1993 Mercruiser 3.0 new to me, with major problems, Not Running, Water mixed with oil

wrench 3

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Re: 1993 Mercruiser 3.0 new to me, with major problems, Not Running, Water mixed with

Buckz6319.
I think we overlapped posts on #11 and I missed it. But I'm afraid I don't have a picture.
Sorry if I sounded condescending about the frost plugs. It was supposed to be tung in cheek. Maybe I should have added one of those smiley faces.
 

saltybutwet

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Re: 1993 Mercruiser 3.0 new to me, with major problems, Not Running, Water mixed with

Buckz6319.
I think we overlapped posts on #11 and I missed it. But I'm afraid I don't have a picture.
Sorry if I sounded condescending about the frost plugs. It was supposed to be tung in cheek. Maybe I should have added one of those smiley faces.

LOL I didn't take it any other way than, tongue and cheek, smiley face not needed...thanks for your input
 

saltybutwet

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Re: 1993 Mercruiser 3.0 new to me, with major problems, Not Running, Water mixed with

If a 3.0L is going to crack, it will be under the exhaust manifold above the freeze plugs.

is this true?

I also forgot to mention that when i turned the engine over, I had no water in the cylinders, and the plugs looked normal, not steam cleaned, if this helps my troubleshooting
 
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wrench 3

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Re: 1993 Mercruiser 3.0 new to me, with major problems, Not Running, Water mixed with

That is a weak spot on the flat surface below the block deck. But not the only spot that they crack, especially if the block wasn't full.
The condition of the spark plugs just means that it wasn't run with water in the cylinders. Sorry, I know you were hoping for something more positive.
BTW they paint the engines after they're assembled. So it's not unusual to find a bare spot behind the manifolds. Also the rust around the intake ports is on the gasket surface and therefore occurred after the manifold was removed. The rust in the ports is no worst than around them, so probably happened at the same time.
 
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saltybutwet

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Re: 1993 Mercruiser 3.0 new to me, with major problems, Not Running, Water mixed with

That is a weak spot on the flat surface below the block deck. But not the only spot that they crack, especially if the block wasn't full.
The condition of the spark plugs just means that it wasn't run with water in the cylinders. Sorry, I know you were hoping for something more positive.

yes, wishful thinking. I read that your in Canada? i have a sister who lives in Wasaga Beach, have a huge boat on some lake there
 

wrench 3

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Re: 1993 Mercruiser 3.0 new to me, with major problems, Not Running, Water mixed with

yes, wishful thinking. I read that your in Canada? i have a sister who lives in Wasaga Beach, have a huge boat on some lake there

Small world, we live about 3/4 hr away, maybe an hour. They're on Goergian Bay, part of the Great Lakes. So they have lots of water for a large boat.
Did you read the edit to my last post (we over lapped again). It's may be a little more hopefull.
 

saltybutwet

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Re: 1993 Mercruiser 3.0 new to me, with major problems, Not Running, Water mixed with

Small world, we live about 3/4 hr away, maybe an hour. They're on Goergian Bay, part of the Great Lakes. So they have lots of water for a large boat.
Did you read the edit to my last post (we over lapped again). It's may be a little more hopefull.

yes I read the edit, makes sense, thank you
it is a small world, my sister owns, Canadian wet basement solutions( I am not advertising for them) so she can drive the huge vessel. I on the other hand have to sell an atv to buy a used boat lol, then try to fix the used boat lol
 

wrench 3

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Re: 1993 Mercruiser 3.0 new to me, with major problems, Not Running, Water mixed with

yes I read the edit, makes sense, thank you
it is a small world, my sister owns, Canadian wet basement solutions( I am not advertising for them) so she can drive the huge vessel. I on the other hand have to sell an atv to buy a used boat lol, then try to fix the used boat lol

I wouldn't be able to use their services anyway. We don't have a basement, only a crawl space.
Don't feel bad about your boat situation. I had to buy a used boat with a blown motor, no convertible top and all the exterior wood looked like barn boards. Not to mention that just about nothing else worked on it either. A couple of years work and I had a nice boat.
 

bonzoscott

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Re: 1993 Mercruiser 3.0 new to me, with major problems, Not Running, Water mixed with

Gettin off track. Best thing to do at this point is a pressure test on the cooling system, listen for the hiss and pin point any block cracks.
 

wrench 3

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Re: 1993 Mercruiser 3.0 new to me, with major problems, Not Running, Water mixed with

If you use the water pressure from the garden hose, you will have about 35psi pressure. It won't leak as fast as the air but you will see the water coming from the leak.
 

saltybutwet

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Re: 1993 Mercruiser 3.0 new to me, with major problems, Not Running, Water mixed with

thought I would update this thread

I have some pics of the intake/exhaust , and gasket. I would like you folks to take a look, maybe you can see something that will help me determine if the gasket blew out or not.
I think I will put the engine back together with the old gasket ( for testing purposes only), and try to start her up, maybe I can see what part of the engine the water is getting into. I would appreciate any input, as usual, thanks!
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saltybutwet

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Re: 1993 Mercruiser 3.0 new to me, with major problems, Not Running, Water mixed with

continued pics

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thought I would throw this pic in, for an opinion
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wrench 3

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Re: 1993 Mercruiser 3.0 new to me, with major problems, Not Running, Water mixed with

