What to look for? Engine not winterized.

[snobdr]

Im going to look at a 1989 regal 22.5 with the magnum 350 and alpha one. The owner says the boat wasnt winterized last winter. Now we had a mild winter so it might have made it throught. My question is what should i look for. Where are the common places for damage?

 

[Silly Seville]

Re: What to look for? Engine not winterized.

Have the core plugs moved? Look for visible cracks on the sides of the block. Do a compression test.

If he will let you, remove the drain/fill plug on the bottom of the drive while holding a glass underneath to catch the oil that drains out. First thing that will come out is water if there was any in the drive. That could be problematic. Very easy to crack that aluminum drive. Also, first thing that should catch your eye is if he has stored/parked the boat with the outdrive in the trailer-up position. If so, that means an ignorant boat owner, and I would question how it was maintained. Outdrive up in the winter can lead to a cracked lower case.

Good luck!

 

[snobdr]

Re: What to look for? Engine not winterized.

I understand having the outdrive up will make it catch water, but with it down will it hold water in the passages? And if it does freeze i guess it could freeze internally and not be noticable.

 

[larivies]

Re: What to look for? Engine not winterized.

look for crack on engine block, engine head, exhaust manifold
start engine with muff on sterdrive and look for water leak in blidge
with engine on for 10+ min., look at temp gauge for any overheat. Look at oil pressure gauge, you should have 30-60 psi at 2000rpm.

 

[Bondo]

Re: What to look for? Engine not winterized.

Im going to look at a 1989 regal 22.5 with the magnum 350 and alpha one. The owner says the boat wasnt winterized last winter. Now we had a mild winter so it might have made it throught. My question is what should i look for. Where are the common places for damage?

Ayuh,.... Pull the Dipstick, 'n check for an Over-full condition....

Pull the block drains,... If they're still Full, maybe yer right...
If they're Dry, the water went somewhere...

 

[Don S]

Re: What to look for? Engine not winterized.

Start it up on muffs and look for leaks. If everything looks ok, put it in the water and run it. Sometimes interrnally cracked blocks don't show up on muffs, but will under load in the water where the pump puts out more volume and pressure than the muffs do.

If the engine oil turns milky and the oil level climbs, it's junk.