Leaking manifold in 250" Mercrusier

[HTownws6]

Hello,

I am kinda new to this forum. I've been lurking around for a month or so, but decided to come in and say hi.

And also ask your advice. I've acquired a 1978 Sea Ray 185 Runabout. It has a Mercruiser inline 6 (250 cubic inch, 165 hp) motor. This boat has sat and not been run much the past several years. When I finally got it started, water drips out below the manifold between the block and the manifold. (see pics below).

Please someone tell me this is just a blown gasket. I was talking to an aftermarket marine parts company today, and they thought it was a cracked manifold, which is fairly pricey.

Can you give me a clue on where to go from here?

Thanks

 

[Bondo]

Re: Leaking manifold in 250" Mercrusier

Ayuh,..... Welcome Aboard,...

If ya wanta get Responces, resized your pictures to the iboats standard of 480x640...
Nobody likes to side-scroll...

I'd sooner think you're going to find a cracked Block, right at the deckline, above/ behind the manifold...
But,.. That's just My guess...

Are you gettin' water in the oil,..??

pull the manifold,+ See what you've got to work with...

 

[HTownws6]

Re: Leaking manifold in 250" Mercrusier

Why not the manifold gasket? It seems obvious that it's coming out right there where the gasket is...

 

[Bondo]

Re: Leaking manifold in 250" Mercrusier

Why not the manifold gasket? It seems obvious that it's coming out right there where the gasket is...

Ayuh,... Because there's nothing but Air on the other side of that gasket....

 

[HTownws6]

Re: Leaking manifold in 250" Mercrusier

man, thats not what I wanted to hear, guess i won't know for sure until I get it apart..

 

[HTownws6]

Re: Leaking manifold in 250" Mercrusier

I just pulled the manifold away far enough to peak in, it is indeed a cracked block. Anyone have a good engine for sale?

 

[redjmp]

Re: Leaking manifold in 250" Mercrusier

Rapido Marine has great prices for short and long blocks.
Though they don't list a 250, I'm sure they can get you one.
Probably in the $1100 to $1300 range.

 

[HTownws6]

Re: Leaking manifold in 250" Mercrusier

Rapido Marine has great prices for short and long blocks.
Though they don't list a 250, I'm sure they can get you one.
Probably in the $1100 to $1300 range.

Thanks, that sounds about right. I found this one on ebay for about that price range:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250415243015

They want $400 for shipping.

Also, I still haven't checked the oil to see if it looks like a milkshake. If it does, then I guess it's time for a new shortblock. I not, then I've read around and seen that some people have had some success with JB Weld, I might explore this option. Anywho, it's kinda funny that I've spent more time working on this thing than riding in it.

By the way, this is my first boat. I've always heard sayings like "a boat is just a hole in the water that you throw money in", and "the 2 happiest days of a boat owners life is the day he buys a boat, and the day he sales it". I am quickly starting to see the harsh reality in these sayings....

 

[HTownws6]

Re: Leaking manifold in 250" Mercrusier

Hey, I thought I would update y'all on what I ended up doing. after some research, I thought I would try the JB weld. I checked to make sure there was no water getting into the oil, and there wasn't. So I went and bought some JB weld and a new manifold gasket this past weekend and went after it. Here are some pictures of how it went:

First, just after removing the manifold, a pic of the crack:

Then, cleaned the area around the crack:

After JB weld:

Alittle closer look:

Anyway, it turned out great! Does not leak a drop! I couldn't believe it!

I laughed at the idea of using this stuff at first, but now after using it, pretty impressed. I am an official JB weld fan. The tube of JB weld cost 6 bucks. The manifold gasket 8 bucks. So just under 15 bucks (and alot of sweat, and a few curse words) I saved having to replace an engine. No telling what all that would have cost, especially if I had someone do it. Also, here is a video of it running after getting it all together:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5Zn7_oSNTo

I hope this post might help someone in the future...