Greetings everyone?.. I am new to boating so please bear with my lack of knowledge (and perhaps stupid mistakes)? This is a very long post, but I want to provide as much info as possible.
Here is the story. I recently purchased an 87 19? Sportcraft Bowrider with a Merc 170 i/o. I was unable to do a sea trial, but the price was very good so I decided to take a chance. I new it needed a new battery and starter so I had them replaced. When I was at the mechanics shop, and after he replaced the starter, the boat started right up and sounded great. We drained the water in the FWC system and then topped off with 50/50 coolant. He then warned me that the alternator may need to be rebuilt/replaced because the gauge didn?t look right to him. BTW, the engine has the aftermarket charging circuit and an upgraded electronic ignition system.
So, the next day my family and I took the boat out. For the first 60 minutes, it ran great. Started right up, no problems. Then the engine backfired twice (about 10 minutes apart) and then finally sputtered and died. The oil was about 30psi and the Temp about 200. Yeah, I know, this should have been a huge signal to me. There was also some strange noises coming from the engine, sort of a rattling or knocking noise. After a few minutes, we were able to start the motor with our spare battery and continue cruising back to the dock. The boat did ok on the way back, except for the noise.
I got home and started looking at things, and remember, I am by no means a mechanic. People should be very afraid when I get around an engine. Anyhow, I noticed that there was minimal oil in the engine, and no visible coolant in the reservoir on the manifold. This of course explains the 200 degrees temp reading and the low oil pressure. My biggest problem is that I didn?t know what the norm for these gauges were, so I didn?t know they were the signs of problems. The other thing to note is that there was smoke coming out of the head vent (which goes to the flame arrester on the carb via a hose). I don?t know if this is normal or not.
I filled up the engine with oil (20W50) and topped off the coolant, and started the engine (with muffs of course) and let it run for about 10-15 minutes. The oil was reading about 70 psi and the temp was around 180. The noise is still there. I also noticed water/coolant leaking (not a lot, just a fast drip) from the engine right around the alternator, which I believe is a sign of a bad set of cam seals. Is this why the coolant reservoir was empty, and why the engine overheated?
Did I do serious damage to the engine by running it with such low oil? The engine does start up normally and except for the odd noise, it seems to run great. Someone did say that alternators make a strange metallic clanging noise when they start to go out, is this true.
I am not seeing any water in the oil, but I haven?t really ran the engine except for the 10-15 minutes.
I am not sure what the next steps are. Is it possible that I cracked a head or blew a gasket? How do I know? What are the other symptoms to look for? Is it worth putting back in the water to check it out again, or will this cause even more damage.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Now that my family has been out on the water, they are anxious to get back out there, and the last thing I want to do is strand them on the water.
Thanks in advance!!!!!!
Here is the story. I recently purchased an 87 19? Sportcraft Bowrider with a Merc 170 i/o. I was unable to do a sea trial, but the price was very good so I decided to take a chance. I new it needed a new battery and starter so I had them replaced. When I was at the mechanics shop, and after he replaced the starter, the boat started right up and sounded great. We drained the water in the FWC system and then topped off with 50/50 coolant. He then warned me that the alternator may need to be rebuilt/replaced because the gauge didn?t look right to him. BTW, the engine has the aftermarket charging circuit and an upgraded electronic ignition system.
So, the next day my family and I took the boat out. For the first 60 minutes, it ran great. Started right up, no problems. Then the engine backfired twice (about 10 minutes apart) and then finally sputtered and died. The oil was about 30psi and the Temp about 200. Yeah, I know, this should have been a huge signal to me. There was also some strange noises coming from the engine, sort of a rattling or knocking noise. After a few minutes, we were able to start the motor with our spare battery and continue cruising back to the dock. The boat did ok on the way back, except for the noise.
I got home and started looking at things, and remember, I am by no means a mechanic. People should be very afraid when I get around an engine. Anyhow, I noticed that there was minimal oil in the engine, and no visible coolant in the reservoir on the manifold. This of course explains the 200 degrees temp reading and the low oil pressure. My biggest problem is that I didn?t know what the norm for these gauges were, so I didn?t know they were the signs of problems. The other thing to note is that there was smoke coming out of the head vent (which goes to the flame arrester on the carb via a hose). I don?t know if this is normal or not.
I filled up the engine with oil (20W50) and topped off the coolant, and started the engine (with muffs of course) and let it run for about 10-15 minutes. The oil was reading about 70 psi and the temp was around 180. The noise is still there. I also noticed water/coolant leaking (not a lot, just a fast drip) from the engine right around the alternator, which I believe is a sign of a bad set of cam seals. Is this why the coolant reservoir was empty, and why the engine overheated?
Did I do serious damage to the engine by running it with such low oil? The engine does start up normally and except for the odd noise, it seems to run great. Someone did say that alternators make a strange metallic clanging noise when they start to go out, is this true.
I am not seeing any water in the oil, but I haven?t really ran the engine except for the 10-15 minutes.
I am not sure what the next steps are. Is it possible that I cracked a head or blew a gasket? How do I know? What are the other symptoms to look for? Is it worth putting back in the water to check it out again, or will this cause even more damage.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Now that my family has been out on the water, they are anxious to get back out there, and the last thing I want to do is strand them on the water.
Thanks in advance!!!!!!