Rain water in oil?

[gordond]

What is the possibility to get rain water into the oil pan due to flooding? Long story short the cover blew open and at least a foot of water was collected in the boat. The oil is milky and we are thinking a head gasket is gone but hoping it is the flood.

She is a 1999 Mercruiser V8 350 Mag in a ski boat with Vdrive.

The water was as high as the starter. I'd say the start was about 1/3 under water.

 

[imported_TheMan]

Re: Rain water in oil?

Did the engine cover stay on? If so, you have about a 0% chance unless that foot of water covered your rear or front seals. Only other possibility is to leak past the oil drain plug, and if you weren't leaking oil, you're not getting water in.

If the engine cover blew off there could be a few ways water might get in.. but also pretty difficult if you have spark arrestor and oil fill caps on.

Bad head gasket/cracked components.

 

[Alumarine]

Re: Rain water in oil?

If the rain water got in the crankcase it would not make the oil milky UNTIL you ran it.

If you haven't run it the water probably came from somewhere else.

 

[bingshmo]

Re: Rain water in oil?

It's very possible to get rain water straight into the carburetor past the spark arrester. Drip by drip it adds up fast. My boats poor hatch design allowed this to happen and my Mercruiser and it filled my motor to the top with water. If water has been getting into the carb you can usually tell by looking into the carb venturi's. I think this is where your water came from. Not from the standing water in the hull.

 

[gordond]

Re: Rain water in oil?

imported_TheMan, the cover I refer to the boat cover/tarp that blew off. I enclosed a pic of the engine compartment. As for the seals, your thoughts were like mine, but oil wasn't appearing to be leaking anywhere.

marc, we drained the water from the boat and did run it and never thought of checking the oil before we ran it. as we thought if it isn't leaking oil then the water couldn't get in.

bingshmo, funny enough the spark arrester was off the Thottle body at the time but the top of the engine was dry due to the engine compartment design...see pic