Like it sank... In my driveway!

[RaceCarRich]

Went to winterize my 2000 Bayliner 3.0L, took off the cover in my driveway and saw water. Pulled back the engine cover and the bilge is filled up to almost the oil pan rail. Starter is probably 85% submerged. Water on top of plastic fuel tank. Apparently some wood splinters and stuff clogged the garboard plug hole. My bilge is not a filthy mess but the boat is always shedding some. How splinters can form a water tight seal that holds back many gallons of rain water, especially in a tilted driveway with bow up, is amazing. Turned on bilge pump and poked the plug hole free with my finger.

Checked oil - clean. Hit the key and starts right up then dies. Figured some water leaked into tank. Pulled line from carb and cranked into bottle. Separated to about 1" clear floating on top of cloudy. Pulled the fuel fill hose which enters top of 23 gallon tank at an angle, inserted hand drum pump. Pumped about 4 gallons into a bucket, poured into barrel. Pumped another 3 gallons into bucket and noticed it was perfectly clear. Added stabilizer and topped off tank and started. Ran for solid 20 minutes varying throttle before fogging carb and draining. Hit starter connections w WD40 and said goodnight.

Starter sounded fine throughout but do you think it will be dead or die next season? Only 1 year old.

Not sure how much water dripped through sender gasket but I'm hopeful I got most of it by draining from back bottom corner. I'll add some heet next season. I also think the stabilizer has some dewatering attributes. I read the other thread going on about water in fuel. Should I be overly concerned at this point?

Any other things to be concerned about mechanically?

 

[Bt Doctur]

Not sure how much water dripped through sender gasket

None, the gasket is not supposed to leak ,starter will be toast come spring though

 

[Scott Danforth]

if your starter was submerged, you will need to pull it, pull it apart and oil everything on the inside. it may work now, however by spring it will be a rusted solid mess.

 

[RaceCarRich]

That's what I was afraid of. Thanks

 

[Scott Danforth]

easy peasy lemon squeezy job. 3 bolts and 3-4 connection to get the starter out. 5 screws to pull starter apart. Air to blow dry it out, WD 40 is your friend, use liberally, reassemble, test, reinstall

 

[RaceCarRich]

R&R is cake assuming bolts don't break.

Other than changing solenoids, I've never disassembled a starter. I've never had luck with electric motors like fuel pumps etc but I'll give it a shot. Any tips? Without looking at it, I'm guessing there are some long bolts the length of the body perhaps inverse torxs?

 

[Rick Stephens]

It's easy. just watch how it comes apart. While WD40 ain't much of a lubricant, it's great on water displacement. I'd take the solenoid off first, then the long screws. Split the case. Take your time. Easy peasy. Some of them have pin holes in the end cap to stick a paper clip in and hold the brushes back while you reassemble.

 

[GA_Boater]

How did the boat fill up so much with a cover? Are you sure it's rainwater?

 

[RaceCarRich]

Cover is not truly waterproof and has some small holes. It has to be rain. It was dry when I parked a number of weeks ago and I haven't started it since. With the bow high, all the water runs to the back. I too was shocked at what I saw but no other explanation.

After I WD40 the insides, should I use a heavier grease on the gears? I saw some people doing that on YouTube.

 

[Rick Stephens]

The gear reduction planetatarys will have a layer of grease that will most likely be unaffected by the water. If it needs replacing then a fairly low viscosity grease is used. Doesn't need to be loaded up in there or it gets into everything.

 

[Bondo]

I'll add some heet next season. I also think the stabilizer has some dewatering attributes. I read the other thread going on about water in fuel. Should I be overly concerned at this point?

Ayuh,..... As ya know, water is heavier than gas,.....
Donno where it's comin' from, but probably not the sender gasket,...
It would be more apt to leak gas out,....

This is the perfect excuse to mount a fuel/ water sep'erin' filter in yer fuel line, just before the fuel pump,....

Carry a spare, 'n when it dogs out or stutters, change it out to a new one,....
I carry qt. freezer baggies with the new filters,...
Crack loose the ole one, slip the baggie 'round it, spin it off, drop it in, 'n seal it up,....
Slap the new one on, oilin' the gasket off the dipstick, 'n yer ready to Go again,....

 

[wrvond]

I'd check the O-ring on the filler cap. It might be missing.

 

[jimmbo]

Main concern are the bushings, the solenoid/bending assembly, and the brushes,The bushings on the ends of the shafts will need a bit of grease, be careful no to put to much on and none on the ends as this can prevent the shaft from being fully inserted. Bendix needs drying out and lubing. Brushes and armature drying and cleaning. You could send it out to a rebuilder if not comfortable doing it yourself. Being out on the water with a dead starter is no fun. Unlike a lot of outboards I/Os, with very few exceptions have no provisions for rope starting. The exception was in the 1960s, OMC took their 90hp outboard powerhead, placed face down and called it an 88hp I/O.

 

[RaceCarRich]

All done. Nothing was really wet inside despite being submerged for probably days. The only subassembly I didn't take apart was the solenoid itself although if it's not watertight it would have gotten some WD inside as I sprayed the metal to plastic seam and where the plunger goes in/out. Since this is a marine starter designed to not allow fuel vapors to meet the internal sparks, wouldn't it also be waterproof to a certain depth?

In hindsight, not sure it was worth the hassle with starters selling for as low as $60. Removing the solenoid was a PIA as it was held with three E5 external torx bolts. I have a 1/4" E5 socket which worked for one bolt but the body of the socket was too wide to reach in to the other two. Had to use a better quality (thinner) 7/32" deep at a little angle on the other two. Also no provision for a paperclip to hold back the brushes so I had to use a thin wire tie to hold the brushes in, get them started over the commutator then use a small exacto to cut the wire ties.

When I was taking out the planetary gears, I heard a tiny part fall and bounce into the dust bunnies under my rarely used welder. I couldn't find anything other than what looked like a knock out from an electrical box but no bigger than a dime and a drilled out copper rivet. I put it back together without whatever might have fallen and it bench tested fine multiple times. I reinstalled and said hasta la vista until 2017. I'm hoping it will be okay. Thanks for advice.