I've searched these forums, but have not seen this problem mentioned anywhere. I'm sure it may be here somewhere, but there is so much information here that it is overwhelming. What an incredible resource this board is. Information and help at your fingertips - it was not that long ago that the only information you could find was at a dealer - and pretty much the standard answer to any question was "Open your wallet and bring it in - we'll be happy to fix it" A big thanks to everyone that contributes!
Here's what I'm dealing with - 84 Cruisers Inc with twin 5.7 mercruisers that has had the starboard engine replaced. I attempted to winterize it a couple of weeks ago and had no problems with the port engine. On the starboard engine, I started on the port side, again, no problems. On the starboard side, I drained the manifold and riser and then attempted to drain the block. (Remember, with the twin engines, it's like having ten pounds shoved into a five pound sack - I have extremely limited room to work and it is impossible to see anything. Plus my 55 year old body does not bend the same as it used to - I'll pay for this with aches and pains for a month!) I could feel that the correct brass drain was not in the block, but a recessed drive pipe plug was installed. I thought is was the type that used a 3/8 drive, but soon discovered that it was an allen drive. I did not have a socket with me, and was leaving town for a couple weeks the next day, so all I could do was fill the block with pink antifreeze and hope for the best.
Fast forward to this past Sunday. I armed myself with a set of snap on allen sockets and my wife's make up mirror for another attempt. With the mirror I was kind of able to (kind of) see what I am dealing with. I took my phone and was able to get a picture of the side of the block.
As you can see, the plug was already stripped before I touched it. I tried a 1/4" allen socket and it did just what I thought it would - Nothing.
I'm rearming myself and going to try again tomorrow. Here's my plan of attack:
1. Try a metric socket. I think a 7 mm may be close in size.
2. If number 1 fails, try beating a torx socket into the plug. (unlikely to work, but worth a shot)
3. If I get to this stage, I'm thinking a right angle drill and 1/4" bit. I don't know if I can get it in there or not, but if I can, I can at least get the water out of the block. I can deal with getting the plug out later.
4. If I get to here, I'm done. I'll drain everything that I can once again, pull the thermostat, and fill it with undiluted regular antifreeze. Hopefully, that will save the block, but I realize I'm gambling with this plan. It's a last resort sort of thing.
I'm open to any suggestions as to a better way to do this or is there something I'm overlooking?
I just bought this boat in September, knowing there were problems with the starboard engine. (I knew what I was getting into and the price I paid reflected the work I was going to do). The previous owner was tired of dealing with the problems - three years ago, he paid his marina to winterize the boat. They did not get to it until it was to late. The starboard engine froze and broke. The marina replaced it and totally screwed the job up. He paid them $500.00 labor this past spring to replace the starter and you can see what is on there - an Autozone car starter. It was held on by one bolt and the bracket on the front. You can see in the picture that the front bracket is not even installed right.
So far I found the starter problem, wrong spark plugs, loose spark plugs, missing cover on the flywheel, throttle and shift cable so far out of adjustment that it was impossible to use the boat, ignition timing way off, carb adjustment way off, and I'm sure there was more that I have not remembered. Also, after seeing the "quality workmanship", I'm 99.9% sure that this thing has not seen an alignment bar since the engine was replaced. I've got the engine running good, and would hate to loose a block over a stupid pipe plug, but I guess if it happens, it happens.
Mark
Here's what I'm dealing with - 84 Cruisers Inc with twin 5.7 mercruisers that has had the starboard engine replaced. I attempted to winterize it a couple of weeks ago and had no problems with the port engine. On the starboard engine, I started on the port side, again, no problems. On the starboard side, I drained the manifold and riser and then attempted to drain the block. (Remember, with the twin engines, it's like having ten pounds shoved into a five pound sack - I have extremely limited room to work and it is impossible to see anything. Plus my 55 year old body does not bend the same as it used to - I'll pay for this with aches and pains for a month!) I could feel that the correct brass drain was not in the block, but a recessed drive pipe plug was installed. I thought is was the type that used a 3/8 drive, but soon discovered that it was an allen drive. I did not have a socket with me, and was leaving town for a couple weeks the next day, so all I could do was fill the block with pink antifreeze and hope for the best.
Fast forward to this past Sunday. I armed myself with a set of snap on allen sockets and my wife's make up mirror for another attempt. With the mirror I was kind of able to (kind of) see what I am dealing with. I took my phone and was able to get a picture of the side of the block.
As you can see, the plug was already stripped before I touched it. I tried a 1/4" allen socket and it did just what I thought it would - Nothing.
I'm rearming myself and going to try again tomorrow. Here's my plan of attack:
1. Try a metric socket. I think a 7 mm may be close in size.
2. If number 1 fails, try beating a torx socket into the plug. (unlikely to work, but worth a shot)
3. If I get to this stage, I'm thinking a right angle drill and 1/4" bit. I don't know if I can get it in there or not, but if I can, I can at least get the water out of the block. I can deal with getting the plug out later.
4. If I get to here, I'm done. I'll drain everything that I can once again, pull the thermostat, and fill it with undiluted regular antifreeze. Hopefully, that will save the block, but I realize I'm gambling with this plan. It's a last resort sort of thing.
I'm open to any suggestions as to a better way to do this or is there something I'm overlooking?
I just bought this boat in September, knowing there were problems with the starboard engine. (I knew what I was getting into and the price I paid reflected the work I was going to do). The previous owner was tired of dealing with the problems - three years ago, he paid his marina to winterize the boat. They did not get to it until it was to late. The starboard engine froze and broke. The marina replaced it and totally screwed the job up. He paid them $500.00 labor this past spring to replace the starter and you can see what is on there - an Autozone car starter. It was held on by one bolt and the bracket on the front. You can see in the picture that the front bracket is not even installed right.
So far I found the starter problem, wrong spark plugs, loose spark plugs, missing cover on the flywheel, throttle and shift cable so far out of adjustment that it was impossible to use the boat, ignition timing way off, carb adjustment way off, and I'm sure there was more that I have not remembered. Also, after seeing the "quality workmanship", I'm 99.9% sure that this thing has not seen an alignment bar since the engine was replaced. I've got the engine running good, and would hate to loose a block over a stupid pipe plug, but I guess if it happens, it happens.
Mark
