1987 Mercruiser won't turn over

[larrybest]

1987 Sea Ray, 175hp Alpha I

At the end of season last year the boat ran fine, was winterized and stored inside. In the spring I put the fully charged battery back in, prep'd the boat for water and tried to launch.

The engine will attempt to turn over but the crank must not be moving but a small fraction of a turn - barely enough to make a sound. Tried to manually turn it over using a wrench but no go. I do not think the engine is frozen because it does roll a bit then returns to its original crank position when the key is released.

Would a frozen outdrive gimble be a possible culprit? Any other ideas why it will not crank?

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: 1987 Mercruiser won't turn over

1st: pull the drive
2nd: Remove the spark plugs and try turning it over
3rd: Let us know what you found.

 

[larrybest]

Re: 1987 Mercruiser won't turn over

I did pull the plugs and tried to turn it with a wrench on the crankshaft. I've never pulled the drive off myself. Will I be in over my head or is it pretty straight forward?

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: 1987 Mercruiser won't turn over

If the starter wont turn the engine ,only 2 things are stopping it.
The motor has been stored with water in a cylinder or two ,or the outdrive is seized solid. Just shift into fwd rear ,remove the tilt rams, 6 nuts and pull straight back.

 

[ErieRon]

Re: 1987 Mercruiser won't turn over

Very straight forward...and easy. Download Manual #6 from the Adults Only section. Hardest part is supporting it when you remove it. There's also a thread in the Adults Only with drive stands that can be made fairly easily.