can my crank shaft be seized?

[HT32BSX115]

Re: can my crank shaft be seized?

Take the battery out and get it load tested, the battery may only hold enough energy for a couple of cranks before it dies.

That seems unlikely since he's "jumping" it with another battery......

I even had jump leads from my car hooked up but no good.

Try pulling/checking all the plugs, remove the dist cap check the rotor/points , and check all the spark plug wiring.

You have "crank", and fuel.

You now need all the plugs sparking at the correct time.


Cheers,


Rick

 

[havasuboatman]

Re: can my crank shaft be seized?

For future reference, one or more pistons are usually rusted to the cylinder walls or rust has built up from the cylinder wall and is underneath or on top of the rings keeping the pistons from moving up and down. The crankshaft could probably turn in the journals but cannot due to the leverage the pistons have over it.

Piston rings rust to the cylinder walls. Not pistons.

 

[havasuboatman]

Re: can my crank shaft be seized?

You need a fully charged battery before you start disgnosis on other componets. If this is an EFI motor (sorry, I didn't notice if that was posted) you need at least 10.5 volts for it to run.

 

[rbh]

Re: can my crank shaft be seized?

I dont know about you guys but trying to jump a dead battery with running vehicle is some times hit and miss, especially if the dead battery's plates are sulfided up or frozen. As well you have a good chance of screwin up the alternator due to the load/draw.

 

[northernmerc]

Re: can my crank shaft be seized?

If you have spark to all the spark plugs and you have good fuel, it should run. The submersion should not have thrown off the ignition timing.

I don't recall you saying if this engine is carbureted or fuel injected. If it's carbureted, is the choke closing before you try to start it? Is the rest of the carb linkage free and working well? You might try pouring an ounce or two of gas into the carb throat and see if that will make it fire. Keep a fire extinguisher handy just in case.

Could you have water in the gas tank? Or is the gas quite old? You might try draining the tank and using new fuel.

Any good mechanic should be able to narrow this down pretty quickly. Without seeing it, it's hard to know.

 

[rewdan]

Re: can my crank shaft be seized?

this is all good advice, thanks guys, i think getting the battery load checked is the best way forward, the volt meter on the dashboard was showing 14v when charged overnight, but as I understand it, if the batterey is faulty it may have the volts but not the power to do the job. Is this correct? Can I check the battery myself and if so, what tool would i need?

 

[Bondo]

Re: can my crank shaft be seized?

Can I check the battery myself and if so, what tool would i need?

Ayuh,.... Ya need 1 of theses,....

 

[CharlieB]

Re: can my crank shaft be seized?

After the dunking, did you CHANGE the distributor cap?

Moisture inside the cap will allow high voltage to 'short' to ground, leaving an almost imperceptible carbon trail burnt into the cap.

Testing for spark may show spark to the spark plug wire but once connected to the plug and under compression the voltage requirement is a LOT MORE, this is when the short begins to occur inside the cap.

So what may APPEAR to be a good ignition, begins to fail and the motor won't start.

Test for ADEQUATE SPARK with an adjustable gap spark tester set to 7/16 inch or with an inductive timing light while cranking the motor. If the timing light will not flash then you have identified a weak ignition (bad cap).

 

[rewdan]

Re: can my crank shaft be seized?

I didn't change the cap but I did give it a good clean and removed very small carbon deposits on the contacts in the cap. Also, immediately after the dunking I did have the engine running for aroung half an hour, flushed it and fogged it with a whole can, but that was 2 summers ago, last summer I couldn't get it started due to a solenoid that took me all summer to diagnose (i am no mechanic and I don't have internet at the house in Ibiza so it was a challenge). The boat was not used and I am trying to get it ready for next summer, but because it has stood for 18 months without use, I am now thinking it could be the battery, although once charged and reading 14v, maybe it has no guts! It turns the engine over but I am unsure if its turning it over quick enough, I was getting a spark from the plug i removed at about 2 second intervals, is there a standard interval that I could check? or should i get one of the battery testers?