If you're going to start it up you should change the oil and filter first. I'd still pressure test the cooling system first. Every thing else might be a wast of time.
The gasket at the center exhaust ports was a weak spot on them, but it will only give you an exhaust leak. If the gasket surface on the manifold is eroded, it can be planed. The narrow surface between the ports doesn't matter because it's exhaust on both sides.
Are those broken bolts in the manifold for the riser?
 

saltybutwet

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Re: 1993 Mercruiser 3.0 new to me, with major problems, Not Running, Water mixed with

If you're going to start it up you should change the oil and filter first. I'd still pressure test the cooling system first. Every thing else might be a wast of time.
The gasket at the center exhaust ports was a weak spot on them, but it will only give you an exhaust leak. If the gasket surface on the manifold is eroded, it can be planed. The narrow surface between the ports doesn't matter because it's exhaust on both sides.
Are those broken bolts in the manifold for the riser?

i understand what your saying, I still may pressure test the system first
What looks like broken bolts in the riser, I dont think so, however I will take a closer look tomorrow
thanks!
 

fishrdan

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Re: 1993 Mercruiser 3.0 new to me, with major problems, Not Running, Water mixed with

I would pressure test the block and acetone test the manifold,,, before trying to do anything else. You have everything ripped apart and it will be easy to do it now.

With the engine torn apart like it was when you got it, I'd bolt the manifold back on (with a thin coat of sealant on the used manifold gasket) and see how it runs. Of course, this is just for testing to see if water gets in the oil, change that gasket ASAP if everything checks out.

For the riser gasket, use a new one, even for testing. If that riser-manifold gasket leaks you could dump a bunch of water into the cylinders...

I'd squirt oil on the valves stems (that you can see through the head ports) since all that rust could have a valve sticky/stuck. Slowly turn over the engine while squirting oil on the valve stems so they all get coated, and oil worked up into the valve guide a bit,,, before starting the engine.


Of course, change oil and filter before hand as AD said.
 
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saltybutwet

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Re: 1993 Mercruiser 3.0 new to me, with major problems, Not Running, Water mixed with

I would pressure test the block and acetone test the manifold,,, before trying to do anything else. You have everything ripped apart and it will be easy to do it now.

With the engine torn apart like it was when you got it, I'd bolt the manifold back on (with a thin coat of sealant on the used manifold gasket) and see how it runs. Of course, this is just for testing to see if water gets in the oil, change that gasket ASAP if everything checks out.

For the riser gasket, use a new one, even for testing. If that riser-manifold gasket leaks you could dump a bunch of water into the cylinders...

I'd squirt oil on the valves stems (that you can see through the head ports) since all that rust could have a valve sticky/stuck. Slowly turn over the engine while squirting oil on the valve stems so they all get coated, and oil



Of course, change oil and filter before hand as AD said.

Yes, to all the above. I will make my own riser gasket. I have heavy gasket material in my shop.
 

fishrdan

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Re: 1993 Mercruiser 3.0 new to me, with major problems, Not Running, Water mixed with

I will make my own riser gasket. I have heavy gasket material in my shop.

I'd coat the hand made gasket with Permatex Aviation sealant.
 

saltybutwet

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Re: 1993 Mercruiser 3.0 new to me, with major problems, Not Running, Water mixed with

I don't like the look of the second picture. Looks like some one JB welded the block. You can water pressure test the engine by plugging the hose that ran from the thermostat housing to the manifolds and connect a garden hose to the hose running from the rear of the engine to the thermostat housing. If the drain plug is out of the oil pan, water will exit there if there's an internal leak.
If you have some heavy gasket material, you can make up a solid gasket to go between the manifold and the exhaust riser. Connect a garden hose to the hose from the thermostat housing to the manifolds and you can pressure test the manifold.

I am getting ready to do this testing tomorrow, wish me luck!
If everything checks out ok, then I will do a compression test, and a compression leakdown test
 

saltybutwet

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Re: 1993 Mercruiser 3.0 new to me, with major problems, Not Running, Water mixed with

1- Drain the engine of water, remove the fresh water supply hose going to the engine, cap all other water passages, then test from where the fresh water hose connects to the engine to see if the block will hold pressure. 15PSI should do, and I suspect that you'll find the pressure dropping from a crack somewhere. Pic #2 shows a big grey splotch on the block which looks like JBweld to me... If the block is loosing pressure, listen for where it's hissing.

2- Check the manifold for cracks by filling the water jacket with acetone, then looking for acetone leaking out. With the rust marks in the head's intake runners, I would be very suspect of a cracked manifold. (or water got in through the carb).

If the block and manifold pass the pressure tests, install the manifold, change the oil and filter to get the milky oil out, then get the engine running ASAP to get remnant water out of the engine. Check for milky oil, some is to be expected with the prior contamination, but it shouldn't be bad or get worse the longer then engine is run.

For the trim pump, drain the reservoir, pull the hoses off the manifold under the gimble housing and manually lift/lower the drive to get the milky oil out of the trim rams. Reconnect everything, refill and run the trim up/down while checking the trim fluid level. Repeat drain/fill procedure until the trim fluid comes out perfectly clean. (My trim pump had water contamination which left a sticky/waxy layer of gunk over everything, had to tear the pump apart to clean it out.) Once the boat is in the water, check for milky trim fluid after the first couple of trips.

I would also drain the drive to see if it has water contamination.... And change the water pump impeller.

thought I would let you know too, I am getting ready to do this testing tomorrow, wish me luck!
If everything checks out ok, then I will do a compression test, and a compression leakdown test
 

wrench 3

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Re: 1993 Mercruiser 3.0 new to me, with major problems, Not Running, Water mixed with

Good luck.
 
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