Engine is not cranking over 86 merc 260HP 350 small block

"Hi All, First time poster loo

"Hi All, First time poster looking for help...

Last fall I removed the outdrive on my boat and
winterized with antifreeze etc.etc.

So, now I'm trying to get ready for spring and
the engine won't crank.

Not sure if there is ice in there somewhere or what.

I'm trying to turn the crank shaft. It is not
budging. Does the outdrive need to be re-installed
first... Is there something locking the engine
preventing it from cranking? I used a breaker
bar on the crank shaft... I don't want to snap the
bolt. Not turning...

'86 Merc 260 HP (350 Chevy small block) w/ Alpha 1 outdrive.

I know that the starter is working and getting
sufficient amps to turn it over... It's like
the flywheel is stuck or something...

Any help?

Is it time to pull the spark plugs and put in some mystery oil?

Last fall I had some noise coming from the coupler
area...Like a clicking noise as it was rotating.
Not sure if there was an alignment issues. The
u-joints on the outdrive looked good. The gimbal
turns freely...

Not sure what is going on around the flywheel area
that could cause it to hang up like this. Are the
two issue related?

Maybe the damage occured last fall and once I took
out the outdrive it caused it to lock up...Not sure."

"It should turn without the dr

"It should turn without the drive. Hopefully it isn't frozen up internally but i can't think if anything else. Pull the plugs and spray a liberal amount of penetrating oil into the cylinders. With the breaker bar, go back and forth gently and see if it will move a few degrees.

Use a suction bulb to pull a cup of oil out of the dip stick tube and let us know if there is water in the oil. We'll go from there."

"Did you winterize the boat la

"Did you winterize the boat last fall by completely draining all water out of the engine and manifolds??

If not, my guess is she froze, and the heads and block have cracked, thus leaking water into the cylinders and she has rusted and seized.
I hope I am wrong, but if this is the case, you have got yourself a boat anchor.

If she froze, you will need a complete replacement short block, as well as new exhaust manifolds and risers.

Rod"

"Brian;
I noticed you said;

"Brian;
I noticed you said;
"Last fall I removed the outdrive on my boat and
winterized with antifreeze etc.etc."

Did you fully drain all the water before you filled it with anti-freeze? If not, you likely had a few pockets of water left, which may have frozen.

One easy thing to check is try draining a cup full of oil from the plug on your oilpan. If you find water, I am afraid you have a big problem.

Rod"

I definitely drained the water

I definitely drained the water out well and filled
with Antifreeze...

I pull All the hoses and drain everything. Re-attach
and fill with antifreeze.

I didn't check the oil though. It was absolutely fine
when I winterized.

If it cracked for some unknown reason wouldn't
I see oil in the bilge area?

"Not likely oil in the bilge.

"Not likely oil in the bilge.
Water freezing in the oilpan won't crack anything, but it will sure crack the block, heads, and manifolds."

"OK, Sounds like I got some wo

"OK, Sounds like I got some work to figure this out.

First check the oil... Then out come the manifolds.

Like I was saying in the first post. I had some
clicking from the coupler at the end of last year.
So I was trying to get the engine started to
complete the diagnosis.

I figured I'd have to take the engine out to fix
it if its the coupler.

How mush is a rebuilt for a small block 350?

I've got a lot of new stuff on the engine as it
is so it would be stealing parts from one to another.

The 350 doesn't seem big enough for the boat
too. It should of had a big block. Oh well
not ready to sink more money replacing
the outdrive et al."

not water in the oil pan...

not water in the oil pan...

Looks like water went down the carb and filled
the open valves.

Took off one manifold. In the middle of the other.
No water went in the exhaust.

Took out 4 spark plugs...One had water.

Checking the other side over the next 1/2 hour.

I suspect one to have water on the otherside.

The order of the day would to fill those
plugs with oil and turn by hand the crankshaft
now that there will be no back pressure.

Hopefully the crankshaft will free up and those
orings are OK....Crossing fingers now...

"No water in the oil is a grea

"No water in the oil is a great thing.
Once you get the plugs out and some oil into the cylinders hopefully you can get it turning over after it sits for a while.
If that happens, the next step would be a compression check to make sure the heads, valves, rings etc are about right.

How would water get down the carburetor?
Was the boat uncovered outside during the winter?

Rod"

"BTW; yes the motor would have

"BTW; yes the motor would have to come out to change the coupler.
The clicking could be a worn U joint, or bad gimbal bearing. I would suspect/check those first.

A rebuilt short block will run you about 3500 bucks or so. Check this site, or Jasper, or Michigan Motors, by way of some suggestions.

If you are looking for more ooomph, you could go to a 6.2 (383) MPI. These are rated at 350 crank hp; or about 320 flywheel. This is technically more than the 300 hp limit for the Alpha drive, but it will work if you drive semi-civilized.
I put one in my boat last spring in place of a 4.3, and it is a great package. You get the power of a big block, but not the weight.

