Looking for Advise Suspiscious Cracked Block...

[Skiuseme]

Its been awhile since I have posted here. Just took boat in for winterization and I get the phone call that my Block and Both my manifolds are cracked. I live in a climate where it happens all the time but, this one is a head scratcher too me. From Late October till Early May my boat sits in a heated garage that my family controls along with 3 other boats. The Other boats in this facility don't winterize either as it sits in heated storage and none have had issues. This is a building that we have to maintain at 60+ degrees all year round and no one has messed with furnace this past year. We have alarms at the building if we would lose power and then in turn the power would drop. I winterize change oil, drive fluids and other things every other year. The years that I don't winterize in the spring do a spring tune up that involves oil change fluid things and other fun stuff. Just to make sure that I'm taking care of my baby. This past week I took my boat in for winterization and they give me the call with a cracked block and manifolds..... Great.

I question them about the cracked block and manifolds because if it happened this summer I should have lost performance, Oil pressure should have spiked and also should have been a major issue with the water temp in the motor. None of this happened.... They tell me that because my impeller was that good it would keep up and maintain enough pressure and cooling to not spike the temp and the alarms wouldn't sound....

I question them when they changed oil and other fluids in Mid May this year if this would be noticeable they said it may. I asked to check records and other things, they showed no notes on it to this issue.

Maintained by the same Marina since brand new previous owner owned it for 3 years and I bought from marina in 2006

$10,500 to do the Block, Manifolds and also the Bellows......

Thoughts and tell me am I missing something that could add more clues to this issue(s)?

Details on unit: 2003 SeaRay Sundeck. 219 hours, 5.0 v8 Mercruiser with an Alpha 1 outdrive.

 

[wellcraft-classic210]

I would consider verifying the damage via a second opinion -- Assuming the damage is as described - it would seem the water in the cooling system did freeze at 1 time. Any cracks can worsen over time with heat cycles.

Its going to be impossible to say what happened and when unless you are aware a time when a freeze may have happened. It only takes 1 time

Cooling system leaks that are external ( as in not leaking into the oil ) and (not large enough to deplete cooling water supply) and ( not soaking electronics enough to affect component performance ) are not likely to effect performance.

1 question -- Have you noticed water in the bilge ?

 

[Rick Stephens]

Me too - I want to know what the signs are that you have cracked block and manifolds... where do they see this? Cracked mani's are only visible if they are leaking water externally. Cracked mani's can dump water into your oil through an open valve and past piston rings. So water in oil doesn't necessarily mean cracked block. Unless they did a pressure test, they can't say where they have cracks, and unless they had some sort of sign of cracks in the cooling system, why would they do a pressure test?

Need more information from the marina.

 

[Skiuseme]

Wellcraft - The amount of water that has been in the bilge area has not been significant. We have about a 30 minute no wake boat ride right by our landing that I use most of the time we go out. I would have noticed the bilge pump running and also the discharge from the side of the boat while at no-wake speed. If the bilge pump would not have been working the amount of water in the bilge would have been a great amount and I would have noticed the weight different in pulling the trailer and also the stearing and height of boat in water while in no wake zone.

I will be getting more info from the Marina on this and also be getting a second opinion on it.

 

[alldodge]

As others mentioned, cracks would have put water in the bilge, or in the motor and it would have been noticed. Have them show you where the cracks are and the motor should not be removed until you have the answer. Could be there correct but that doesn't make any since right now. Sure hope their not trying to pull a fast one.

 

[hoowahfun]

Not sure what the temps are like in your area this time of year, but if you left it at the marina for a couple of days did they leave it in the parking lot or an unheated storage area and let it freeze overnight?

 

[Scott Danforth]

for $10k, you can get a seriously built stroker small block and stainless marine exhaust with captains call.

new stock long-block is $2200, new stock manifolds and risers for about $600. about 4 hours of work to pull your motor, swap the stuff over and have you on the water with a new long-block if indeed you have an issue.

a complete 350 mpi bobtail is about $10k

have them show you the cracks, then go to another marina and ask them

 

[HT32BSX115]

Howdy,

Couple of points.....

