Uh Oh

[Andyman]

A friend called me to help him winterize his Mercruiser yesterday. After a short discussion about being a dollar short and a day late, I gave him a list of anti-freeze, stabil, lower unit oil, etc. and met him in the afternoon. He had already hooked up a flusher and run it. He pointed out to me that there was a "leak". I had him run the water again and there certainly was a leak at the gasket on the port side. He knows to get the boat to a mechanic as soon as possible but I'm wondering if there is anything that he can do at this point that would help until he gets it in? The boat is fairly new to him but it is a 1986, I think a 3.0 L alpha 1. Neither of us is knowedgeable enough mechanically to take any major action but I thought someone might have some idea I could pass on to him to hopefully keep any more damage from occurring. If the gasket was damaged by freezing weather, that would have been about 1 week ago. We are getting more deep freeze starting today. Thanks. Andy.

 

[Walt T]

Re: Uh Oh

gasket of what? drive? engine? where do you see the leak?

 

[Andyman]

Re: Uh Oh

Sorry, It is the gasket on the engine itself about 2/3 of the way down from the top. He had no manual and neither of us is well versed so I'm not sure what the gasket is separating. There appeared to be a drain plug at about the same level. Thanks

 

[Bondo]

Re: Uh Oh

My 1st Guess is that, If this Hasn't been Winterized by Now,<br />That Engine Block is Already Junk....

 

[Walt T]

Re: Uh Oh

If it is the oil pan gasket pouring water then your engine is junk. If it is a crack, which I think it is, then it is junk. You might take a picture and post it here or e mail it to me if you like.

 

[RatFish]

Re: Uh Oh

Andyman,<br /><br />DieselWalt and bondo are probably right. Your area has already been through a deep freeze in the single digits. I suspect your friend just learned an expensive lesson.

 

[Andyman]

Re: Uh Oh

As you can tell by my topic title, I suspected that the answers would not be good. My buddy and his family are headed out on a 5 day vacation in the next couple of days so I think that I'll hold off on giving him the bad news until he returns. No sense in putting a damper on his time in the warm weather (Key West) if there is nothing he can do at this point. Thanks for your insight. Andy

 

[merc 140 pontoon]

Re: Uh Oh

I'm not sure what gasket is 2/3 of the way down. Are you sure your friend didn't pull the drain plugs on the manifold, and open the petcock on the side of the engine block? Those would leak antifreeze when you run it through. Some people just open these drains for winter (not me, I winterize). If your friend at least drained the block and manifold, he might have a prayer. I don't know where in the country you are, but I've always been told that it can take a pretty cold, long freeze to crack a block. Now I'm sure someone is going to say "blah blah blah it froze in 20 seconds blah blah blah", but my point is, I think you should DO SOMETHING rather than letting it sit in the cold for another 5 days. If I were in his position, I'd pay a few bucks to park the whole thing in a heated garage while I was gone, then after the vacation I'd work on it in there.<br /><br />Steve

 

[maxum454]

Re: Uh Oh

I would at least put a marine/ceramic heater in the bildge until you find out what the problem could be.<br />I live in upper bay and it is going to be cold on thurs.

 

[Walt T]

Re: Uh Oh

He's in Chesapeake bay, MD. Too late.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Uh Oh

This is only from My Personal Experince......<br />An over night temp of 30*, you Might get away with.....<br />6 hours or more at 28*, or Less + you'll have a Broken Block.....<br />This is with a trailered boat, pick-up truck, car, bulldozer, etc....<br />A Moored boat Might get by for an other couple of hours, due to the Extra Heat from the water....

 

[Andyman]

Re: Uh Oh

I always have problems remembering that folks from everywhere are on the board. We have already had about a 3 day span of temps that only reached 20 degrees for a high and lows in the single digits so there is no question that the conditions were there for disaster. When I got to his house to help him, he told me that the boat is kept on a lot 20 miles or so from his home so it was definitely not protected. When he told me about the leak, I had him run the water again so I could see what he meant and the leak was right along the gasket. I removed the drain plug at that location and there was nothing to drain. Since we had it and I wasn't sure about how hopeless the situation might be, we put antifreeze in followed up with the lower unit etc. So the bottom line is that I did what I could as far as protection from this point on but I think that it was just for looks at this juncture. I really appreciate everyones interest. I'm going to print this discussion out when it is obviously complete and give it to my buddy so that he can read for himself the responses that I have gotten. That is, AFTER, he returns from his vacation. Thanks Andy

 

[cobra 3.0]

Re: Uh Oh

He may have been lucky and just blown the gaskets. Pouring in antifreeze now will on pour out by the crack(s). It's the coldest it is going to get right now and too late to do anything. Hope for the best in spring!

 

[Walt T]

Re: Uh Oh

Only way to tell, check the oil, if water is in it, too bad. Start it up, see what happens.

 

[wheels4]

Re: Uh Oh

Im thinking freeze out plugs Im not familiar with the 3.0 but do they have freeze out plugs?If so Ill bet this is your problem.It takes a lot to crack a block it usually finds another way out.

 

[WillyBWright]

Re: Uh Oh

That's true with automotive freeze plugs. Marine plugs are thick bronze and it seems blocks crack before the plugs pop in most cases. They use bronze for corrosion considerations and they make them thick so they don't pop out while underway and sink the boat. You usually get more water pressure in a marine application than you'd have with an automotive one.

 

[Walt T]

Re: Uh Oh

I didnt want to say anything but Willys right. I have yet to find a marine block that didnt crack when it froze, freeze plugs popping out or no.

 

[sloopy]

Re: Uh Oh

Could it be the manifolds? The neglected engines on Cheat lake always have cracked manifolds, I have never seen a cracked block.

 

[affa]

Re: Uh Oh

Hi<br />Can you be more spesific about where the gasket are placed, is it on the engineblock or the manifold?<br />Regards<br />Affa

 

[BRIAN03]

Re: Uh Oh

Freeze plugs What if you live were it never freezes. What do you call them then. They are CORE PLUGS they put in the block because the block is made from a sand casting process. The core plugs are in the block from the manufacturing process not for freezing of the block.