Logo
FULL SITE MENU

Water gushing out of the left side of a 43l merc

O

odster66

Member
"Guy helped me on a fuel pump

"Guy helped me on a fuel pump issue...got in there started right up. NOW FOR THE REST OF THE STORY-when I satered in up I noticed water streaming out of the left side of the motor by the engine mount. there is a hole under the mount that I can bearle get to to feel but it is threaded. Cant be good...any help would be appreciated. I am preying that it is a plug of some kind. That would be a job to get to an replace but much better than a new block...thanks, O"
 
"Ayuh,....

It Sounds like t

"Ayuh,....

It Sounds like the Coreplug is breached,...
Freeze Damage,..??
Rust,..??

There shouldn't be any Threads though,..??"
 
"Ayuh,.... OK,....

I read

"Ayuh,.... OK,....

I read some of your other thread after I posted here....

1st off,...
You've got to make it Easier for old farts like Me to read your Questions,....
Sentences, Puncuation,+ Paragraphs would Help alot....

Next,...
Boats have a Port-side,+ Starboard-side....If you use these terms,... I won't have to figure out if you're standing in front of the motor looking Aft, or standing behind it lookin' Foreward....

After Suffering through enough of your other thread,....

I now think all you need to do is screw the Block Drainplug back into that hole....
Have you found any brass pipeplugs laying around the motor,..??

And Finally,....
Find the thread titled "Ayuh,.. The Backdoor is again Open"....
You can find the factory service manual from there...."
 
Sure sounds like the block dra

Sure sounds like the block drain plug to me.
There is one on each side plug drains under each manifold. Are they all in place?

Rod
 
"Sorry for the suffering....I

"Sorry for the suffering....I was standing in front looking aft...the leak was on the port side.

There was a brass plug under the motor. Your right no threads.

The motor mount is right over the hole.

Would you brace under the oil pan remove the mount and tap is back in using permatex sealant or are there others things I need to consider.

Thanks again,"
 
"Rod that is right on brass pl

"Rod that is right on brass plugs under the motor. There were two of them, at night with flash light I can only find on open hole though. The others have plugs in them. See above post, removing the motor mount is the only to get at the one....does that seem like the way to go to you?"
 
"Would you brace under the

"Would you brace under the oil pan"

No; too much engine weight. Do any of your family/friends have a garage or barn w/a block and tackle you could use to connect to the engine lift point? Safer for you and the boat.
 
"Odie;
If you had a popped fr

"Odie;
If you had a popped frost plug, that's a concern. Any other frost damage?

If you rig up a temporary way to support the engine, say with wood blocks and shims under the port side front, that should enable you to take the load off the mount and remove it from the engine. Then you can reinstall the frost plug. Non-hardening Permatex blue should be good.

You need to note carefully the amount that you move the big nut under the mount, if you have to move it at all. This nut is critical to alignment, and it has to be set exactly as it was, or your driveshaft alignment will be out of wack. It would be best to unload the front motor mounts by use of an engine hoist if that is at all possible.

Rod"
 
"OK, for what it is worth:

"OK, for what it is worth:

When faced with an engine mount that had moved and caused an alignment issue, with no other way to hoist the motor on my Formula 29 PC, I FABRICATED an A-frame setup that had it's base resting along and supported by 4 feet of gunnel on each side of the boat (the base was 6" wide to distribute the weight and save gelcoat, etc, then appropriate verticals with gusset members, and then a cross beam from a pair of 2x6 planks. Also associated cross-ties to make sure the legs of the device couldn't "spread" and come crashing down. Come-along off of that to the engine lift eye.

I wouldn't have wanted to do a full-out engine removal with that contraption, but it worked perfectly for lifting the motor (Chevy 454) off of the front mounts and re-positioning to correct the alignment issue.

Total time the front of the engine was supported by the temporary A-frame, probably one hour as it took me several tries to get the alignment just right.

I had the spare lumber, the knowledge and the need. If you don't feel comfortable "engineering" something like that, then Guy G is probably right. If you do have a little back-yard engineering skill, there is probably a way to do it where she sits.

Another option, if it's on a trailer, and it doesnt sit too tall is a cherry picker. I pulled a motor out of my 21 Nova sitting on the trailer with a cherry picker--had to do it in two steps, but I would think that if you're not up too high with that boat, a cherry picker with legs and boom extended would work just fine, and you can usually rent those..."
 
the engine can sit on the oil

the engine can sit on the oil pan - it wont hurt it - my V6 has been dragged around the shop on it's pan for the last 3 months... - you can just crib under it with hunks of 2x4 or whatever.
 
"I agree with Guy that it woul

"I agree with Guy that it would not be advisable to block under the oilpan; it may crush.
But you surely could brace under the crank damper and/or under the shoulder where the oilpan bolts to the block on the port front side. This would be perfectly safe.

Otherwise a hoist, or Bill's method.

Rod"
 
"got it guys another fun job..

