water seepage

[damie]

hi.<br />i have a 1998 mercruiser 3.0lx alpha 1 <br />problem is at beginning of season i had a small amount of water seep out(egg cup full)between head and block,since them this has stopped<br />question is should i change head gasket or leave alone??.

 

[Northern Eclipse]

Re: water seepage

If you have already detected a leak once it will come back, Its not really a big deal to change the head gasket on these 3.0 motors, did one about 10 yrs ago along with new distributer and timing gears took me about 3-4 hours, I'm going to suggest that you use FEL-PRO pro seal marine head gasket its a excellent gasket and its a bit cheaper than Merc I was able to order mine at my local auto parts store. Another reason to change it is the water could be entering the cylinders or getting down into the oil pan which could equal a trashed motor...

 

[loadnet]

Re: water seepage

I agree with Northern Eclipse big time..<br /><br />...and to do a perfect job go one step further!....<br /><br />When you remove the head take it to your local machine shop and have them magnaflex it, check it for cracks, and plane it perfectly flat prior to re-installing it. The cost for that process is only about $60 and you have ruled out the worry of a cracked and warped head.<br /><br />Most machine shops will give you a discount on your preferred gasket set if you have the machine work done at their place.<br /><br />Good luck to you!<br />CaptainHooknFinger