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Ismy engine OK

J

justinchapman

New member
"Hi all, I recently had my mai

"Hi all, I recently had my main belt break on my 4 cylinder Volvo and my engine got pretty hot before I noticed it. The only damage I know of is the coating on the big exhaust "tube" that connects to the riser has melted and smoked a lot. I have replaced the belt and checked the oil for water and have found none.

The motor starts easily and seems to run normally, but the engine/outdrive doesn't seem to be taking in the same amount of water from the hose that it used to. I don't notice the same amount of water coming from the prop and most of the water/exhaust seem to be coming from the base of the outdrive.
Maybe I am being paranoid. Is there anything else I should look at to ensure that nothing is wrong before I take it back out?"
 
"Very mysterious. How about te

"Very mysterious. How about telling us what engine/drive setup is in your boat. One never knows, could help."
 
"I would also check the rubber

"I would also check the rubber exhaust bellows. If you burnt the paint on the exhaust tube, it got pretty (very) hot. The rubber would be gone before that."
 
"Sounds like you melted up a f

"Sounds like you melted up a few things. Most likely there's probably still fragments of rubber within your cooling system as well as an impeller that's suffered the heats wraith.

Try pulling your wet exhaust hoses(the hoses the connect the risers to the exhaust) and inspect the inside of them. If you had enough heat to make the outside melt, I'm sure the inside is expontentially worse. They'll probably look like a charred log and need to be replaced. They're expensive from a volvo/penta dealer(around $60/each) but you can find a lot cheaper alternative by matching the exact inside diameter and checking at a terminal that repairs 18 wheeler rigs. They use the same type/size hoses for radiators on the big dogs. Your other alternative is to try to find a bulk section of the hose and cut your own to replace. Make sure the temperature rating of the hose is correct. Either way you'll be better off shelling out extra to your VP dealer for a rediculous mark up.

You'll also want to check/replace your impeller and pull your raw water pump to make sure it's functioning properly without something clogging or binding it. You'll want to be outta the water before you do this unless you've got extreme confidence in your quick skills as a mechanic or a ton of confidence in your bilge pump. If you're floating, there will be water ingress.

Otherwise you want to do a complete check on the cooling system to make sure all your clamps and fitting are properly secured so that you're not drawing air anywhere.

Be aware that if you retest your system using flushing ears and a hose. A hose supplies pressure that doesn't otherwise exist when you're on the water sometimes masking a problem that didn't get fixed.

Better to remedy this concern before the heat starts to wear internal engine parts."
 
"Thanks everyone. I changed t

"Thanks everyone. I changed the oil and replaced the impeller because it was in fact, falling apart. I did find a lot of the pieces, but hopefully the others will not cause me a problem. I took it for a 15 minute test in a small lake and it seemed to be doing fine, so I took it out yesterday and everything seemed good. Engine temp stayed between 160 and 180.
That being said, I will pull the wet exhaust hoses and replace them also.
Thanks again!
Justin"
 
"Justin,
That's good news

"Justin,
That's good news!
One word of advice though. If the impeller was "falling apart", or rather had fallen apart, its pieces might be lodged in the heat exchanger core and somewhat block water flow.
So, at least for winter work, I'd make it a priority of taking the H/E apart and cleaning it out. Until then, just keep a close eye on the temp gauge."
 
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