.
let us know....thanks
