Engine Spraying water

[kkalsch]

Well...here was my plan -I was going to take the boat out for a quick ride than come back in and pull the boat out on the trailer take it home - winterize and cover it. I started out and got about 5 miles from my dock on a plane when I noticed the temperature falling down to 120 degrees on the starboard engine then slowly the boat came off a plane and the starboard engine died. I have 4.3 MPI Mercrusier Alpa-II open the engine hatch and on the front of the starboard engine there is a plug in the intake manifold with a pin hole in the center of it spraying salt water everywhere like old faithful. The engine will not start. So I have to go back to the dock on the port engine (no power steering). I have just enough time to pull the boat, winterize it and cover it before I had to leave to go back home (3 hour ride). I did not get a chance to look at the engine - I did spray it down with Boeshield. The air cleaner/cover was soaked with water. There was no water in the oil. I will be going back this weekend to try to get it running and replace that plug (getting that plug out could be a problem -its got a square slot in it smaller than a 3/8 extension but bigger than a 1/4) . I am hoping the distributor cap got wet and killed the engine??
Any suggestions would be great

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Engine Spraying water

You won't know if any damage was done but here's the rub. When the engine began to cool down, it may have actually been overheating. How is that possible? Simple, the reduced amount of water flowing through the engine may have created an air pocket around the temp sensor. Unless the sensor is in contact with the water it cannot read temperature. I doubt a pin hole would cause a leak big enough to cause this problem but it is a possibility. Water spray could have saturated the electrics to kill the ignition and it may even caused the intake of water into the manifold through the flame arrestor. You should have immediately pulled a spark plug or two to see if there was evidence of water. If so, there is a good possibility rust has already started to take its toll on the cylinder walls. All of this is worst case of course. You asked, I brought it up.

 

[AviatorJim]

Re: Engine Spraying water

Been there. Get it fired up on the muffs and just let it idle for a while and get as warm as it can get. Do that before the 3 hour drive for sure. If it will idle, alternator works, guages work, then I would say you dodged the bullet. I agree with Silvertip that it probably didn't overheat. But you may need to be thinking about manifolds if your plug failed due to corrosion.

--Jim

 

[kkalsch]

Re: Engine Spraying water

Well... here is an update - I could not get it to run -it turns over fine -no spark! Mercrusier 4.3 MPI Ser# OM380780 -I checked the cap and rotor -it was dry (new at the beginning of the season) I learned something today -they put a module in the distributor and don't use it.Also pulled a few plugs no signs of water just gas -I also tried stating fluid
There is no trouble shooting information in the manual about no spark -I wonder what the spray of water damaged -the coil ?-I sure hope its not ECM any help would be great!

 

[kkalsch]

Re: Engine Spraying water

Here is a second update - I got it to spark (well it shows spark when I use a timing light on the wire from the coil to the distributor and from the distributor to the spark plug) anyway it still will not start -so I did a compression check -the egine is stone cold at 45 degrees -I tested 2 cylinders and got 100 and 95 psi is that normal for a cold engine and could the plugs of been fouled when the spray of water killed the engine? The plugs where wet with gas and I tried starting fluid

 

[90stingray]

Re: Engine Spraying water

I think the 95psi is too low... I would think something like 150+
Look at that low compression... maybe try a leakdown check to see where the leakage is coming from.
I would think you could get it to at least start or cough or something...

 

[NHGuy]

Re: Engine Spraying water

Did you have the throttle and choke open? If not the compression values could be wrong.
Also, did you crank the motor over 4 or 5 times?
Don't use starting fluid, just put a spoonful of gas in the carb to see if it fires. After the amount of time the boat has sat I'd think the fuel needs to be primed when you want to start it.

 

[Don S]

Re: Engine Spraying water

If the engine hasn't run for a month, don't worry about the compression numbers. Just a little rust on a valve seat would cause low numbers. You need to run the engine for at least 10 or 15 seconds, and I would bet the compression numbers will come up to normal.

Now, on to checking spark. To check spark, remove the coil wire from the center of the distributor cap, hold the wire end about 1/2" from a good clean ground (NOT paint) and crank the engine over. You should have a bright blue white spark that snaps the gap.
If you have to close the gap and it's a yellow orange spark, it won't start, but it will make your timing light work.

Is your engine cranking over at normal speeds. Low rpm cranking worked fine on a 58 Chevy, buy not so much on todays engines. Especially MPI. If the ECM sees less than around 9.5 volts while cranking, you won't get spark or anything else.

 

[kkalsch]

Re: Engine Spraying water

Ok...I'll check for spark -now keep in mind I changed the coil/module , ECM , and the crank sensor from the other engine which was running -Which Don brings up a good point about the 58 Chevy. If I need to re power I am going with a GM marine replacement motor with a 4 barrel simple ignition and a low pressure fuel pump at less then half the cost and the same HP. All this new technology is great while the boats under warrantee but when they turn 10 years old... There no advantage- I do not have a catalytic converter and there no emissions test -no more changing sensors (knock water pressure) or the icm which is a yearly change and the cool fuel problems plus I do not have to buy a $500 scan tool...
BTW if you think that a carburetor is old technology -go price one fuel injector
Newer does not = better!
OK -I'll get off my soap box