If money is no object, a blown 502 putting out about 750 hp would perk it right up..........

Rod"

"If the short block is $3500 w

"If the short block is $3500 what's the long block?

I can drive civilized I guess.

The problem is the gear ration. or is it plug-n-play?

Looks like 1 cylinder on each side.

The boat cover collapsed due to several feet of snow and rain. First the snow....Then it rained
too much weight. By the time I fixed it water
must'a gotten in.

I vacuumed out the plugs...Spayed from fogging oil
down each one. Tried turing the crank...Need
to use some better oil and let it sit a day.

Looks like 4 bolts to remove the engine. and
other crap. Tools and know how not the issue.

If we find that the cylinder wall is rusted
I'd suspect a new engine in the future.

Just what is available is the only question.

I appreciate everyones responses to my obvious
stupidity in the process.

I play my 3 dollars for megamillions and hope
for the best... Until then, cut fingers and dirty
hands."

"Brian;
The 6.2 is plug and p

"Brian;
The 6.2 is plug and play, including the 10 pin wiring harness plug. Swap is straight forward.
It's the same Chevy small block, 4" bore and 3.75" stroke.

Your drive ratio will be 1.50; which is the same for all smallblock V-8's.

You can get the 6.2 MPI complete bellhousing forward for about 6500 bucks. Check ebay, Victory marine in Houston has them.

Rod"

"Try this for blocks [url=""]h

"Try this for blocks http://www.rapidomarine.com/default.aspx?p=/engines/default.aspxite

Bill"

"Pulling the engine this weeke

"Pulling the engine this weekend to see if it
will live on or die a dismantled death.

Fortunately, there's a lot of good parts on it...

My search so far has taken me to all the
different suggestions I've gotten.Thank you.

If I take this engine link, move all my extra
parts over. Add a new carb for $450

I'd be set for an engine that rocks.

Any feedback...

http://www.jegs.com/i/Blueprint%20Engines/138/MBP3550CT/10002/-1

carb

http://www.jegs.com/i/Edelbrock/350/1410K/10002/-1

I should be able to transfer the manifold and risers, water pump, starter, etc...They're all brand new...

I just need to know if the coupler will transfer
over and if its still in good condition or not.

Thanx for the help.

--brian"

Brian:

Nice engine and carb

Brian:

Nice engine and carb; more HP than your 1986 boat and Alpha 1 OD have ever known. Just take it easy on the hole shots and keep the WOT at the minimum of the range to keep the OD alive. Make sure that you insure the boat for its STATED VALUE and not book value; add up all your costs.

"Brian;
That's a good loo

"Brian;
That's a good looking reman.
Sounds like it is bored 30 over.
I am surprised they are not including a forged crank, but that would add another few hundred bucks I guess.

The 9.5:1 comp ratio is getting up there for an engine you want to run on regular pump and/or marina gas. You may need to back off the base timing a degree or two.

The 2.02/1.60 valve Vortec heads will get her breathing well.
2 grams balance is plenty close enough for a marine engine tht likely won't run over 5500 RPM.

Do they publish a dyno curve for this setup?
Your coupler and all other parts should swap over without problem. You may need a different spark arrestor to fit that carb. K & N make some good units for aftermarket carbs.

Rod"

The splines in my outdrive wer

The splines in my outdrive were recent replacements.
The previous owner must'a been an idiot as
was evident from the number of destroyed props in
the boat.

The vertical spline was mangled. Though the
female ends are in good shape. Must'a been driving
through rocks or something...

I got the boat 2 yrs ago for $2300...song-n-dance

Its a decent fishin boat. I'll have to update my
avitar with the pic.

The goal is to be able to go offshore 20-30 miles
and get there in a reasonable time...Then get
back to the slip in one piece.

"Somes guys just seem to love

"Somes guys just seem to love the sound of props crunching into rocks and stuff. Guess it happens.

I do not want to worry you at all, but if there is clear evidence of previous prop strikes, I would be concerned about hidden damage in the drive in the form of minor stress cracks in the valleys of the gear teeth. The gears are hardened brittle steel, and can crack with prop impacts. Then later these cracks can finally cause gear failure, which results in a piece of gear tooth breaking off. This usually results in a destroyed gear case as inevitably the piece of tooth jams between other gear teeth that are trying to mesh together. The result is a loud banging noise, and a sudden unplanned stop in the middle of nowhere.

If I was you, I would procure a new or used spare drive leg, just to be ready, as rebuilding your leg will be untimely, and expensive, and will interfere with fishing.

Rod"

I'm opening up the outdriv

I'm opening up the outdrive in the process. During
which a complete inspection.

I watch craigslist for outdives...