Sleeping Mercruiser will not turn over any thoughts and suggestions

[JJJ]

Re: Sleeping Mercruiser will not turn over any thoughts and suggestions

With the plugs out, the engine should spin easily and completely around - assuming the starter gear isn't stuck out and engaged with the ring gear.
You do not want to break those starter bolts - it would get really ugly at that point.

 

[89sandman]

Re: Sleeping Mercruiser will not turn over any thoughts and suggestions

i would work on getting the motor to spin, work it back and forth and spray lubricant into the cylinders. if you've got the plugs removed and it still won't spin 360 degrees you've got more than a bad starter. i wouldn't worry too much about breaking the center crank bolt, it can take some pretty serious torque. plus if you motor turns over hard enough to break that bolt the engine is going to need to come out anyway... also spraying lube on the starter bolts won't do you much good, the bolts travel all the way through the starter and the threads are at the bottom of the block. get some pb blaster and spray it at the rear of the starter where it meets the block, this will be your best shot at getting any lubrication to the threads. but as i posted before if your motor won't turn over you've got bigger problems than the starter.

 

[KyHeadhunter1]

Re: Sleeping Mercruiser will not turn over any thoughts and suggestions

Ike,

Yeah, that's awesome news that you got her to turn over. Even it if was just a little bit. I would divide a whole aerosol can of fogging oil between the cylinders and let it sit over night. Keep doing that everyday or every other day for about a week to soften the rust. It should turn over VERY easy without the plugs in it. After you soak her good like that, use your wrench and turn it back and forth. When you turn it to the right each time try to gently force it to go a little further than it did the last time. Your kind of using your piston rings like scrapers to scrape the surface rust of the cylinder walls. You simply cannot use too much fogging oil for this process. As each piston reaches the top any oil on top of it will be pushed out of the spark plug hole. Do not "try to get a run at it" and try to turn the engine faster to help it break through the rust because this could cause a ring to break. The ring is stronger than surface rust and if you take your time you should be able to work it through and get her loosened back up.

When you get her good and loose remember to change your engine oil before you try to start her. The fogging oil is thin and it will work its way past your rings and into the oil pan and it will thin out your engine oil.

The small impact gun will certainly help. The impact action helps to vibrate the bolts loose instead of using torque alone. If possible, try to smack the heads of the bolts with a hammer hard! This always helps me get rusty heat seized exhaust manifold bolts out of car engines.

Before you try to take the starter bolts out, disconnect your battery cables from the battery, then take the wires off the starter's solenoid. Nothing is worse than trying to hold the starter in one hand while trying to take the nuts off the wires. If you get both the bolts to break loose the starter will immediatly start to drop away from the engine block. When it drops down enough to get the straw of your PB Blaster in there shoot it good and tighten the bolts back up. Give the PB a few minutes to work then try to take them out. Your starter bolts are like 4 to 5 inches long and only have theads on about the last inch.

 

[Dirty Dawg]

Re: Sleeping Mercruiser will not turn over any thoughts and suggestions

Thanks again all I greatly appreciate all the thoughts and expertise!!!!

What does everyone think of JJJ's thought that the starter may be engaged and it is preventing the engine from turning?? I was thinking or hoping along the same lines and that is why I was trying to get the starter off to determine if the engine was being held up but have not had much luck. ff course if you could heat the bolts up that would help loosen them as well but access is terrible!! Ike

 

[KyHeadhunter1]

Re: Sleeping Mercruiser will not turn over any thoughts and suggestions

At this point I would say about anything is possible with that starter. You already are planning on changing it so I would remove it first.

 

[Lit549]

Re: Sleeping Mercruiser will not turn over any thoughts and suggestions

Id def focus on getting the starter off..That would tell ya whats up with engine..And as far as "breaking loose "the pistons and rust(if its rusted),i just beleive that no matter what ya do its gonna scar the cylinder walls..So if ya do get it busted loose without breaking rings,your still gonna have bad scarring on cylinders making a low hours engine in total need of rebuild anyways..Just my opiniin on "breaking loose " a engine..Another words,if its froze because of rust,pull it and do it right,just my opinion..Im same as you,dont really have the $$ to go that route if at all possible..BUT,ya wont know till starter is eliminated from the equation?! Either way good luck,hope it turns out ok for ya..

