Hi Everyone!
I purchased a 1988 Sea Ray Bowrider from someone a couple of weeks ago. My first boat!
A week or so ago I ran into a problem where there was squealing when the engine was cold. Once I gave her some gas the squealing would eventually go away. If I activated the trim (up or down) the squealing would start up again while it was going up or down, and generally stopped a second or two after I let off the trim button. The belt that went from the engine to the alternator actually burnt right off and broke (belt dust everywhere). We put on a new belt and the squealing went away completely and I figured the problem was solved and it was....for a couple of days.
The squealing noise is now back. I checked the belts and they are solid and only have a little bit of play (about a half inch, maybe less). When I start the engine, you cannot hear the squealing. When the engine is engaged (I put it in reverse today for a second) the squealing noise comes back. It gets louder as I increase the throttle. Generally after I get out of the marina and I give it gas, the noise goes away completely within 5-10 seconds and doesn't come back until the next day (or occasionally when I hit the trim). If I stop the boat, anchor and swim for an hour or two, the sound is not there, or it comes for 1 or 2 seconds and goes away.
A little additional information, I don't know if this matters or not, but the sound usually happens in my marina and around my marina. I have realized today that since my marina is shallow, I always pull the trim all the way up when I am going into the marina (the noise does not happen though after I've been out for an hour or so). The trim is up when I exit the marina after a cold start (and you can faintly hear the noise). Then, when I get into open water I put the trim down, give a little gas, and after a few seconds the squealing goes away.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to what could be causing this? I'm not sure if it really is related to the trim being all the way up or not, but I figured I'd mention that just in case. Could it be the alternator going bad? Could it be the water pump? Do I have to grease anything anywhere? The oil level looked good. The person I bought it from had it de-winterized just a month or so ago, and all the fluids changed. Could it be the belts? (If I look at the belt, the top part of the belt, is definately wearing, you can see it turning grey where it is wearing out some). The noise does not appear to be coming from the front of the engine or near the belts though. Maybe it is deceiving me, but it almost sounds like it is coming a few inches behind the front center or left of the engine.
Any help in the right direction would be appreciated. I kind of spent all the money that I had allocated for summer enjoyment on the boat and am really hoping that this is something that isn't a big deal to fix up as I'm out of funds for fun
Thanks so much!
I purchased a 1988 Sea Ray Bowrider from someone a couple of weeks ago. My first boat!
A week or so ago I ran into a problem where there was squealing when the engine was cold. Once I gave her some gas the squealing would eventually go away. If I activated the trim (up or down) the squealing would start up again while it was going up or down, and generally stopped a second or two after I let off the trim button. The belt that went from the engine to the alternator actually burnt right off and broke (belt dust everywhere). We put on a new belt and the squealing went away completely and I figured the problem was solved and it was....for a couple of days.
The squealing noise is now back. I checked the belts and they are solid and only have a little bit of play (about a half inch, maybe less). When I start the engine, you cannot hear the squealing. When the engine is engaged (I put it in reverse today for a second) the squealing noise comes back. It gets louder as I increase the throttle. Generally after I get out of the marina and I give it gas, the noise goes away completely within 5-10 seconds and doesn't come back until the next day (or occasionally when I hit the trim). If I stop the boat, anchor and swim for an hour or two, the sound is not there, or it comes for 1 or 2 seconds and goes away.
A little additional information, I don't know if this matters or not, but the sound usually happens in my marina and around my marina. I have realized today that since my marina is shallow, I always pull the trim all the way up when I am going into the marina (the noise does not happen though after I've been out for an hour or so). The trim is up when I exit the marina after a cold start (and you can faintly hear the noise). Then, when I get into open water I put the trim down, give a little gas, and after a few seconds the squealing goes away.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to what could be causing this? I'm not sure if it really is related to the trim being all the way up or not, but I figured I'd mention that just in case. Could it be the alternator going bad? Could it be the water pump? Do I have to grease anything anywhere? The oil level looked good. The person I bought it from had it de-winterized just a month or so ago, and all the fluids changed. Could it be the belts? (If I look at the belt, the top part of the belt, is definately wearing, you can see it turning grey where it is wearing out some). The noise does not appear to be coming from the front of the engine or near the belts though. Maybe it is deceiving me, but it almost sounds like it is coming a few inches behind the front center or left of the engine.
Any help in the right direction would be appreciated. I kind of spent all the money that I had allocated for summer enjoyment on the boat and am really hoping that this is something that isn't a big deal to fix up as I'm out of funds for fun
Thanks so much!
