Water coming from pcv hoses

[1990 Fourwinns 220H]

Hi guys its me again with yet another issue. Im afraid this one may be major. Again im new to boats so im not exactly sure on the cooling water flow of these marine setups. Here goes, i have a 1990 boat with i believe a 1989 5.7L (574aprmed). The motor starts fine cold and runs great for hours. When i shut it off and go to restart it starts hard. I found out my air cleaner had water in the metal pleats. Its coming from my pvc hoses. My biggest fear is a cracked block. Is there a known issue with these motors with this issue? Im hoping maybe its a head gasket. The oil level hasnt changed and the oil on the dipstick looks clear of water. When i look into the valve covers though i can see white build up. What do you guys think?
Thanks!

 

[Lou C]

Well you can get condensation in those hoses and maybe a bit under the valve covers if the engine is running cool , ie less than140 or so. The normal OMC thermostat was rated at 160* so it should run at at least that temp. At 160 you may see a few water droplets in the hoses but no white emulsion under the valve covers. I had 2 blown head gaskets 2 summers ago with water in a cyl and in the oil. Two re man cyl heads (originals were cracked from an overheat) all new gaskets and 4 oil changes later and no emulsion under the valve covers. What temp is it running at?

 

[tpenfield]

I am thinking your biggest fear. . .

Tell us about the winterization process. :noidea:

I think you may be experiencing a hydro-lock with the hard starting . . . it is never the head gasket that people are hoping for. White milky stuff in the top of the cylinder head and water coming up the breather tubes would likely indicate a cracked cylinder head. Are both sides of the engine doing the same thing?

 

[Scott Danforth]

dipstick will always show clear oil..... until the milkshake gets so bad it comes up the dipstick tube. however by then it will have blown out the breathers.

 

[1990 Fourwinns 220H]

The engine is running at 160°. I just bought the boat so im not sure how well he winterized it. Both sides have equal amount of water coming from the breather tubes. Do you guys think its just cracked heads or the block? If its just the heads it might not be so bad to fix..

 

[1990 Fourwinns 220H]

Wouldnt i be "gaining" a level on the dip stick if i had a cracked block/head? I would think the added water in the oil would show a rise on the dipstick. Or maybe its cooking off/sucking out the added water through the breather tubes? Ugh this boat is giving me a headache..

 

[1990 Fourwinns 220H]

I just pulled the motor for an engine coupler and got it all aligned again. I really dont want to go through all that again. It looks like i can pull the heads with the motor in the boat. Has anyone here done the heads in the boat? 1990 fourwins 220 horizon. Also, wheres a good place to get reman heads? Thanks again guys.

 

[1990 Fourwinns 220H]

When i roll over the motor by hand with a breaker bar i hear a faint hissing sound coming from the head area. Would this indicate a cracked head?

 

[Lou C]

Yes you can pull the heads with the engine in the boat; I did it that way last summer. I’d first learn how to do the test for combustion gas getting in the cooling water, I did this to verify the blown head gaskets. Then start looking for an automotive machine shop that you can bring the heads to to check for cracks; they can magnaflux them and do a valve job if needed. On mine I wound up replacing my 4.3 heads because they were both cracked and the cooling passages were eroded from salt water corrosion so it made more sense to get a reman set. I carefully checked the block deck for cracks and with consultation with the machine shop and a good mechanic I decided to do a top end overhaul and so far it’s worked out....

 

[1990 Fourwinns 220H]

Ok thanks for the info. Ill look up on how to check for combustion gasses in the cooling water.