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New boater has cracked block

"Hi,

I recently purchased


"Hi,

I recently purchased a 1983 Imperial V 192 with a 1985 Mercruiser 185 hp engine. I discovered yesterday that the water that I was taking in is coming from the left side of the engine. It is above a freeze plug that is above the starter. The area is smeared with some type of Epoxy.

I was reading about a cracked block on the Outboard discussion board. One person said to use JB weld. That is probably what is smeared on the engine now. Another person said to take it to a good Welder.

A new block is not an option at this junction. I'm hoping to utilize what I have for a couple of Seasons. I then plan on purchasing a new complete engine.

The engine runs great, and their is no water in the oil. Is welding an option for me?

Thanks, Skip"
 
"Skip,
The welding would be


"Skip,
The welding would be very hard given the metal the block is made of and the fact the metal is very thin in that area.

I'm surprized that the inside under the intake didn't break.

I've only seen a handful of welders that were good enough to weld the water jacket and have it last.

If you are thinking of a new engine down the line, depending on just where and how bad the crack is, you could try drilling a few holes in the block and tap them. Then use stainless steel bolts / screws whatever to hold a plate with a gasket and some good sealer over the break.

Just a thought. Good luck."
 
"Hi Charli,

I really like


"Hi Charli,

I really like the stainless plate idea. I have to figure out how to clean the epoxy off of the area. I'll know then exactly what I'm looking at.

Thanks, Skip"
 
The plate could work. I know s

The plate could work. I know someone who used a die grinder to make a shallow groove along the crack and applied a bead of MarineTex. He said it lasted a long time. He also repaired exhaust manifolds the same way.
 
"Part of whether it will last

"Part of whether it will last is how much stress the area is under. Being near the starter, it's under more stress than if it was on the other side, over the oil filter. Time will tell."
 
"Any welder experienced in wel

"Any welder experienced in welding cast iron can make a repair which will outlast the rest of the engine. The key is to get him good access to the area. He will probably request you remove the motor. Since the block will have to be pre-heated prior to welding, it will be safer to get the motor out of there. You will also want to remove the starter and manifold so he can get a grinder in there to prepare the surface.

I have seen blocks last for several years with properly prepared epoxy, but I have never seen a plated block work. The expansion rate of stainless is different than that of cast iron. This will cause the plate to move every time the engine heats up and cools down and will never withstand any cooling system pressure."
 
"Jim: They have given you goo

"Jim: They have given you good advice. If you can easily get to the JB Weld smear, You can slowly remove the mess with a variable speed drill and grinding stone to see what you are dealing with. In tight areas, use a dremel and stone. It may just be that rust has pushed the patch away from a poorly prepped crack. If you reapply JB Weld, clean the block around the crack to bare metal at least an inch all around it. Drill a series 1/16 inch holes about 1/4 inch apart along the crack to allow the JB Weld to penetrate the crack. Make sure the crack is clean and dry and apply the goop, pressing it into the crack with a putty knife and then place a layer or two of fiberglass mesh drywall tape over it and ad another layer of goop. If it won't hold, see a welder."
 
"Jim: After rereading your or

"Jim: After rereading your original post and seeing Jeff's post, I think you should take a VERY CLOSE LOOK at the inside structure of the 1983 hull before going any further. The cracked block may be the least of your problems.

If you are knowledgable about its construction, do a thorough exam of the floor, stringers, engine mount bases and transom below the waterline. You are looking for dry or wet rot encapsulated in fiberglass and waterlogged floation foam between the stringers. I just completed a total interior rebuild from the bare hull up due to these problems that can't be detected without probing and sounding the structure. It is too expensive to have a rebuild done professionally and very time consuming doing it yourself.

If it was my boat and I found a near perfect structure, then I would get rid of the 20 year old engine and repower the boat with a quality reman. of new crate engine. The crate engine is a complete unit that would be worth the cost if I were planning on keeping the boat a long time.
I have numerous photos of hidden rot you are welcome to view but can't post due to the file size. Email me direct and I'll be glad to send them. Guy"
 
"Guy speaks the truth--you nee

"Guy speaks the truth--you need to take a really good look at the hull.

Getting a long block, then putting your parts on it, is the cheapest way to a reliable setup.

Jeff"
 
"Hi everyone,

I'm goin


"Hi everyone,

I'm going to try to reply to everyone in this message. Thanks to everyone who has tried to help.

I'm taking it to a welder this week. He is going to assess the situation for me. Jim, I'll let you know next season how it works out.

Hey Rick, I think you are probably correct. The welder probably does need the engine removed. I want to clarify what Charli said. He said to use stainless screws to hold a plate on. He made no reference as to what kind of metal to use for the plate. I apoligize to you and Charli for that mistake in my post.

