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Engine Locked? Am I screwed?

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Txgator15

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We were riding on the lake today when the engine just stopped. No smoke, no previous noise. Still has plenty of oil, no leaks. was getting water, didnt appear to be extremely hot but now it wont turn over at all. Any advice on what to look for or what could have happened?
 
Welcome to the forum. I'm assuming you've already determined the battery is good and that the starter is getting power but that it's just unable to turn engine over. An electrical failure will cause an engine to stop dead in it's tracks. Fuel problems usually cause poor running conditions that are noticeable before the engine finally dies. If not fuel or electrical issue, I suspect you ingested water. Pull one plug at a time and check for water droplets on them. If water comes out of the cylinder when a plug is pulled, you've found the reason for the symtoms. If confident in putting all back together, pull all plugs and try to turn over the engine. If it does, probably full of water and you'll see it shoot out of cylinders. Next would be to determined why/how water got in. Keep us posted.

Still need engine info.
 
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I think that you're getting ahead of yourself with that last question.

We are also at a disadvantage here, by not being offered all, or at least more, information...... Year/model/engine/drive.... things you have checked or tested for, etc.
This can make a difference.
Example ONLY; perhaps your upper unit (transmission) has locked up due to lack of gear oil or???? I've seen this on several occassions!
(under certain low torque conditions, one may lock up rather than disintegrate)
Again, example only!

I'm not suggesting that this is it....., not at all!
Just suggesting that we need more info, and that you may need to test a few things like Woodie says, and then post the results.
 
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Lots of things can cause the engine to not turn and still not require a teardown. Busted timing chain for one. Don't freak out. Worst case is that you pop for a new short block and a gasket set and swap over all your stuff.
 
Txgator15, where'd ya go? Need more info!

Or, we'll have to resort to our alternate tried and proven method :D

5_carson.jpg
 
Lol. Ok ok. Thanks for the cold water. I needed it. My mechanic ( brother in law) will be over in a bit and we will start with your recomendations. Some background first. It is a 1981 Emerson Sea Raider. I bought it from a co-worker who wasnt able to take it out anymore. He said the engine ran good but needed a new starter. We replaces the starter. Drained and replaced oil and gas. We checked the plugs and they looked good as well as the distributer. I do plan on replacing though but will admit to putting that off because we did have to replace the entire floor, carpet, seat backs. For an accouting of whats been done you can go to http://kanda24.********.com
 
Ooops. The ******* is ******** ok guess I am not allowed to put the words bl og and spot together didnt mean to break rules. Sorry
 
Your hyperlink must contain characters that are not allowed here.... your link does not work.

Ok, while still lacking some information, we are getting closer.
Still no mention of which engine.
In 1981, this would be an AQ series drive.... 270/280 or so. Doesn't necessarily matter to me which actual drive...... I pretty much know these drives inside and out.

I'll hold off on any additional suggestions, until we hear back!
I will mention that the possibility of a locked up transmission does exist.
Will you pull the transmission dip stick and look at the gear oil for us?
Also, peek in at your drive shaft bellows. See if the bellows has breached anywhere.


Meanwhile, the more info the better. It helps make this easier for us to help YOU! :D :D :D

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Upper.jpg

top.jpg

When we removed the cover over the upper housing water came out as you can see the top is a mess too and will have to be replaced. I dont think that is the main problem though. there is a video of the enging trying to turn over. Also the propeller rotates by hand even when in gear.
 
sounds like the upper section of the sterndrive has come to grief.pull it off,then check engine operation.if motor starts ok,then its definitely sterndrive.the oil should have been checked more regularly,so it would have told you water getting in,or,metal deposits in the oil.inspection of the drained oil is very important,thats why truck companies send theirs away for analysis
 
Thats the first thing we did. We drained (sucked) the oil out and replaced. The oil was black but we didnt see any metal shavings, does it need to be analyzed?
 
Txgator15 said:
ok. Update. When we try to turn the engine over, the steering wheel, engine, jerks likes in gear, even though it is in nuetral.
Click to expand...

My original hunch is very likely accurate with the NOW mention that the helm wheel wants to torque to one side as you bump the starter motor.

Ditto! Remove the transmission and Leave it OFF!
Feed water to the the drive as you normally would via the garden hose/muffs.
Start the engine up for a very short time.
Very likely it is going to sound just fine. If you do hear a rattle, it will likely be the PDS Bearing..... of which likely went as a result of bad bellows.

Do NOT RE-INSTALL this transmission thinking that NEW OIL will save it!

You need a transmission over-haul, and you probably need a PDS bearing/seals.
FYI: I specialize in the AQ series Volvo Penta drives.... of which is what you have.
I have people ship these to me from all over, particularly when they are not near a shop willing to work on them, or when these shops want too much money to do the work.
The trans alone will ship in a USPS flat rate box...... $15.
Again, just an FYI on that.

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Short answer..... NO!
The transmission is the part that you removed the top cover from.
You will want to completely remove this..... but this part ONLY for now!

attachment.php

Once out, it will look like this.
VOLVO_280_UPPER.JPG

Again..... NO need to remove anything but the transmission ONLY at this point!

The area that has likely locked up, will be the Main Drive gear and Bearing Box.
82124.jpg



I hate to direct you away from ME.com, but I spend considerably more time on the BOC, than I do here.
I have put together a Volvo Penta AQ series Q's and A's on the BOC Vault.
You will find info pertaining to transmission removal, PDS bearing replacement, and so on.

Pay particular attention to my mention of the use of HEAT when removing fasteners.

Post back here with any questions.

As I said earlier, I provide service for these drive systems via shipping to/from each other.
I also have several good 4 cylinder lower units.
I can offer these cheaply because quite frankly, the market for a 4 cylinder lower unit is soft.... they just don't wear out!
However, this excludes water damage, as appears to be the case with your drive.

Feel free to send me a MarineEngine.com forum PM. We can set up a phone call if you'd like.... even if only to help walk you through this.



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