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Overheating Starter had fluid in it

J

jpurkiss

New member
"So...I have a 350 crusader, f

"So...I have a 350 crusader, fresh water cooled that overheats at high RPM's. I used a laser thermometer and everything seemed to be at appropriate temps except for certain areas on the head (?) of the engine. I would check one area close to the front of the engine and the temp didn't exceed 175 then I would check toward the middle and it would exceed 210. I am worried that I have a cracked head or block. Coolant is clear and the oil isn't milky?

We then started having starter issues and I pulled out the starter and a rusty color liquid came out of the starter when I turned it over???

What do you guys think?

Again thanks for your time and feedback.

Josh"
 
"very un scientific answer, bu

"very un scientific answer, but remember book saying dont drain coolent into starter when draining system. are you losing coolent? is it slowly dripping under pressure onto your starter?"
 
"In addition to Scott's Q&

"In addition to Scott's Q's, how hot do the elbows get?

Access hatch over the starter?

Last time the raw water pumps were serviced?"
 
*Scott - I have lost a not

*Scott - I have lost a noticeable amount of coolant only once and that was after we overheated the boat pretty severly. Elbows aren't running very hot. I don't remember the temp off hand but I remember it wasn't bad.

Mark - When I bought the boat the guy mentioned that the raw water pump was original but there appears to be plenty of raw water flowing through the engine. I know this because the exhaust manifolds have drains on them to allow excess water out after each use. I left them open and ran the engine. They each fill up a 5 gallon bucket every couple of minutes. Could the fresh water pump be an issue?
 
It is freshwater cooled. I th

It is freshwater cooled. I thought that there was a pump that would send the coolant around the engine? What pumps the coolant through the engine block?
 
""I know this because the

""I know this because the exhaust manifolds have drains on them to allow excess water out after each use."

This is a confusing statement. Stock crusaders have coolant in the exh manifolds, not raw water. So, do you mean you are draining the risers/elbows, or do you have a block only cooling system? Most cooling issues are related to low raw water flow."
 
"Josh,
I ran into this with m

"Josh,
I ran into this with my starter as well. To start with my engine is a mix of Pacer and Crusader, long story. But what was happening was the engine sits so low in the bilge that water as getting into the bell house and when she was running it was flinging the water around and one of the places it went was right into the starter."
 
"Ah-hah! So that's it.

"Ah-hah! So that's it.

To their eternal credit, Chrysler relocated the starter on their marine engines high up on the bell housing.

Jeff"
 
""This is a confusing stat

""This is a confusing statement. Stock crusaders have coolant in the exh manifolds, not raw water. So, do you mean you are draining the risers/elbows, or do you have a block only cooling system? Most cooling issues are related to low raw water flow."

Dave - Yes I am draining the risers/elbows. My knowledge is pretty minimal as you can see.

"I ran into this with my starter as well. To start with my engine is a mix of Pacer and Crusader, long story. But what was happening was the engine sits so low in the bilge that water as getting into the bell house and when she was running it was flinging the water around and one of the places it went was right into the starter."

Paul - Sounds like my exact problem with the starter. My starter sits really low in the bilge. The weird thing is that the starter would get stuck on and we traced it back to the starter causing the proplem. We disconnected everything on the starter and placed a +/- on the starter and all it did was draw juice."
 
"Jeff,
My starter IS located

"Jeff,
My starter IS located at the top of the bell housing. Problem was the water slung on the fly wheel would then run into and out the starter. I ended up having to put sealer on the bell housing to keep it dry."
 
"I just had an overheating iss

"I just had an overheating issue on my 454 this past fall. I hadn't touched my cooling system in 9 years so I methodically went through changing elbows, risers, raw water pump, impeller, thermostat, hoses, etc, etc. Still had the same temperatures. Ultimately it wound up being the circulating pump on the front of the engine. Everything was A-OK once I changed it out."
 
"Joe,

In diagnosing this

"Joe,

In diagnosing this issue, did you have any opportunity to know in hind-sight, that this problem had developed? We have done our top ends and entire raw water cooling systems BUT I have always wondered how the signs would develop that indicate the engine coolant circulator is developing a problem."
 
"That's a good question.

"That's a good question. I actually learned how to figure this out right here on the forum. In hind sight, I should have checked circulation of my coolant early on. This can be done by opening the cap on the heat exchanger (when cool of course) and looking to see if the coolant is flowing through the exchanger. On my port engine ( the good one) there was significant flow that was easily visible by eye. On the starboard there was nothing... After replacing the circulating pump on the starboard engine there was plenty of flow through the exchanger. Aside from opening the exchanger cap (when cool) the only other indicator I could think of would be the engine running hot.

I hope that helps."
 
"Joe; I have heard before of

"Joe; I have heard before of "worn out" coolant pumps, but never actually seen one. Reportedly, the actual impellor can erode away. Your starboard engine may be reverse rotating, but I believe the 454 pump is bidirectional. Did you happen to inspect the impellor on either the old or new pump?"
 
Visual inspection would be imp

Visual inspection would be impossible as the cap of the exchanger is directly under the cabin door slider and its associated structual components. You can barely get the cap off to stick a finger in to feel the level.
 
"Josh:

Sounds like the star

"Josh:

Sounds like the starter's solenoid is 'stuck on'; a trip to the starter & alternator shop sounds in order.

Have you checked the HX to make sure it is full of coolant? Joe's description of checking for circulation would also help you assess coolant level. Don't full the thing cold as it will expand a bit until the thermostat opens. Just keep the coolant level high enough to cover the 'inner tank' that should be visible thru the filler neck. If the coolant loop has air in it, you can get the 'hot spot' syndrome as you described."
 
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