Noob Considering purchase of "Blue Flush Cap Overheated" 2003 Glastron Volvo 5.0 GL

[joeymarin]

Noob Considering purchase of "Blue Flush Cap Overheated" 2003 Glastron Volvo 5.0 GL

Hello All,

Have always wanted to have a boat - finally have the means to consider getting one.

There's a local listing of a 2003 runabout with a 5.0L GL motor that has been overheated. Apparently, the current owner's son had done a flush prior to heading out for the day and forgot to close the blue flush cap. He ran it. It overheated. Poked around the engine compartment "meh, maybe it'll work better this time" and it overheated again. Definitely not the cautious patience of some other fellow posters I've come across in the forums. The boat has sat idle for 2 years since that ill-fated day.

My inclination is that it's at least worth a look; the owner is in a financial pinch and this could, potentially, be a way to a nice first boat that wouldn't break the bank.

Here's where you guys come in: Are there some non-destructive/immediate clues I can be on the look out for when I see the boat that will indicate whether this package is a lost cause, a 50/50, or a "probably OK with X,Y, and Z"? I can't expect that it would be a good idea to try and turn over an engine that's sat idle, most likely without the "winterizing" TLC, for two years. I'll save the "start-up" checklist request for a later post should things progress.

Any sage advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Joe Marin

 

[coolguy147]

Re: Noob Considering purchase of "Blue Flush Cap Overheated" 2003 Glastron Volvo 5.0

Re: Noob Considering purchase of "Blue Flush Cap Overheated" 2003 Glastron Volvo 5.0

get it dirt cheap. if the out drive is still good you could pop a new/used motor in.

seeing as they probably didn't do any maintenance then the out drive might be in bad shape too.

check compression is all i can really say.

 

[insttech1]

Re: Noob Considering purchase of "Blue Flush Cap Overheated" 2003 Glastron Volvo 5.0

Re: Noob Considering purchase of "Blue Flush Cap Overheated" 2003 Glastron Volvo 5.0

Make a quick checklist:
cost of boat
cost of registration
cost of insurance
cost of new motor (outrageous!) or potential new parts
cost of drive rebuild materials (bellows, gaskets, seals, fluids)
cost of carb rebuild kit
does it have a trailer? does it need tires or wiring?
cost of YOUR TIME to address all of this, which will be a lot!
if looking to pay for labor, better get an estimate (which I hear runs $90/hour for marine work)

then do the same for a boat that's running that you can have inspected by a mechanic or buy certified/inspected used from a dealer...or toss some cash out there and have a bank finance a few grand so you can get a better-condition boat...

 

[Maclin]

Re: Noob Considering purchase of "Blue Flush Cap Overheated" 2003 Glastron Volvo 5.0

Re: Noob Considering purchase of "Blue Flush Cap Overheated" 2003 Glastron Volvo 5.0

Did it overheat just to where an alarm came on? Or did he overheat it until steam came out somewhere? You did not post anything else "they" said about what all they did after the incident, leading up to why it just sat for the 2 years.

With the flush cap off scenario I am not sure what shape the impeller would be in, if it had water all the time and the engine just never got any. If the impeller ran dry then depending on how long he ran it the impeller could have come apart and jammed pieces all up in the cooling system. The impeller can be easily checked by removing it for inspection, it is in the raw water pump on the front of the engine.

If the engine ran hot and water did not get circulated thru the exhaust then the rubber exhaust hoses that link the risers to the y pipe could have melted and need replaced.

Cast iron engine overheating causes head warping then gasket failure. New head gaskets at minimum would be required, and I would have the heads checked for warping, they may need some machine work like "decking".

Also, in a scenario like that many times the boat can sink, wonder how close they came to that.

Depending on where the boat is located, if they did not drain the block well after all that (for winterizing) the block may have cracked during the 2 winter seasons it has weathered since then.

My first thoughts centered around that it must have been pretty bad or they could have fixed all this themselves once they figured out what happened. Then I realize that there is a chance that a person like you could get lucky, where they just assumed the worst was done and just gave up on it right away when it may not actually be that bad.

It would be interesting to subtly quiz them some more and see if anyone else has looked at the boat, whether a mechanic or just an interested party if maybe they have tried to sell it before. If it comes to light that a mechanic looked at it or knows them or the boat then looking the mechanic up would be helpful as well.

 

[joeymarin]

Re: Noob Considering purchase of "Blue Flush Cap Overheated" 2003 Glastron Volvo 5.0

Re: Noob Considering purchase of "Blue Flush Cap Overheated" 2003 Glastron Volvo 5.0

Thanks for the informative replies and great suggestions.

Maclin, from what you say it seems there are two places to that I should check first that will be tell-tales for potential damage: The condition of the impeller and the rubber jackets around the exhaust. I've also read that the rubber impellers tend to come apart in an overheat and distribute themselves in various places where they are not supposed to be, including but not limited to the water jackets (yikes). But if the flush cap is off and the engine is gulping air, I wonder if the pieces would have successfully traveled far into the engine? Subsequently one might be forgiven for hoping the damage might be superficial. I suppose that the head damage/warping would be checked using a compression test as coolguy mentions?

Seals, gaskets, etc are things, challenging though they might be, I would feel comfortable trying to tear down and rebuild/replace. I have an ME degree and have yet to have a worthwhile project...I think it's time, but of course, I don't want to bite off more than I can chew.

I do think some more interviewing and careful notes of the "overheating event" are in order. I don't want to ask anymore questions over the phone as I'd like to be able to hear the story in person. Also - I did find an excerpt from the VP 5.0GL workshop manual for diagnosing overheating. Apparently there are codes that indicate the degree of severity of the overheat. Any suggestions on how to pull these codes?
I do know they were eventually towed back into the Marina. Whether it was to be safe or because the water was locked up/wouldn't start - I don't really know.

Regarding winterizing: the boat (as am I) are in the South and we don't really freeze too frequently - a few times a year, maybe. Compression test would reveal a cracked block as well, right?

 

[Maclin]

Re: Noob Considering purchase of "Blue Flush Cap Overheated" 2003 Glastron Volvo 5.0

Re: Noob Considering purchase of "Blue Flush Cap Overheated" 2003 Glastron Volvo 5.0

A compression test will not reveal cracked internal or external cooling passages. You would have to pressure test the cooling system passages using a modified automotive procedure.