 

[Fishermark]

Re: can my crank shaft be seized?

immediately after the dunking I did have the engine running for aroung half an hour, flushed it and fogged it with a whole can, but that was 2 summers ago,

If it has been two summers since the engine has run, at the very least you need to do a more thorough tune up - new cap, plugs, etc. You still have not said if this is a carb or fuel injection (or if you did, I missed it) - nor what type of ignition. Give a little more detail and the pros here can help. Posting the serial number is pretty much an essential for most of the techs to give you more detailed info.

But glad it isn't seized up on ya!

I would also bet you need a new battery.

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: can my crank shaft be seized?

If your engine is turning over at the "normal" speed while cranking, you do not have to check the battery.

Besides, if you also have jumpers connected to another (good) battery, you eliminate that as a problem altogether.

If you have gasoline in the carb and you're cranking, you have an ignition problem unless you're completely flooding the engine.

I didn't change the cap but I did give it a good clean and removed very small carbon deposits on the contacts in the cap.

YOU NEED TO CHANGE THE CAP AND ROTOR......As a start.......Then you should also replace the plugs and wires if they haven't been replaced.

Mercury has a TSB that covers submersion. Most of the points have been covered already...

Even if you rinse the engine off you don't get all the salt out of the alt, starter,ignition parts etc....

 

[rbh]

Re: can my crank shaft be seized?

Two years is pretty long for fuel to sit.

 

[cr2k]

Re: can my crank shaft be seized?

Here is a quick down and dirty diagnostic. While cranking with ign on shoot a little carb spray in the carb. If it starts or tries to hit you have a carburetor/fuel delivery problem. If no hit it's ignition. This won't tell you exactly what is wrong but it will send you in the right direction.

 

[Ridemywideglide]

Re: can my crank shaft be seized?

Here is a quick down and dirty diagnostic. While cranking with ign on shoot a little carb spray in the carb. If it starts or tries to hit you have a carburetor/fuel delivery problem. If no hit it's ignition. This won't tell you exactly what is wrong but it will send you in the right direction.

I've used this method before as well, and it works well, except that I've never found any carb spray that didn't kill a running engine. I've always had to use brake cleaner, or just give a small whiff of starting fluid to get results.

 

[rewdan]

Re: can my crank shaft be seized?

Ok Guys, I will try these suggestions when I go back to Ibiza in March and let you know how I get on. I am unsure of the engine number as all the paperwork is back there but I am sure its a normal carb not injection. I have a very small and bendy mechanic who is going to meet me when I get there so at least someone who knows what is going on will be present. The boat is a 1991 17ft searay and he gets into the engine compartment where the battery is when he needs to get to places that are tricky!

 

[sdoomaha]

Re: can my crank shaft be seized?

One other thought from a bad experience, if you have a fuel separator change it. I know you said it was spraying fuel into the carb...but double check and make sure the liquid being sprayed is actually fuel. If your boat flooded to the tank level...there's a chance the tank took on considerable water and you may be trying to run on something other than gas.

Please don't ask me how I know this can happen.

Good Luck...hope you get it running well.....

 

[rewdan]

Re: can my crank shaft be seized?

I just got back from another trip to Ibiza, got it started!!! I ended up stripping the carb down, full of salt, jets partially blocked etc but the float chamber was full of salt and the float was stuck so the engine was full of fuel. I took a plug out, turned it over and petrol poured out of the plug hole! The alternator was seized as well so it was turning over slowly but turned this with a wrench and hey presto, all working fine.
I have one last problem, the automatic choke isn't working. When I stripped it down it is a flat oval plate with a spring on it. I am guessing that when 12v is applied and its earthed the spring tightens and turns the butterfly on the carb but nothing moves, I tried this with it off the carb with 12v and neg on the inside plate and nothing. Any ideas?