Looking for ideas... I'm lost

[skipdow]

I have a 17 ft deep V boat(Double Eagle) with a Buick V6 and an electric shift OMC leg. Three years ago when I bought it for a song( I know that just means it needed a lot of work)
I got the motor rebuilt and balanced and the leg rebuilt by the local expert on OMC's. When it was done the boat ran great had lots of power, the skies were blue birds sang etc.
At the beginning of the next season I was changing the oil and noticed the little nylon washer on the oil plug was cracking and falling apart so I figured I'd just make a new one.......... yep I know bad idea.Part way thru that season I'm cruising at a good clip and it starts to bog down like its flooding the carb and then stalls. Puzzeled I go back and look in the bilge and my heart stops as I see it full of oil, Yep I flash back to that little washer. stupid .... stupid ... stupid.
I fill it back up and it runs , no ticking or squeeling
for about 5 min then slows down till it stalls
I get towed home , vacation over

continued in part 2

 

[skipdow]

Re: Looking for ideas... I'm lost

part 2

during the winter I take my engine in to the guys that rebuilt it and they go thru it, pull it apart and don't finf any spun bearings or major scuffing on cylinder walls etc.
They changed some of the bearings just to be safe and put it back together.
I put the engine back in and idle it in the driveway, seems ok.
I change they jet size on the carb down 2 sizes cause it was running too rich last year, seems good(adjusted the carb by vacuum)
Put it thru the gears , seems good. Revved up to 2000 rpm for a min , seems good.
Go out to the river, drop it in and idle for a couple mins, seems good. Start idleing in gear upstream then raise the revs a couple hundred at a time till I'm at 3500, seems good then start to slow down and it starts to bog down again til it stops.... now seized.....no turning .. at all..... not good.
end of vacation before it starts
continued in part 3

 

[skipdow]

Re: Looking for ideas... I'm lost

part 3

pulled the motor again and my motor rebuilders tell me to bring it in and they will warranty it cause I only got to run it for a total of 10 mins. I trust them cause they could have hosed me last time but had a very reasonable bill.... BUT I started to have nagging doubts so when I brought it in to them I hung around while they stripped it down.
No burnt bearings, no scuffed cylinders, all surfaces seem virtually new, pistons slide ok......they can't find anything wrong.
So now I'm wondering whats going on...
did they and I miss something in the engine?
could something in the leg produce the same symptoms?
could the bearing in between the engine and leg do it?
or.........

HELP

 

[triman]

Re: Looking for ideas... I'm lost

Yep, if the engine tests as fine then you have a leg problem.
not familar with the OMC legs, but it may help to remove the leg onto a stand and see if you can turn it via the input shaft.
BTW if they pulled the engine down, did they remove it from the boat? If so there's a pretty good chance they took the leg off first, so get them to see of the shafts can be turned.

 

[skipdow]

Re: Looking for ideas... I'm lost

No I pulled the engine out which can be done by just removing 6 bolts in the bell housing and 4 in the front motor mount.
The thing thats puzzling is if its the leg how do I test and what do I look for caus it Idles fine in the driveway but only happened 5 mins into cruising on the river. I was watching the guages and Temp and oil pressure were fine when it happened.

 

[JaseBosto]

Re: Looking for ideas... I'm lost

Might sound stupid but......did you check the gear oil in the leg? heh....

 

[skipdow]

Re: Looking for ideas... I'm lost

after the first time it seized I did but not so far with the second time... but I think it will be on my list to check

 

[Howard Sterndrive]

Re: Looking for ideas... I'm lost

you have 3 outdrive gearcase compartments to check - upper, lower and intermediate.

 

[skipdow]

Re: Looking for ideas... I'm lost

I'm assuming the intermediate is the one inside the bellhousing?

 

[Howard Sterndrive]

Re: Looking for ideas... I'm lost

I'm assuming the intermediate is the one inside the bellhousing?

yeah, well... more "behind" it.... but yes- very early units were only greased (Pre-67 maybe) and then different arrangements of single drain fill plug and later 2 plugs. starboard side below and to right of ball gears usually where the drain for it is.

 

[Howard Sterndrive]

Re: Looking for ideas... I'm lost

btw,
if you suspect a major bearing failure in an engine, this is easier than yanking the whole lump....

 

[bigskiohio]

Re: Looking for ideas... I'm lost

run the motor on the ground for awhile and check your leg oil everytime you are going out.