Gray 327 Water in the Oil

"I have water in the oil of a

"I have water in the oil of a 1961 Gray 188 (327 flywheel Aft) from a Lyman. I have checked the Oil Coolers (they are good). I see a crack on the outside of the block, but before I pull it out and replace/rebuild it is there anything else I should be checking? Do you guys knows what could be causing water to get in the oil?

How difficult is it to rebuild this engine?"

"The crack in the block, is th

"The crack in the block, is there rust on the outside of it? Usually a block cracks because of improper winterizing. Water left in the cooling system will freeze and crack the block. Sometimes you get lucky and the crack will only be on the outside, in that case you can patch with JB weld or body filler. If the crack is also on the in side you need a new block. I pulled an engine and was fortunate to be able to stitch weld a small crack on the inside but I would not recommend that. Another cause of water in the oil could be a blown head gasket. check your spark plugs, if you have one that is really clean it's possible water is leaking into the cylinder. You didn't mention if the engine runs ok or misses.
If the block is cracked you would be better off to get a differen short block, ebay or other internet sites and swap all your marine engine parts to the new block.
How did you check the oil cooler? If the block froze chances are the oil cooler separated also.
Cal"

"Cal: THere is a little stream

"Cal: THere is a little stream of water that runs down the outside of the block very slowly. To your point, I don't know if it's cracked on the inside. I had the oil coolers pressure tested at a radiator shop and they are ok. I can get a replacement block for about $200.00. How hard is it to rebuild this engine or to swap the parts over?"

"If it is cracked on the insid

"If it is cracked on the inside of the water jacket a rebuild is out of the question. If you can get a replacement block I would go that route. Swapping parts is easy, one part at a time steady as you go. A set of socket wrenches will do the trick. If you have a digital camera take lots of pictures and close-ups of the old engine with all the parts intact so if you are doing the job over a few weeks you will not forget what part goes where. Still before the purchase check the plugs for a leaking head gasket. That engine is easy to pull the heads off. New headgaskets are not expensive and just might be all you need.
Cal"

Re: "If it is cracked on the insid

Also I have found that by taking out all the spark plugs and turning over the engine, you may find water coming out of one of the cylinders. So when you take the heads off, you can narrow your search to a pacific area. I have fouond two heads with holes in the valve ports. I took a screwdriver and poked around the valve ports, after seeing a rusty cylinder.
Regards, Don Berger