 

[dkellogg3]

Re: Sleeping Mercruiser will not turn over any thoughts and suggestions

Although i dont know if mine was rusted up, i used about 1 oz of marvel mystery oil in each cylinder of mine about 2 weeks before trying to start her up after 3 years (with no gogging having been done). No problems here.

 

[rickryder]

Re: Sleeping Mercruiser will not turn over any thoughts and suggestions

A thin wall 9/16" socket 3/8" drive with a 1/2" drive adapter and a breaker bar should loosen the bolts. I did it on my 5.7 Merc last year...It was tough but it can be done.

 

[Dirty Dawg]

Re: Sleeping Mercruiser will not turn over any thoughts and suggestions

Thanks all heading out this weekend for another try, I will update on the prgress!! Ike

 

[Dirty Dawg]

Re: Sleeping Mercruiser will not turn over any thoughts and suggestions

Hello all I thought I would update you all on what is going on. The good news is that the engine is now freely turning. I went to the boat last weekend and pulled the plugs and gave it a quick shot of fogging oil into each cylinder and she easily turned over.

Now for my theory as to what is going on. At first the starter was making a large clicking noise when the starter was engaged and the engine would not turn over, then after taping the starter a few times the clicking sound was significantly less and the engine started to turn. My thought is that the starter was stuck and engaging the flywheel preventing the engine from turning over. The starter is definitely toast and the engine was fogged before storage so it was hard for me to think that it seized up despite storage for 2 years.

So the two bolts on the starter are in good and in a poor spot to access. Rickryder, I tried with both but just could not get them to give in. So gave up and took the boat to a mechanic that was recommended to me. Hopefully that is it and it wont be to $$$$$$.

Again thanks to all for the advise and help, it is greatly appreciated!!!!! I will update on the final outcome. Ike

 

[KyHeadhunter1]

Re: Sleeping Mercruiser will not turn over any thoughts and suggestions

Well, I can honestly say I am happy that I was wrong and I do apologize if I worried you. With the crazy high cost of repairs these days, your better off safe then sorry.

 

[1983 j10]

Re: Sleeping Mercruiser will not turn over any thoughts and suggestions

an engine needs to have oil on the cylinder walls to turn over easly dry rings on a cylinder wall will make an engine hard to turn over

 

[Dirty Dawg]

Re: Sleeping Mercruiser will not turn over any thoughts and suggestions

KyHeadhunter1, In no way did I mean it to insinuate that you where wrong. Perhaps the small amount of fogging oil I placed the week before and that day may have simply released the engine. (Although 1983j10 may have an interesting point) so your info has been extremely valuable to me and hopefully others as a learning experience and a better understanding of a boat engine and its function/maintenance and possibly one issue with the boat that I was able to solve. Knowledge is always power!

Sadly I got a call form the mechanic, the starter is bad an despite some attempts to get the starter out including pulling the manifold, it is frozen and cracked. He is concerned about sheering the bolts and wants to pull the engine to get it done. He doesn't think there is a way around it. Ouhhh!!!! I tend to beleive that that is what his thoughts.

What is the going rate for a boat mechanic and can anyone give me an "estimate" in amount of hours it would take to pull and replace the engine?? Thanks again all!! Ike

 

[rickryder]

Re: Sleeping Mercruiser will not turn over any thoughts and suggestions

Any good mechanic can R&R a motor in 4-5 hours IMO Boat motors are easier than a car....

 

[Failproof]

Re: Sleeping Mercruiser will not turn over any thoughts and suggestions

He wants to pull the motor to pull the starter because he is worried about shearing the bolts. BS! If the bolts shear, THEN pull the motor. If they are gonna shear, then they will shear in or out of the boat. Key is vibration, oil, and heat. Cant oil em, so vibrate and heat em. Take the starter apart to gain access. Then you can get oil to them. Hell you could even leave nose cone in place and put new starter parts on old nose cone. Remember that we dont even know if this thing runs or not. !!! I would not throw money at pulling the engine to replace starter unless going to do a full run, under load, out of the boat (dyno style) once its out. Just my 2!!!