OMC 140 I/O Seized mid run.

[Burner21X]

Hi all,

New to the forum, but hoping you can help me out with this troubling problem with an older ('82) OMC 140hp engine on a boat I only recently acquired and still know little about.

Put the boat in the water yesterday morning and wanted to take it for a quick run before docking. Was pulling a turn at full throttle about 5mins in when the engine (or outdrive?) started making noise and then quickly quit. On attempt to restart, the engine appeared to be seized. The steering also appears to be locked up, as I can no longer turn the outdrive with the steering wheel.

If any of you have an idea where I can start to look for problems, please advise. If you need any more specific information, please ask. My wife is pushing for me to sell the boat as I just finished doing another costly repair, but because of the amount of time/money on refinishing and repairs I have put in to this point, I am not willing to part with it yet. Any/all help would be appreciated.

Cheers.

 

[jmarine225]

Re: OMC 140 I/O Seized mid run.

hi, I'm new to here and boats also. Had the same thing happen to me a few weeks ago. Running fine on the water, no problems on the gauges then all of a sudden the engine died out with no restart, not even turning over. I also found the steering wheel locked up and trying to turn during restart. Unfortunately I found out my upper drive had seized up as when it was winterized the mechanic forgot to replace the upper gear lube. $2700 later after replacing the drive I'm back on the water with another problem. From my experience I believe there is a problem with your drive, seized up.

 

[Burner21X]

Re: OMC 140 I/O Seized mid run.

Ouch. I was hoping to get away with something a little less expensive than that. Any home remedies that anyone knows of to free the upper drive? I'm positive that I properly filled with gear lube, but maybe I'm missing something.

 

[CheapboatKev]

Re: OMC 140 I/O Seized mid run.

First off, WELCOME ABOARD..

Second off..Why did you go and buy an OMC I/O???

Your post really made me cringe as I imagined myself in your shoes.
OMC has been out of business for many years, parts are becoming difficult as well as shops that will touch them....

You want some GOOD NEWS??

There are many OMC owners here (no, I am not one of them) that can give you sound mechanical advice on your issue.

I happen to be on your wife's side though..lol

Best of luck, to both of you

 

[Burner21X]

Re: OMC 140 I/O Seized mid run.

Thank CheapBoatKev,

The good news in all of this is I didn't BUY this boat, but inherited it from my wife's father. I have however put in a ton of time and increasingly, money in getting it back into good running shape (and finding along the way the difficulty in getting any repairs/or parts). So far, even though I know little about boats, I have managed to improvise and get the few major issues fixed. This one seems a bit beyond me however, I don't really know where to start, short of finding one of the few shops in town that might be willing to work on it. I'm more of a DIY guy though, so I'm hoping someone else here will have had a similar experience.

Cheers.

 

[CheapboatKev]

Re: OMC 140 I/O Seized mid run.

Come on OMC iboater's...I know some of you old salts can help this guy.

Me..ehh I'm an idiot when it comes to OMC's. (other than run from em!)

 

[danond]

Re: OMC 140 I/O Seized mid run.

Pull the drive, then see if the engine will turn.

My guess is if your oil pressure was good that your engine may be OK, but the drive is seized due to low/no lube.

Lesson learned for you: Until you've done a FULL service work-up on your old engine and drive, expect them to BLOW UP when you race around at full throttle. Instead of costing $20 in lube you're likely now going to need to spend thousands to get it moving again.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: OMC 140 I/O Seized mid run.

Its a 82 model so its a Stringer drive...My bet is the drive is locked up..

 

[Burner21X]

Re: OMC 140 I/O Seized mid run.

I did a full work-up at the beginning of the season, leg WAS topped up with gear lube. I've maybe had it out on the water 4 times this season, nothing too strenuous, as I just put in a new alternator and fuse set. Just did a couple of 10 minute runabouts and one short fishing jaunt. She seized after only maybe 10 seconds at full throttle. My father-in-law (who owned the boat before and spent many hours fixing it in the past) suspects that the heavily worn ball gear might be to blame. He's going to come take a look at it this week with me. I've been too busy to start pulling it apart yet to diagnose the problem. I'll post any updates.