1989 88SPL blowing black goo all over

[big boat little motor]

Hey all,
I got the boat out and went to de winterize it tonight and when it started up like it was but instead of the normal amount of smoke and winter slug coming out when it started there was a significant amount of what I would describe as thick black goo that has the consistency of oil and smells of gas that is coming out of plate between the power head and the leg as well of the two holes that are on the rear of the motor on the top of the leg. My initial gut is telling me that I will be pulling a power head this weekend to place the seals and gaskets for the exhaust. Has anyone had the pleasure of making this repair and are there any big gotchas on this. It looked pretty straight forward in the OEM book but I wanted to bounce this off you before I dug into this. Thanks in advance for the help.

Additionally if the seals were good would it be normal to have that goo coming out of the hub after dewinterizing the motor or do I have bigger problems?

Thanks
Jason

 

[SparkieBoat]

Re: 1989 88SPL blowing black goo all over

did you leave your fuel line connected?? also are you using fresh fuel? this new ethanol bull crap fuel goes bad fast. your gear case is not cracked is it?? only other place oil could come from other than fuel. if you had your motor tilted up it could be possible that it leaked out of a top seal and got in your water pump and exhaust. check your gear case oil or better yet change it. if it did leak out..check for cracks and replace your seals.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: 1989 88SPL blowing black goo all over

If the two holes in the leg are exhaust ports, it's unburned oil/gas. You often see it at the bottom. I've seen it with a motor that had water in the gas, too.

 

[DJ]

Re: 1989 88SPL blowing black goo all over

If the two holes in the leg are exhaust ports, it's unburned oil/gas. You often see it at the bottom. I've seen it with a motor that had water in the gas, too.

Unburned fuel. We're all dealing with garbage gas.

 

[big boat little motor]

Re: 1989 88SPL blowing black goo all over

there was only about 2 gallons left in the tank and it did have stabil in it. (NOTE TO SELF empty the tank fully next year). It is still leaking from where the power head mounts to the leg so the gasket will still need changed. Guess that 2 gallons will get the carbs rebuilt this spring too.

Thanks again for all the help

Jason

 

[big boat little motor]

Re: 1989 88SPL blowing black goo all over

did you leave your fuel line connected?? also are you using fresh fuel? this new ethanol bull crap fuel goes bad fast. your gear case is not cracked is it?? only other place oil could come from other than fuel. if you had your motor tilted up it could be possible that it leaked out of a top seal and got in your water pump and exhaust. check your gear case oil or better yet change it. if it did leak out..check for cracks and replace your seals.

Assuming that the case is fine as the oil looked fresh like i put it away last fall. There was no milky color to it like it was getting water into the case. when I have it apart I will pressure test the case just to make sure. Seals are cheap lower units aren't

 

[DJ]

Re: 1989 88SPL blowing black goo all over

Seals are cheap lower units aren't

Labor is not. That is NOT an easy job. Replace the L/U fluid with NEW fill/drain plug seals and run it.

 

[SparkieBoat]

Re: 1989 88SPL blowing black goo all over

great advice..I keep a stack of those plug seals laying around.

 

[big boat little motor]

Re: 1989 88SPL blowing black goo all over

Thanks for you help on all of this. I will pick up the seals for the fill ports on the lower unit when I order my gaskets.

Again I hope that I can pay all of this help that I have received forward someday to a new boater.

Thanks
Jason

 

[emdsapmgr]

Re: 1989 88SPL blowing black goo all over

Failure of the powerhead base gasket is common on this engine. About 3 hours of labor. An engine hoist and a flywheel pulled make the job easier.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: 1989 88SPL blowing black goo all over

I have replaced the powerhead to base gasket 2 times on my crossflow...
Still gets the fuel-exhaust stains just below the cowling on the mid section..
Nothing a little purple cleaner won't take off..
I figured it's just the nature of these old beasts.

It runs great so i'm not worried...could be wrong?

 

[SparkieBoat]

Re: 1989 88SPL blowing black goo all over

I have never changed mine...purple power baby. its not that bad on my motors though.

 

[big boat little motor]

Re: 1989 88SPL blowing black goo all over

pulled the power head this weekend.......


it turned out to be a crack in the crank where it seals on the bottom of the power head. The seal was destroyed and poring out unburned gas and oil. How this chipped out the 1/2 inch piece from where it couples to the shaft. When this came loose it chewed up the seal and caused the leak.

Guess it is time for a new power-head. Anyone have any v-4 cross-flows power-heads laying around?

 

[emdsapmgr]

Re: 1989 88SPL blowing black goo all over

Sounds like a pretty unusual failure. If you have time, post a picture of the problem.