"got it guys another fun job...thanks a bunch. I will brace the motor (not on the pan). I will also take everything out and thoroughly inspect the block and watch the oil. Speaking of which,

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO CHECK FOR WATER IN THE OIL?

I FOUND 2 PLUGS AND ONLY ONE HOLE, TWO ON EACH SIDE...DOES THAT SOUND RIGHT?

Thanks,

O}}"
 
"There should be 2 frost plugs

"There should be 2 frost plugs along each side on that engine. They are located between each pair of cylinders I beleive.

You should also find one on each side of the front of the block, just below the deck where the heads mount, just left and right of the circulation pump.

I hate to say this, but if you found a couple of popped frost plugs, that sounds a lot like the block froze, and if so its almost a certainty that there will be internal freeze cracking that will leak water into the oil. You shuld just crack your oil drain plug and drain off 1/2 cup or so of oil. If you find any water, I think you have a serious problem and you may as well figure on pulling the engine.
Was the boat properly winterized?

Rod"
 
Two plugs popped out both unde

Two plugs popped out both under the motor mounts. I am thinking about pulling the motor. I have rebuilt a 426 hemi as a teenager but never pulled one out of a boat. I think the pull is the thing to do. Any thoughts?
 
"let me ask this, if the oil i

"let me ask this, if the oil is fine then what is you t hinking. I cant get to the plug holes...they have to go back in....doesnt it come down to pulling the motor either way or is there something I am missing? Just curious..."
 
""doesnt it come down to p

""doesnt it come down to pulling the motor either way"

Just extra work if not needed. Today may just be your lucky day and the block is fine.
sun.gif
"
 
"If the 2 plugs that are behin

"If the 2 plugs that are behind the front motor mounts are the ones that are out, and the oil sample looks clean, I would say you could lift and block both sides of the front of the oilpan as discussed above. This would not be a big chore. YOu could probably use a hydraulic jack under each manifold alternately to lift the engine using the motor mount stringers; then block the oilpan to the bottom of the bilge to hold the engine weight.
It may sound unorthadox, but not much more so than Bill's homebuilt lifting arrangement. I have done similar stunts in the past with reasonable results, as long as you keep common sense in mind.
Best to pull the drive first so you don't put any undue strain on the driveshaft or U joints. Don't worry about side to side movement, the rear mounts will keep it aligned.

Once blocked, you can easily remove the motor mounts and reinstall your frost plugs. At that point I would pressure test the cooling system and see if it holds. If so, its your lucky day and you are good to go. You have saved yourself an unnecessary engine R&R. If it was me, this is what I would do.

Rod"
 
"We still have not addressed t

"We still have not addressed the question of why those plugs are out.

When that motor is "up in the air, with the mounts out of the way, and you are staring at the sides of the block sizing up putting the new plugs in, it would be a really great time to inspect that block closely on both sides. Usually when they crack due to freezing, there is a horizontal line at the weak point of the exterior of the block (between the two core plugs, of which you are replacing the front ones).

I've never heard of core plugs dropping out of a block "just because". Mysteries are worrisome. The only way you could maybe talk yourself into this being OK is to find out it is a reman or something, and then maybe the reman guy didn't do a great job with the loctite...

Just seems...um...weird...

You've recieved some good advice about checking the oil, etc. so far.

Assuming that you get the new plugs in, start it and run it up to temp for a while, and check the oil again.

It's a pretty good bet that it wasn't run up to temp with those plugs missing, and at temp is when you are likely to find any internal cracks feeding water to your oil in a big way...

Best of luck."
 
"[b]"I've never heard

""I've never heard of core plugs dropping out of a block "just because". Mysteries are worrisome."

Ayuh,.....

The Usual Cause involves Water in the block,+ Temperatures below 32° for a few hours.....

How Quickly it Froze,+ for How Long determines whether the Block is Split, or the Core Plugs blew out...."
 
"An alternative if you just wa

"An alternative if you just want to get an idea of how big a problem you may or may not have without a big fuss... Pool supply places sell rubber plugs with wingnuts on them. Insert in hole, turn wingnut to "lock" They will hold off 10+ PSI for a few mins which is notwhere near what your system pressure would get to. Don't recommend it as a fix, even a temporary one, but it may get you to the point where you can run the engine long enough to see if the plug pop out is your only problem. You should be able to put them in blind with one hand."
 
"removed the mounts, put the f

"removed the mounts, put the freeze plugs back in with permitex, put the mounts back as they were....started her up.....ran fine....went to turn the water to the stern up came back and there was a brown muck all over the manifold. looked like mud."
 
If I guess that the mud lookin

If I guess that the mud looking stuff is water oil fuel and rust...would I be right? Other ideas? Thanks for the help!
 
I will clean up the mess and f

I will clean up the mess and figure out where tomorrow am. Thanks Guy you keep the faith that maybe it isnt the block.
 
Back
Top