Its been awhile since I have posted here. Just took boat in for winterization and I get the phone call that my Block and Both my manifolds are cracked............................ This past week I took my boat in for winterization and they give me the call with a cracked block and manifolds..... Great.

If the block and manifolds ARE indeed cracked, the block and manifold temp WAS below freezing far enough and long enough to cause it.

I question them about the cracked block and manifolds because if it happened this summer I should have lost performance, Oil pressure should have spiked and also should have been a major issue with the water temp in the motor. None of this happened....

No. It doesn't cause any performance issues at all. And oil pressure won't change much until the oil/water emulsion becomes bad enough to cause the oil water mix to boil right out of the breather etc.

There won't be a noticeable temp change either.

I would pay them for the oil change/winterization and have the block pressure checked by someone else

If the engine block is cracked, I would take Scott Danforths advice and get a new/rebuild long block and new manifolds.

(I'd install it myself) If you cannot, you can probably trust that shop to do it since they didn't lie about the problem in the first place....... they just discovered it.

Regards,

Rick

 

[Rick Stephens]

Howdy,

Couple of points.....

If the block and manifolds ARE indeed cracked, the block and manifold temp WAS below freezing far enough and long enough to cause it.



No. It doesn't cause any performance issues at all. And oil pressure won't change much until the oil/water emulsion becomes bad enough to cause the oil water mix to boil right out of the breather etc.

There won't be a noticeable temp change either.

I would pay them for the oil change/winterization and have the block pressure checked by someone else

If the engine block is cracked, I would take Scott Danforths advice and get a new/rebuild long block and new manifolds.

(I'd install it myself) If you cannot, you can probably trust that shop to do it since they didn't lie about the problem in the first place....... they just discovered it.

Regards,

Rick

Good post Rick....

 

[tank1949]

Something doesn't sound right! Are u sure someone didn't borrow your boat and f---- it up? Show me the cracks after I fill it up with water! Humans are liars!!!!!!

 

[Lou C]

No Title

Yep I'd want to be shown the evidence of this. If it is not yet freezing where you live why not take the boat home and start with dry bilge. Get a bright LED flashlight. Run the engine on the water hose, and look on the sides of the block (ie in front of the starter on the stbd side and in front of the oil filter on the port side). You are looking for rust trails and if the engine gets good and warm (160* or so) you might see water weeping out of the cracks. Same thing with manifolds, look for rust trails and water weeping as the cast iron expands from the engine warming up. Now for internal cracks, you can't see em but if you run the engine long enough, it will show up in the motor oil, not always right away on the dip stick but under the valve covers, it will condense into a mayo like consistency. I had this when my engine blew both HGs last year. You can see some of the mayo like crud in the cam valley in this pic....When the engine is cold, take off the oil cap and look inside, wipe out some oil with your finger, if it comes out looking like clean oil OK, but if it looks like mayo well then they were right....

 

[Rick Stephens]

Yep I'd want to be shown the evidence of this. If it is not yet freezing where you live why not take the boat home and start with dry bilge. Get a bright LED flashlight. Run the engine on the water hose, and look on the sides of the block (ie in front of the starter on the stbd side and in front of the oil filter on the port side). You are looking for rust trails and if the engine gets good and warm (160* or so) you might see water weeping out of the cracks. Same thing with manifolds, look for rust trails and water weeping as the cast iron expands from the engine warming up. Now for internal cracks, you can't see em but if you run the engine long enough, it will show up in the motor oil, not always right away on the dip stick but under the valve covers, it will condense into a mayo like consistency. I had this when my engine blew both HGs last year. You can see some of the mayo like crud in the cam valley in this pic....When the engine is cold, take off the oil cap and look inside, wipe out some oil with your finger, if it comes out looking like clean oil OK, but if it looks like mayo well then they were right....

Hey Lou,

Easy to see the problem with your motor..... you gots no intake manifold. Hope that helps. :^)

 

[Lou C]

Hey Lou,

Easy to see the problem with your motor..... you gots no intake manifold. Hope that helps. :^)

​D'oh, I knew I forgot somethin'!