Water damage to 1993 4.3L Mercruiser engine after partial submersion

[midcarolina]

Re: Water damage to 1993 4.3L Mercruiser engine after partial submersion

This may be way off but.... could there possibly have been shims between the starter and block on the original setup?

Kinda sounds to me you have one of two things going on... starter gear is misaligned not meshing properly with the flywheel teeth...

is your alternator mounted low? it could be frozen...you could remove the belt to verify this..

 

[TheRussian]

Re: Water damage to 1993 4.3L Mercruiser engine after partial submersion

Slothman, thanks for checking into the correct part and confirming that I have the right one!

Achris, it appears that the flywheel teeth are intact. I have checked that some time ago...

Midcarolina, unfortunately there were no shims, that would have been a great solution. It does sound like something is misalligned but I don't know how that would have happened and how to fix it. I have not checked the alternator, would not be surprised if it is pooched... but that still does not resolve the starter-flywheel problem.

I don't think that everyone realizes how much water was in the engine compartment. As I stated, it was not completely submersed, but at LEAST 2/3 of it was under water.

 

[dennislandis1]

Re: Water damage to 1993 4.3L Mercruiser engine after partial submersion

By any chance is it a 4.3l v6 cobra? If so I bought a boat for the seats and trailer(bad motor) and im pretty sure it has the starter (will have to check tomorrow but if you want me to check it out or send pictures or anything to see if yours is fixable or anything I would be glad to. you can private message me if you want

 

[dennislandis1]

Re: Water damage to 1993 4.3L Mercruiser engine after partial submersion

also have an alternator in the garage if you want me to check it out for you

 

[dennislandis1]

Re: Water damage to 1993 4.3L Mercruiser engine after partial submersion

also have an alternator in the garage if you want me to check it out for you.

 

[TheRussian]

Re: Water damage to 1993 4.3L Mercruiser engine after partial submersion

So does anyone have any ideas on what could be wrong if the starter is the correct part and is brand new, tested and installed AND the flywheel appears intact? Still spinning without engaging.

 

[britisher]

Re: Water damage to 1993 4.3L Mercruiser engine after partial submersion

I am not a mechanic like some on this thread, so my opinion may not count for much. That said, the continuing gist of the thread is that the 1) new starter just whizzes round but doesn't engage anything. 2) The engine turns manually when hand cranked, so isn't seized. 3) the flywheel ring gear is intact. So on that basis, the motor should crank. BUT several have said that they reckon the starter is the wrong type and is shorter at 8" then the one they reckon should be on at 12". That point seems to being ignored by the poster. Why can't the poster 1) borrow a 12" from this starter motor supplier and get that question out of the way once and for all, OR 2) Measure the internal distance between the engine block where the starter mounts to where the flywheel teeth are? We are talking a difference of 4" here people, not 1/2", so it would not be rocket science to determine if too small a starter motor has been installed. Just 5 cents from a non-mechanic.

 

[TheRussian]

Re: Water damage to 1993 4.3L Mercruiser engine after partial submersion

Britisher, I will pull the starter again and measure the distance. I have looked at the 12" starter and it is WAY (and I mean it is probably double the size)bigger than my original. Also, as someone has mentioned I have initially provided an incorrect engine # which was for a V8. If I use the correct # to verity the starter it only comes out with one possible model, and it is not the 12" (my engine is a '93 4.3LX V6). But like I said, I will pull it again and measure, seems like there is nothing to lose by doing it. And again, after the submersion the old starter WAS spinning, but NOT engaging. This is exactly what is happening with the new starter (but the new starter sounds much better than the old which was taken apart and was found to be water damaged).

 

[slothman]

Re: Water damage to 1993 4.3L Mercruiser engine after partial submersion

Britisher, I will pull the starter again and measure the distance. I have looked at the 12" starter and it is WAY (and I mean it is probably double the size)bigger than my original. Also, as someone has mentioned I have initially provided an incorrect engine # which was for a V8. If I use the correct # to verity the starter it only comes out with one possible model, and it is not the 12" (my engine is a '93 4.3LX V6). But like I said, I will pull it again and measure, seems like there is nothing to lose by doing it. And again, after the submersion the old starter WAS spinning, but NOT engaging. This is exactly what is happening with the new starter (but the new starter sounds much better than the old which was taken apart and was found to be water damaged).

Russian, you say you checked the flywheel "some time ago"....you need to look at the flywheel right NOW to make sure the teeth are intact. That would explain this whole thing. We know you have the correct starter, so either the new starter is faulty, or the flywheel is messed up.

 

[TheRussian]

Re: Water damage to 1993 4.3L Mercruiser engine after partial submersion

So... I am not exactly sure how this happened but the flywheel is engaging now and the crankshaft is turning over! I did pull the starter, double checked all connections and cleaned them, also cleaned the ground connection on the back of the block. I did not notice any water coming out of the cylinders when cranking, but I am not sure how long to do it for. The sound that the engine is making is still a very smooth sound, not like the sound when the engine is just kicking in... I presume that is because I don't have the plugs in?

No that this problem is over (thanks everyone) I am planning on fogging the spark plug openings in case there was water it there, buy new plugs and attempt to start. I also noticed that one connection on the alternator that is covered by a rubber sleeve had water in it, so it is being dried. If the engine does not start I was going to pull it to have it tested too. Tomorrow I am also planning on pulling the outdrive. Can anyone recommend a type of lubricant for the u-joint and the shaft? Anything else I need to do?