'88 Mercruiser 3.0 Seized while underway

[ColaTM]

So yesterday I am cruising along for about 1/2 a mile at full throttle when the motor just seized up on me.

New oil, gear lube, fuel filter.

No water in oil.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Ps: GREAT Forum!

 

[danond]

Re: '88 Mercruiser 3.0 Seized while underway

Did you get water in the cylinders? Pull all the spark plugs and see if it'll turn over. Hopefully nothing is bent.

 

[ColaTM]

Re: '88 Mercruiser 3.0 Seized while underway

Thanks Danond. Still no joy.

Removed plugs. Looks very dry. Engine will not turn over. The starter gives it a nice big turn but the engine just shifts a bit and holds tight.

 

[Alumarine]

Re: '88 Mercruiser 3.0 Seized while underway

Hi there welcome.

You should remove the drive. It might be the problem.

You can download a manual if you got to the top of the page in the Adults section.

 

[fuzzybob]

Re: '88 Mercruiser 3.0 Seized while underway

Pull the out drive off and see if the engine will turn over.

 

[ColaTM]

Re: '88 Mercruiser 3.0 Seized while underway

Thanks for the suggestions. I have started the removal of the drive but there is a ujoint in there and not sure how to separate. I am not familiar with the "Adult" section to reference a manual.

Thanks again!

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: '88 Mercruiser 3.0 Seized while underway

SHIFT INTO FWD GEAR,remove the trim rams, remove 6 mounting nuts, pull straight back
.Nothing to disconnect

 

[ColaTM]

Re: '88 Mercruiser 3.0 Seized while underway

Sweet! After using a little force, the drive came out and behold the engine turns over. Before I started the removal process I confirmed that the prop turns freely in neutral.

So now we know it's in the drive. But where to go from here I haven't a clue.

Thanks!

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: '88 Mercruiser 3.0 Seized while underway

Check the oil level ,if any
Split the unit to see if it`s a upper or lower problem
Siezed is normally from no oil

 

[ColaTM]

Re: '88 Mercruiser 3.0 Seized while underway

Please forgive the ignorance but I am new to boat repair..."Oil" in the drive I assume you refer to the gear oil? I just changed it last week not that that means it was properly full. I filled it from the bottom as instructed but the time between removing the pump and replacing the lower screw resulted in what I thought was quite a bit of oil.

If that is the problem what am I looking at? An entirely new upper, lower or maybe even both???

Thanks again for all the help!

 

[bruceb58]

Re: '88 Mercruiser 3.0 Seized while underway

What was the condition of the oil you drained out?

Before you pull the hose off after you filled the drive, you are supposed to put the vent screw back in to keep the oil from running out when you remove the hose. Did you do that? Did you top off the drive at the vent hole after tou were odnr to replace the oil you lost?

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: '88 Mercruiser 3.0 Seized while underway

what were trying to figure if there was enough oil in the drive by how much was removed.was there oil in the boot when you removed the drive?

This was from low oil

 

[danond]

Re: '88 Mercruiser 3.0 Seized while underway

Unless you're mechanical and have lots of tools, none of this matters, really. Something, most likely low oil, happened. Your drive is toast and needs a rebuild. Time to call your insurance company, then a few marine mechanics, then cry in a beer over lessons learned

 

[ColaTM]

Re: '88 Mercruiser 3.0 Seized while underway

- The oil I replaced was really nasty black.
- When I replaced it, I did put the top screw back in before removing the fill tube but the fluid came out so freely it had no vacuum keeping it in. I did not top it off.
- When I removed the drive there was no oil in the boot
- The gears look perfectly normal (as opposed to the picture from Bt Doctur)

Thanks again. You guys rock!

 

[ColaTM]

Re: '88 Mercruiser 3.0 Seized while underway

Also, how do I ID the drive? It says Cobra on the outside and it has a model number 985268 but all I see for my boat are:
Alpha One
Alpha One SS
Bravo I
Bravo II
Bravo III
Bravo Ill
MR
R
TR
TRS

Lost.
Thanks.

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: '88 Mercruiser 3.0 Seized while underway

post a pic, now were really confused
photobucket.com, it`s free

 

[bruceb58]

Re: '88 Mercruiser 3.0 Seized while underway

Me too. Your title says you had a Mercruiser and now you say you have a Cobra? A Cobra is an OMC and filling the gear lube from the bottom of an OMC is a "no no".

Let me guess...your drive is a Cobra and the engine says its a Mercruiser!

 

[ColaTM]

Re: '88 Mercruiser 3.0 Seized while underway

Suddenly I find myself appreciating bruceb58's signature.

Yes, It says it's a Mercruiser engine and an OMC drive but apparently that's not the case???

 

[bruceb58]

Re: '88 Mercruiser 3.0 Seized while underway

Yep..OMC drive!

Looks like someone also took off the dreaded "don't remove screw" on the port side of the drive too!

In a previous post, you said gears looked good. Looks like you haven't taken the drive apart yet...not that you need to at this point.

 

[ColaTM]

Re: '88 Mercruiser 3.0 Seized while underway

...not that you need to at this point.

Is that beause its toast?