Government cheese
Seaman Apprentice
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2015
- Messages
- 49
Short version first... Fired up my boat while on the trailer the other day and heard water pouring out into the bilge. Got down and looked and found I had lost a core plug right behind the motor mount. This is a pretty tight area and I'm guessing I'll have to remove the mount and lift the motor, which means pulling the outdrive also? I'm sure that most likely I'll have to spring for a new plug also, correct?
Long version...
Paid too much money for a boat that is out of production. (GW Invader Bravo) Owner didn't live on the water, so the boat would go in for a day and come out, with the plug pulled on the trailer. I happen to have lakefront property. Put the boat in, left it in for a few days, when I came back it had sunk. Leaky bellows. Pumped it out. towed it to the ramp and pulled it home. Drained fuel, pulled plugs, changed oil and cranked it over to get the water out. New plugs in and it wouldn't start. Figured the MSD ignition box got wet and was bad, bought a new distributor just to make it run for now. Dropped the dizzy in but never got past that. Threw a tarp over it and blocked the tongue up in the air so whatever water got in would drain, and it sat for ~3 years. I thought I drained the block and manifolds, I may have missed something.
Fast forward to last week, I get motivated and stick a battery in to see if she will turn over, only to find starter issues. Pull the starter and diagnose bad solenoid. (cleaned junk out of the starter also) New solenoid, starter works, stick it back in, engine cranks over. Oil is still fresh and clear. A little ether and some engine cranking, it pops like it wants to start. I fiddle with the distributor, and get nothing. Turn the rotor 180* and reset timing to 8*BTDC, only to get nothing. Battery dead. Charge battery and next day pull #1 plug to verify compression stroke. Turn rotor 180* again, reset timing, double check plug wires are correct on distributor, doublecheck power to dizzy, doublecheck wires from ignition module are in good contact with cap. (GM large cap HEI) Last of my ether and flames from the carb, so i put the muffs on, dump a little fuel down the carb, and try again with success. Now I am a happy camper. But,. when I shut it down I hear water pouring out. I look and there is a core plug sitting there out of place right behind the motor mount. Now I am debating the best way to reinstall this core plug, since there is very little room even with the motor mount removed. I've searched some and read that if I remove the outdrive (I will anyway for the bellows) that I can lift the engine up some for more room.
With all the stuff that needs done, I almost think I need to start a restore thread.
Long version...
Paid too much money for a boat that is out of production. (GW Invader Bravo) Owner didn't live on the water, so the boat would go in for a day and come out, with the plug pulled on the trailer. I happen to have lakefront property. Put the boat in, left it in for a few days, when I came back it had sunk. Leaky bellows. Pumped it out. towed it to the ramp and pulled it home. Drained fuel, pulled plugs, changed oil and cranked it over to get the water out. New plugs in and it wouldn't start. Figured the MSD ignition box got wet and was bad, bought a new distributor just to make it run for now. Dropped the dizzy in but never got past that. Threw a tarp over it and blocked the tongue up in the air so whatever water got in would drain, and it sat for ~3 years. I thought I drained the block and manifolds, I may have missed something.
Fast forward to last week, I get motivated and stick a battery in to see if she will turn over, only to find starter issues. Pull the starter and diagnose bad solenoid. (cleaned junk out of the starter also) New solenoid, starter works, stick it back in, engine cranks over. Oil is still fresh and clear. A little ether and some engine cranking, it pops like it wants to start. I fiddle with the distributor, and get nothing. Turn the rotor 180* and reset timing to 8*BTDC, only to get nothing. Battery dead. Charge battery and next day pull #1 plug to verify compression stroke. Turn rotor 180* again, reset timing, double check plug wires are correct on distributor, doublecheck power to dizzy, doublecheck wires from ignition module are in good contact with cap. (GM large cap HEI) Last of my ether and flames from the carb, so i put the muffs on, dump a little fuel down the carb, and try again with success. Now I am a happy camper. But,. when I shut it down I hear water pouring out. I look and there is a core plug sitting there out of place right behind the motor mount. Now I am debating the best way to reinstall this core plug, since there is very little room even with the motor mount removed. I've searched some and read that if I remove the outdrive (I will anyway for the bellows) that I can lift the engine up some for more room.
With all the stuff that needs done, I almost think I need to start a restore thread.