Hi Guy, I wasn't sure of a good way to remove the Jb weld stuff. I like that idea. I may still try to epoxy it dependent on what the welder says.

Hey Jeff, I'm only going to take the boat out on a river that is 100 yards wide. I just want to do a little fishing and pull a tuber. I will not take a boat like this out on the Ocean.

Hey Guy, I noticed that you were replying to Jim. I'm the unlucky one with the cracked block (Skip). I appreciate the information about checking out the integrity of the boat itself. I was not aware of what could be hidden from you. I was planning on replacing the engine in a couple of years. I'll make sure that this is the route that I should take.

I truly appreciate everyone's help. I'll definitely learn quite a bit from this lemon of a boat. I'm still optimistic that I can experience some great fun on the water.

Thanks, Skip"
 
"Skip
The one thing you did n


"Skip
The one thing you did not specify is, what 185hp is it? V-6 or I4 3.7? Neither of these take well to cracks because of structural rigidity. If it is a v-6 it is cast iron and must be heated to weld properly which will cause core shift and probably trouble soon after (but you may get lucky). If it is the I4 3.7 it is an aluminum block. These can be fixed by stop drilling the crack and pinning both ends. welding can then be done but I would anticipate even more trouble later. In either case I would be prepared for the worst and hope for the best. Good luck."
 
"Hi Boatrep1,

The manual i


"Hi Boatrep1,

The manual is at a friend's house. I'm pretty sure that it is a 3.8 litre. I just put 6 sparkplugs in it. I'm not sure if that makes it a V6. Please pardon my ignorance.

Also, Rick Sweeten said that 3.7s are FWC. I don't know what that means.

Thanks, Skip"
 
"It's probably a 4.3L sinc

"It's probably a 4.3L since the 3.8L didn't put out that much, IIRC and the cast iron version had major cylinder tapering problems (I had a Buick Regal with one and it needed a reman pretty young). They got it right on the aluminum version, though.

FWC is Fresh Water Cooling."
 
"Rick
A v-6 has 3 spark plu


"Rick
A v-6 has 3 spark plugs on the left side and 3 plugs on the right. I would be leary of having a 4.3 repaired by welding. If done correctly it will be expensive, and the engine must come out. Not as much as a new engine but expensive none the less. You say you're going to replace it in a couple of summers any way. May as well bite the bullet and pony up now."
 
""Also, Rick Sweeten said

""Also, Rick Sweeten said that 3.7s are FWC. I don't know what that means."

Skip,

What that means is, the 3.7L Mercruiser is an aluminum block 4 cyl engine which came exclusivly with fresh water cooling. This means that the block is filled with antifreeze, not water, and therefore will not freeze and crack as yours did.

By the way, it is a very common practice to weld cylinder heads to repair them and since heads endure a lot more stress than blocks, what's the big deal?
There's a shop near me who makes a living modifying and repairing blocks for NASCAR engine builders and diesel engine shops. I've had him repair cracked blocks for me in the past. He charges a couple hundred bucks and I have never had a weld related failure on any of them.

Granted, it may be wise to upgrade the entire engine now, but don't let anyone tell you it can't be repaired properly, or that it is too expensive. Yes , the engine should come out of the boat, but if you are going to replace it, doesn't it have to come out anyway?

Good luck
Rick"
 
"Hi everyone,

Many thanks


"Hi everyone,

Many thanks to all of you. I wish that I found this site before purchasing a boat.

I'm sure that I'll be back next season asking for help. Maybe, down the road I'll be able to contribute some valuable, helpful information.

Thanks again, Skip"
 
"I am new to your group. I, l

"I am new to your group. I, last Friday (the 13th as it was) picked up my first i/o. It is a 18 1/2 ft 1990 bayliner with a 3.0 mercruiser. I went to winterize it and found the freshwater impeller was shot and couldn't get it to take water. The mechanic came and now tells me the engine has a crack below the exaust manifold in the block about 6 inches long. Does anyone believe that this block could be welded in this area? Thanks in advance!"
 
"See prior post. Provided the

"See prior post. Provided there is no internal compromise (water in oil), it should be repairable."
 
"Ted:
Unless it was a gift


"Ted:
Unless it was a gift or you bought the boat with the known defect, call your attorney today and call the seller and advise them they sold you a boat with a KNOWN DEFECT without full disclosure of it! Also follow up the call with a certified letter stating the same. Putting the seller on NOTICE may get you some type of compensation.

If you get "0" out of the seller; file a small claims suit for the value of the engine replacement. If the seller does not show up for court, you win by default and can possibly attach their assets to get paid. The prior owner or dealer HAD to know the block was cracked.

