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Hello and questions regarding 225-s Ford

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wishihadathunderjet

New member
Hello first I would like to introduce myself as a new member here to this forum. I am from northern British Columbia and have been working in the marine industry for just over a year switched from automotive so my knowledge is still very much in the learning stages. So here is my first lovely issue on my first boat, which is a 22FT Larson outfitted with a 225HP Ford 302 1973 to 1974 according to Merc net at work. Anyways I looked at all the fluids and everything was in good order so I put the leg in a large garbage can and ran it for about 20 minutes in to see if I was going to have any overheating issues as the boat had sat in storage for years, Everything was ok ran fine. About a week later I tried to start it and it was hard starting so I did NOT continue trying instead I checked the oil yep milky! I pulled every plug and they were dry hmm very odd right? So I put new risers and bellows on as it needed them thinking maybe somehow this resulted in water in the oil I flushed the oil added some new oil and turned it over one more time, this time however I ended up with antifreeze in EVERY cylinder O.O. So I dug around at work and found every gasket for a ford 302 I could find got 6 pack of beer and started to investigate. I pulled the manifolds off they were rusty but the gaskets newer, I pulled the intake off and those gaskets again were in good condition, I moved onto pulling the heads off praying for a head gasket however no they were in perfect condition the cylinder walls also looked in good shape no heavy rust ect. I turned the flywheel which took some force to make a complete rotation but made no noticeable noise ( im confused here as I would assume I should have 0 resistance with the heads off? Is it possible I bent a rod? (probally but I didn't have this running the 2nd time)SO my question is how else can water get in every cylinder I see no crack in the block and if there was is it even possible for EVERY cylinder to be affected? help would be appreciated.
 
So I put new risers and bellows on as it needed them thinking maybe somehow this resulted in water in the oil I flushed the oil added some new oil and turned it over one more time, this time however I ended up with antifreeze in EVERY cylinder O.O.
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Wrong gasket on the manifolds for fresh water cooling? Next time start by pressure testing instead of dismantling the engine.
 
Thanks for the quick replies I did not preasure test the engine as I was concerned about causing damage to the pushrods with the antifreeze being in the cylinders. The Riser I replaced was very rusty and leaked straight through the cast so I installed a new one with the gaskets in order 3 hole gasket block off plate ( with no little hole ) and the other 3 hole gasket on top. I removed the manifolds which were rusty as well and filled them with water and let them sit over night they do not appear to have leaked at all. How easy should it be to turn the crank shaft with the heads off? like butter? or does it usually still require some force? And is their a method of testing for a cracked block before pulling the engine as I see no visual cracks. Thanks guys!
 
And is their a method of testing for a cracked block before pulling the engine as I see no visual cracks.
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You are going to have to be creative since only the block is left. Cover plates (old street name signs will work) and gaskets to take place of the heads. A valve to introduce air to the block. Pinch off the water circ. pump. Use your imagination.

Why not just junk it and install a 350 Chevy w/a 4 BBL carb. First check the floor, stringers and transom for rot. If you find rot you can bet the floatation foam is full of water. Only way to fix it is to gut it from the hull up. It's a hard, nasty job...I've done it once and never again. There is a series of about 30 videos a guy made doing a refurb. to a cruiser. It is in depth showing you everything to do to get a new boat out of it. If you want it PM me.
 
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