Brown foam coming out of air cleaner! :-(

[farmerforever]

Well I just had a not so pleasant experiance! Took the boat out on the water for the first time this year. Started fine...ran fine from the ramp...got about 50 yards out and was turning back to the dock to pick up the wife. I heard the bilge pump kick on...it was shooting this brown foam out of the hole at the back of my boat! It will still run by the way...I shut it down and paddled back to the ramp.

I have a 1998 4.3 Mercruiser. Lifted up the sun deck and found this brown foam shooting out of the air cleaner and it was all over the motor and down into the well.

Obviously I have water in my oil and it was backing out through the carb and through the air cleaner. My first thought is that the guy who winterized the boat didn't do a very good job...but I can't change that now.

Worst case I guess the block is cracked....maybe best case it is just a head? Anyone seen this before and what is the probable outcome of this...other than thousands of dollars?

CJ

 

[DukesFin]

Re: Brown foam coming out of air cleaner! :-(

Same thing happened to me 2 years ago...

Cracked block just UNDER a freeze plug!

(Got a new long block and now I'm working on the upper unit!!!)

Good luck!!!! It's a sickening sight, isn't it? I was horrified when I opened my engine cover and saw emulsified oil just POURING over the whole engine from the carb on down!

Eeeek!

Rust had stopped all of the water from draining from the block when I winterized it. Now I use a paperclip to make sure she's empty at the end of Fall!

 

[Haut Medoc]

Re: Brown foam coming out of air cleaner! :-(

Welcome to iboats.....
Sure sounds like a cracked block to me.....
You can do a pressure test with compreesed air & listen....
You hear it....​

 

[farmerforever]

Re: Brown foam coming out of air cleaner! :-(

Thanks for the welcome! My assumption is that the block is cracked. Just hoping for something less expensive...

CJ

 

[f_inscreenname]

Re: Brown foam coming out of air cleaner! :-(

You are not alone. Mine happened to be a bad timing chain cover but none the less.

Then I went through 33 days of he!! to fix it. Here's a movie 33 days of hell
I don't think you are going to get off as easy as just replacing a block. Watch the movie and see what water in the oil will do to your crank, bearings, cam etc. Its not pretty.

 

[KaGee]

Re: Brown foam coming out of air cleaner! :-(

Before you panic about the block, you need to do a block pressure check. Are you sure the foam is not coming from the valve cover breather hoses?

 

[Coors]

Re: Brown foam coming out of air cleaner! :-(

f_in; why can't I see your wmv slide show? I have the codecs, I thought.

 

[f_inscreenname]

Re: Brown foam coming out of air cleaner! :-(

f_in; why can't I see your wmv slide show? I have the codecs, I thought.

Here try this http://www.supernova19.com/HTMLobj-998/slide_show.wmv

I think my websites server is a little slow right now. They are doing "service work" on the server but I think they really got attacked and they got their protection jacked up real high and slowing things down until they get it figured out. So it takes a little time to load.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Brown foam coming out of air cleaner! :-(

Before you panic about the block, you need to do a block pressure check. Are you sure the foam is not coming from the valve cover breather hoses?

Kagee has a point. If it was spewing out of the carb i doubt it would be running.The valve cover vent hoses are usually the first place it shows up.
Before you buy a new engine i would to some pressure testing..

 

[Coors]

Re: Brown foam coming out of air cleaner! :-(

hmmm, can load it, but can't play it (and have played chine walking before) Time to dig in computer and see what too much security I have installed..

 

[f_inscreenname]

Re: Brown foam coming out of air cleaner! :-(

The motor had to completely ripped down to the smallest part and cleaned out. I had to send the block off to the shop to be tanked and new cam bearing installed, The crank had to be cut 10 under (lobes and mains). Had to replace the cam, lifters, all bearings and about everything else in master rebuild kit. Did it all and was back on the water in 33 days from the night it happened (I have a couple kids and a 50 hour a week job also). The sad thing is a month and a half later on the last mile of my last ride of the season it sounded like it through a rod. Got to the dock, shut it off, looked the motor over and hit the key again. It wouldn?t even turn over. So I built a 454 for it over the winter and when I pull the 360 out this spring. I took the motor down to the block crank and rods just to see and haven?t found anything wrong with it.
Sorry about treading on you thread farmerforever but at least I am keeping it at the top of the page.