Besides the engine trouble, have the floor, stringers and transom inspected for rot before filing the suit. You'll need a written boat condition report from an expert and written repair estimate. I hope you have a receipt and it doesn't say "sold as is" or "caveat emptor".

Guy"
 
"Guy,
I bought this thing on


"Guy,
I bought this thing on Ebay. stupid huh! here is his description for the auction "You are looking at my 1990 Bayliner Capri that is in great running and looking condition.Please call me at 609-744-3755 with any questions at all. This is a relist due to a non paying bidder, LTBOAT06 has not even tried to contact me, I do reserve the option to end this listing early if it sells localy. The 3.0 mercruiser I/O is one of the best marine gas motors ever and this one always starts right up and has plenty of power. The interior has plenty of seating and the seat covers show normal wear for a boat this age, carpet is in excellent shape. The exterior has no major flaws but could use a good wax. It is bottom painted and moored once three summers ago in fresh water and the entire life of the boat was spent in fresh water. There are many new parts on it including the starter, alternator, exhaust bellowsbilge pump, lines, hoses, belt, and more.The prop has a bent blade and should be replaced. I am selling it with no reserve as I do not have the room to store it this year. The radio does work but could use new speakers. The trailer is included in this auction and it is also a 1990 model. "The floor does have a small amount of rot. I can handle that. The "gimble" needs replaced looks like I'm in this for about 1600 without replaceing or fixing engine."
 
"Ted: I am not an attorney. H

"Ted: I am not an attorney. Here is how I collected from a person that entered into a contract with my organization, paid us with a check, left town and put a stop pay on the check.

I tried to get my money first by asking them to honor the contract to no avail. They left us no choice but to file suit in small claims. We won by default and were given a judgement for the amount of the check. I had to get a court order sent to their bank 100 miles from here to seize their checking account assets. The bank acted on the court order after the people deposited sufficient funds on payday and sent the court a check payable to the organization.

You can either chalk it up as a lesson learned or file a complaint with EBAY. If you paid via PayPal, then you are insured for $1,000 by them automatically and if your PayPal account is backed by a credit card, you may have options with the bank to refute the charge.

Did you post a feedback for this person? If not, contact him and ask for your money back. No refund? Post a negative feedback. Just be careful how it is worded. The seller seems to have misrepresented the actual condition of the boat and motor based on what his ad stated and what you received.

His ad speaks volumes of "don't buy this boat": has a bent prop, needs a good wax, bad speakers, no room to store it--all RED FLAGS.

Never ever purchase any major item without a prior-to-sale inspection by a professional; in your case--a $100 payment to a boat mechanic with years of experience would have told you not to pay more than $200 for it, which is the value of the trailer.

If there is a Vocational School nearby that would accept the boat as a project, you may be able to deduct the amount you paid from your income taxes if you itemize deductions.

Most attorneys generally do not charge for a consultation. Please understand that I am not chastising you or berating you in any way--I have been burned before on a truck purchase by a crafty fellow and was stuck holding the bag.

Finally, if you are mechanically inclined and care to refurbish the boat, we'll all provide you with support and instructions as you go. It's a labor intensive job--I can send you the before and after photos of my recent refurb of an 87 Baretta. Besides, you have all winter to do the job and you'll learn alot about your boat.
Good luck. Guy"
 
"Guy G. Thanks for the sugges

"Guy G. Thanks for the suggestions. I already gave him a good feedback. I am stuck. I have to do what I have to to get this boat usable. The mechanic I had check it out told me that I would be best selling it instead of fixing it, but then I would be doing to someone else what was done to me, and I'm not enjoying it! I'll bit the bullit and fix it in time but it is a tough pill to swallow. One of the last things I asked the guy was "does it leak" he said "no way, he just had it out last month" the shifter cable bellows is shot and the boat would have sunk to the mud, according to the mechanic I had look at the boat."
 
I have filed a complaint with

I have filed a complaint with ebay and with paypal as I paid for about have the boat via paypal. I doubt that it will do me any good but he never mentioned in the auction as-is and that is definately something that I would have to mention if I went to sell this thing.
 
"As an attorney, I'd have

"As an attorney, I'd have to say you're screwed. If you're both in the same state, you could go after him in small claims, but check out the filing fees. These, along with all the time and effort to collect may not be worth it in the long run. If you're in different states, forget it! Also, does he have any money? You can get all the judgements you want, if there's nothing for the court to seize, why go through the motions."
 
"I figured a have a very slim

"I figured a have a very slim chance. But if I can recover my deposit I made via Paypal, Then that is some help to pay for the repairs. He is in New Jersey, I'm in Pennsylvania. Getting back to this topic,,,Is there a GM engine from a automobile that I could use in this boat? I'd like to stay with something like the 3.0 that needs replaced."
 
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