help me inspect a Merc 165 from 350 miles away

[paparoof]

Hey y'all -

I've got my brother in law going to look at a 22-foot Starcraft Islander for me - it's 350 miles away from me and he's ten minutes away from it. It's at a price point ($700) where the motor makes the difference in whether it's a good deal or not. If the motor is shot, I don't think I want it. If the motor's good, this is a really good deal. It's been parked for five years, the seller swears it was "winterized" before it was parked and that it has anti-freeze in it.

He described the motor as a 165 mercruiser, 250 GM - thoughts and opinions about this particular motor? I'm a I/O virgin, so can you explain which part is which? Is the block a 250 cubic inch General Motors and the heads are Mercruiser? Pardon my lack knowledge, but I learn fast. I promise.

Due to the asking price and the fact that it's been sitting for five years without getting wet or running, I expect gaskets and seals to be bad. I don't think I'm gonna be able to reasonably expect them to run the motor, check compression, get a marine mechanic to look at it for me. I understand that either way, if I buy this, I'm taking a risk that the motor could be shot.

So here's the question I have:

How can you tell if a motor that's not been started in five years has a cracked block? Does the "check to see if the oil is milky" thing still apply when it's been sitting for so long?

What else can I have my brother in law do to check out the motor?

What other advice do you have for me?

 

[Fishermark]

Re: help me inspect a Merc 165 from 350 miles away

Best engine ever in a boat - or at least one of the best. VERY simple and dependable.

The oil will not necessarily be milky if the block is cracked. It has to run to mix the oil and water and have it become milky.

You might remove the oil drain plug and see if any water comes out. (Any water would be at the bottom of the pan if it hasn't mixed up yet).

 

[Bondo]

Re: help me inspect a Merc 165 from 350 miles away

Ayuh,... And check for a Rotten Transom in that boat,.....
It'll ruin a great deal on that Great motor/ drive....

 

[Fordiesel69]

Re: help me inspect a Merc 165 from 350 miles away

People love to drain the blocks and think the water will drain out the manifolds. WRONG!!!!

Check the outside of the manifold on the bottom for cracks. $300-$700 for JUST a replacement manifold depending on where you buy. Also after running the engine on muffs for 15-30 minutes, drain and remove the exhaust riser elbow. Look for water in the exhaust runner. They can crack internally as well.

 

[paparoof]

Re: help me inspect a Merc 165 from 350 miles away

I'll be replacing the floor and transom wood regardless. It's the only way I'll KNOW it's good.

Would it be accurate to say that a cracked block is really the only deal breaker with this motor? Can pretty much anything else be fixed?

 

[Bondo]

Re: help me inspect a Merc 165 from 350 miles away

Would it be accurate to say that a cracked block is really the only deal breaker with this motor? Can pretty much anything else be fixed?

Ayuh,... A Junk motor is a Junk motor, regardless how it Gets that way.....

 

[stonyloam]

Re: help me inspect a Merc 165 from 350 miles away

There is nothing more expensive than a "cheap" boat. Hire a competent marine surveyor to look at the boat and give you a report. Might cost a couple of hundred bucks, but save you THOUSANDS in the long run.

 

[system-f]

Re: help me inspect a Merc 165 from 350 miles away

Look at my restore and you can see the problems I had. The motor ran but only on 3cylinders when I bought it.

a compression check will tell you a lot

 

[Utahboatnut]

Re: help me inspect a Merc 165 from 350 miles away

How good of a mechanic is your bro? If fairly compitent have him take a battery, oil, antifreeze(if he needs to leave it filled again) tools etc. look at the current oil, pull plugs squirt some lube down the jugs, turn engine over a bunch of times by hand, reinstall plugs, spray carb linkage etc with some carb cleaner, connect fuel line to fresh can of gas, hook up battery and water to outdrive give er a crank and see what happens. Those old 250 sixes are tough engines and are very reliable. I would think with an hour or two of messing around you could get it started at least. If I were real serious about the boat thats what I would do, given the rest of the boat is solid and what you want. Yes five years is a long time but in the grand scheme its really not all that long. I have bought snowmobiles that have sat for up to ten years and had them running well in a few hours, different yes but not altogather different. If it were layed up well you may be surprised at how little it might take. Your really only out some time and a small amount of $$, but could score yourself a great deal given a bit of work on you or your BIL behalf.

 

[paparoof]

Re: help me inspect a Merc 165 from 350 miles away

Thanks Utah! What you described is now my plan.

I'm piling all my tools into the car and driving down tomorrow to check it out. The seller is sending close up pictures of the motor and outdrive this afternoon, has agreed to hold the boat for me and even to help me try to get it started.

 

[dirtyoldman]

Re: help me inspect a Merc 165 from 350 miles away

Thanks Utah! What you described is now my plan.

I'm piling all my tools into the car and driving down tomorrow to check it out. The seller is sending close up pictures of the motor and outdrive this afternoon, has agreed to hold the boat for me and even to help me try to get it started.

I wouldn't get too wound up on it. You've got lots of boats up in your area, and that's no bargain unless it's in great shape. I have a somewhat similar boat for sale for the same price, and haven't had a lot of lookers. Anyway, if you end up needing parts, PM me. I have a spare block, manifold, and lots of spare parts for that engine.

The guy that said there is nothing more expensive than a cheap boat is right!

 

[Utahboatnut]

Re: help me inspect a Merc 165 from 350 miles away

I agree also about the no cheap boats thing however, if this is exactly what he wants, has not been totally abused, or left out uncovered for years. Isn't full of rot it may run fine and turn out to be a pretty good deal, or may not. Kind of sounds like the OP is looking for an islander or similar and is willing (based on what s avaliable in his area) to take a day and check it out.
I would add if you do go to all of the trouble of getting it started I would use that as a bargaining tool to maybe get the seller to come off his price a bit, otherwise you have just helped him sell his boat to someone else for free. After you get it started if you do, might be wise to have a compression tester and do a compression test on it once it has cooled back down and had a chance to burn off all the oil you squirted down the jugs for initial startup.