seized engine and water in oil

[jsmith3102]

I have a 1994 5.0 Mercruiser 305 and have water in the oil. I was on the river and noticed the engine was not running perfect. It was vibrating a little more than normal at idle and I lost a few rmp's at top end. We drove for a while until I could get some tools to check things out. I opened up the engine room and noticed a few oil spatters (droplets) near the front of the engine that appeared to come from the drip stick. Could not find anything else but when I went to start it, it acted like pre-ignition and stalled the starter. On second try it started. We took off and went across the river at higher speed, stopped the engine and I jumped in (I was hot). After getting out, the engine would not crank over. It was seized. I pulled the dip stick and found lots of extra oil (watery oil), about 5 inches up the dipstick or 3-4 quarts high.

I pulled the plugs. The left side has one plug with a little water on it. The right side has 3 plugs with a little water on them and the 4th drained like a faucet.

With the engine seized where do you start? How do you unseize it? Remove the engine to do this? Then what do I check next? Why 2 head gaskets if that could be the problem..

 

[Don S]

Re: seized engine and water in oil

IS this the first time you have used the boat this year?

Here is a Mercruiser service bulletin on water intrusion.
http://www.boatfix.com/merc/Bullet/01/01_13.pdf

 

[jsmith3102]

Re: seized engine and water in oil

No I have used it a bunch. So I don't think it can be any kind of freeze issue.

I have read the bulletin and taken the intake manifold off to find water was sitting on top of one of the intake valves. I pushed it in and let the water into the cylinder and out the plug hole.

Still need to know how to unseize this baby. Any tricks? Some way to twist from the front?

 

[snoski]

Re: seized engine and water in oil

It sounds like maybe a head gasket failure letting water into the oiling system. If the motor is seized, then the main engine bearings have seized to the crank or the rings on the pistons have seized to the cylinder walls.
Sounds like time for an engine rebuild.

 

[Alumarine]

Re: seized engine and water in oil

Are you sure it's seized and wasn't just locked up because of the water in the cylinders?

Have you tried turning it over by hand?

 

[jsmith3102]

Re: seized engine and water in oil

After pulling all of the plugs and leaving them out, I tried again and still seized. I think the started is stronger than me...??? Correct or do I need to twist the balancer?? Wrench or no wrench???

 

[snoski]

Re: seized engine and water in oil

with the plugs out it is easy to turn over with a socket on the crank nut on the front of the crank pully using a socket/torque wrench. The starter should not be engaged so it has nothing to do with spinning it over. If you cannot spin it with the plugs out, then it got really hot and had no lubrication because the water diluted the oil. It does not sound good.

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: seized engine and water in oil

I pulled the dip stick and found lots of extra oil (watery oil), about 5 inches up the dipstick or 3-4 quarts high.

had no lubrication because the water diluted the oil. It does not sound good.

The above is rather "key", although the oil is not really "diluted"......it's lighter than water so It "floats" on top of the water below. your oil pump pumped water at hi rpm. You've probably spun bearings among other damage

I'd be planning to pull the engine....

 

[Bondo]

Re: seized engine and water in oil

I'd be planning to pull the engine....

Ayuh,.....

I think you went from a salvageable Bad runnng boat Motor,...
To a boat Anchor,.. By running it, instead of Fixing it, way back when it started running Bad....