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BF 90 water nipple ???

M

mark123

Member
I noticed on the front of my 2001 BF 90 there is a 90 degree 1/4" nipple coming out of the block near the oil filler and it points down. If I rev the engine up in neutral and then bring it back to idle a spurt of warm water squirts out of this thing. What is the purpose of this and should there be a hose on it to direct the salt water out of there so as not to get all over everything and cause corrosion?
 
Water should not come out of that tube. There should not be a hose attached to it either.

Most likely, you have water in the flywheel cavity. You can check by removing your starter and taking a peek inside the opening for the starter.

Some of the older 90's had an issue with weak water seals under the power head. There was a running change to change those seals to stronger seals and changing the extension case to include drain holes to reduce the water pressure against the seals.

The only way to fix is to remove power head and change the seals and ideally change the extension case to a more current one, if yours does not have drain holes. At the same time, the shift shaft seals should be changed, as well as the lubricating the shift shafts themselves (inside the flywheel case).

If left unrepaired....especially in salt water, the starter will fail, the shift shafts could freeze, and the crank could erode to the point that oil will leak from the crankshaft seal and then the only way to repair is change the crankshaft (major teardown) or install new complete short block.

You can have your local dealer check Service Bulletin #26 revised September, 2003.

I hope you do not find any water in there.....but.....

Mike
 
I also should have mentioned the boat sank in sslt water earlier in the day. The power head was just under the surface for about an hour. No signs of electrical corrosion on starter terminals etc...I got it out and flushed the heck out of it with fresh water and started it right up and runs fine. Sprayed everywhere under flywheel etc...No water had gotten into oil. I had to drain carbs and that is all. Ran it for around 1/2 hour and it was hot and windy so everything dried . Is it possible water got into that area behind starter from this ? Will it evaporate from heat during operating? It sank a couple of years ago and I did the same thing with no I'll effects. I also soak every nook and cranny with corrosion spray. Should I remove starter and spray fresh water in there or would I have flushed that out already by spraying elsewhere. Thanks again.
 
Now we know the rest of the story......

Yes. If the motor went under water, most likely it got water in the flywheel cavity. You said you sprayed under the flywheel....I think you are indicating that you sprayed under the crank pulley etc on the top of the engine. The flywheel is under the engine.

It it an enclosed area....although water can seep past the powerhead gasket if a lot of water gets inside the engine casing.

Theoretically, the powerhead should have been removed and the area cleaned with everything apart.

As a shortcut - but probably not a very good one - you could have flushed with fresh water, dried out the cavity and then lubricated with spray and a double long straw on the end of the spray can....to be sure it reached all of the areas.

I doubt that it would dry out on its own. Pull that starter an see what you have.

I have a feeling, you are going to have a rusty mess.

You said that when you rev'd the motor in neutral, you get a spurt of water out of the tube. That tells me, that there is water in there now and somehow, that area is also getting pressure from the exhaust or water pressure from the water pump, that is blowing the water out.

Mike
 
It is not spurting water anymore. Would it be crazy to drill/tap a small hole under flywheel in the gray colored metal casing to flush and lubricate then plug hole.
 
I removed starter and it is full of water in there but no corrosion yet. I stuck garden hose in there and flushed it and started it with pull rope. Now how do I get the water out of there, I guess a shop vac. Like I mentioned earlier I think a small drain would be nice then I could fill it with oil and drain it to make sure everything is coated.
 
Well today I drilled and tapped for a plug. Filled it with rustproof in oil then drained it. I submerged starter in fresh water for an hour the let drain and blew it all out the submerged it in motor oil for a couple of hours. Everything back together now and working great.
 
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Interesting approach. Not the standard way, but should get the job done.

Yep. The starter is sealed, but certainly not waterproof, as you have found. If you have not done so already, you should disconnect all connectors and make sure they are good and dry. Spray with electrical contact cleaner or at least with wd-40. If there is any water caught in the connectors, corrosion will develop over time and any kind of funky thing can occur.

Hopefully, the cavity filled just from the submerged engine and it is a one time thing.

Check it again, after next time out to be sure that other issues are not brewing.

Mike
 
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