"I have a '88 Four Winns w
"I have a '88 Four Winns with a 5.0 305 GM engine. I was putting across the lake to pull the boat out for the winter when I had the bright idea of going on one last cruise. I putted along for 5-10 minutes (just above idle speed) and smelled something weird. Sadly, my temp gauge crapped out over the summer and I was not aware that the engine was overheating. A few moments later and I was fully aware of the problem when smoke was billowing from the engine. I shut her down. A minute later a strange "plunging" sound occurred. I first thought there might be a water blockage and it became free and "whooshed" out...like plunging a toilet, or like the liquid plummer commercial...so I thought I might be OK...until I turned the key and the starter just "clicked". Well, I was stranded for sure. Boat was towed back. I later learned about Hydro-locking. Sure enough, the two last cylinders were filled with water. The culprit? was a trashed impeller. So no water circulation for a while, overheating, a "whooshing" noise, and a hydrolocked engine. I'd like to try to figure out how the water got into the cylinders...through the head gasket? Cracked block? crack head? Bad manifold? The boat is in my barn for the winter and I'd like to figure this out to see if its beyond economic sense to fix it...or if it's something reasonable. Any takers??"
"I have a '88 Four Winns with a 5.0 305 GM engine. I was putting across the lake to pull the boat out for the winter when I had the bright idea of going on one last cruise. I putted along for 5-10 minutes (just above idle speed) and smelled something weird. Sadly, my temp gauge crapped out over the summer and I was not aware that the engine was overheating. A few moments later and I was fully aware of the problem when smoke was billowing from the engine. I shut her down. A minute later a strange "plunging" sound occurred. I first thought there might be a water blockage and it became free and "whooshed" out...like plunging a toilet, or like the liquid plummer commercial...so I thought I might be OK...until I turned the key and the starter just "clicked". Well, I was stranded for sure. Boat was towed back. I later learned about Hydro-locking. Sure enough, the two last cylinders were filled with water. The culprit? was a trashed impeller. So no water circulation for a while, overheating, a "whooshing" noise, and a hydrolocked engine. I'd like to try to figure out how the water got into the cylinders...through the head gasket? Cracked block? crack head? Bad manifold? The boat is in my barn for the winter and I'd like to figure this out to see if its beyond economic sense to fix it...or if it's something reasonable. Any takers??"