Need Boat help

[Eyethautunew]

Well... This might sound dumb but I'm going to ask anyways. Is there anyone that lives in the high desert area willing to help me with my boat? I got the boat free, took it to the shop to have them check it out and they said I needed an exhaust bellow and impeller. So I replaced both, But I feel there is something wrong with it still. The real problem is, its an older boat and I do not know anything about boats period... I bought a new battery for the boat and started it up. It cranked right up, but the engine had smoke coming off of it, and the exhaust hosing was super hot. I dont want to take it out, and have problems on the water. And I dont want to put anymore money into the boat if its not worth it. I would rather buy something newer, with an Instruction manual. LoL So if there is anyone out there willing to help me. I would really appreciate it. I live in Apple valley, So just email me at eyethautunew@hotmail.com. Thanks

[one_leg]

Need more data concerning your purchase.

[Eyethautunew]

You mean the boat I got for free. If so.. Its a 1972 wreidt stinger. With an Aq130c Volvo penta /270 drive. And thats about all I know. I know Im not to much help. Sorry

[Tail Chaser]

Its a 1300cc 4 cyl motor.
You should get the VIN# off the motor.
Call some shops. Ask if thats a good reliable motor and drive.
Also ask if parts are still available for that old motor and drive. Some old 4 bangers were only made a couple years.

May have a stuck engine thermostat. Take it out.
Im not sure the layout of a 4 cyl.
But V8 engines have water hoses from the thermostat housing to the exhaust manifold.
For cooling the exhaust. Pull the hose. Fire up the motor. See if it pumps water out.

The Exhaust manifold and risers have water jackets inside them. They clog up with deposits blocking water flow. Clean out all the deposits. Can soak in sulfuric acid if need be.

If it starts running cool. Get a new thermostat that's for your marine motor.

SELOC are good service manuals. Should have one for that motor and drive if you keep it

[Tail Chaser]

You did get running water to the outdrive didnt you?
With the garden hose hooked up to a suction cup device.

If not, You need another new impeller.

[Eyethautunew]

Yeah, I put the suction hose on the out drive, But honestly it did not seem as if water was getting to the motor. It might be clogged. When I took the exhaust hose off, it was filled with deposits. So I will check the other hoses as well. The impeller, Is that supposed to have a tight fitting? About calling the shop, When I took it to the shop in Victorville, they said it was a good engine. They seemed to have trouble looking for the parts, But on the volvo site it says you can order them through the dealer. If I take it out, whats the worst thing that can happen? And what should I look for when I do take it to the water. Thanks for the help, I really appreciate it. And if It becomes to much of a hassle I just might sell it for like $1,200. Ill give it couple of days. Who knows maybe someone might score with a good boat for a cheap price. Thanks again

[Tail Chaser]

If it totally overheats.
Blow a head gasket or crack the block.

Impellers look kinda llike rubber fan blades.
Fit very snug
I believe all older sterndrives 80s and older. Impellers are in the sterndrive
Later models have them on the engine

Your engine temp gauge work?

Pay close attention to your temp gauge.
Check for water in the bilge often.
Water,gas, oil, leaks
Any tics,taps or knocks while the engines running.
U joints may knock if worn. They usually knock a little anyway.
A worn Gimbal Bearing makes noise wile turning.
If the boats been sitting.
May have some carb issues.
Stuck float. Contaminated fuel,Clogged carb jets.
Be prepared for that.
Should check the gear oil also. Make sure no water is in there. Metal chips, Smells burnt?
(They fill from the bottom and vent from the top) Only way to fill it. Get new filler plug gaskets first. Top/bottom

Trl hubs greased? Tires good?
Arent boats fun :lol:

[Tail Chaser]

[QUOTE=Eyethautunew;177847 If I take it out, whats the worst thing that can happen? And what should I look for when I do take it to the water. [/QUOTE]

SINK IT
LAND :rofl: J/K Sort of :lol:

[Eyethautunew]

HAHAHa thats a good one. Well the I definatley wont take any gear with me on the first run. Just some scuba gear and a spear gun. Might as well have some kind of fun if Im gonna get in the water. Ok I took this piece off, I have no idea what it is; But it sits on the block. Get the picture, lol Anyways, I took it off and the block had water inside But it seems the whole thing has nothing but rust inside. I know its a marine engine. But is the rust normal. Im not talking a little rust, im talking Golden rust. Thanks for the help.

[Eyethautunew]

You know the funny thing about this whole boating experience is; As a kid it always seemed so easy to just start the boat and take off. Now that I have one, it seems as if its nothing but a problem. Well not a problem, but there seems to be so much you have to watch for. Are all boats like this? Even the newer ones? Im so appreciative on you helping me out, But I have no clue what your talking about. Oh and the impeller I changed is in the front of the engine. And its a very tight fit. I heard there was an impeller in the drive, but where. The seloc manual I have, just jumps right into mechanic repairs. Its not to clear. If I take it to the shop, what should I tell the mechanic? I dont want to go in and let them stiff me because I have no clue what Im talking about.

[Tail Chaser]

All that stuff gets very rusty, Scary rusty.
Need to check for pitting anywhere water flows. Water jackets, elbows, etc. Its like cancer in there. If the waterjackets in the risers/exhaust manifold leak. Minor case, The water will pool on the exhaust valve while the boat is sitting, Causing it to rust. Then you lose compression. Worst case, Water poors in the cylinder causing a hydraulic lock. Blowing up your motor. #1 killer of marine engines
Try to scrape all the deposits you can. Anywhere water is suppose to flow.
Shake all that junk out before she goes back together
Usually will have a huge amount of carbon buildup in the exhaust ports too.

Open exhaust = Power
Open cooling passages = Cool running motor

On a Mercruiser
You split the lower drive from the upper.
You can call the marine parts guys.
Have them look up a impeller for your drive.

Amazing amount of info on the Internet.
Search like
How to clean marine exhaust manifolds
How to change marine boat impellers, etc
Are Volvo 130c motors reliable
Where are the impellers on 130c Volvo and 270 drives
Interesting to see what info comes up.

Yes.....Boats are a lot of work.
They operate under the most severe conditions all the time.
Nothing is rubber mounted. Total vibration.
And they are built high performance motors.

So for the amount of time and effort keeping these toys running.
Should really make sure you have a boat that suites your needs/wants

While your turning wrenches.
Look for water damage.
Spongy floors. Dry rot around motor mounts, transom, stringers
Basically all major structure of the boat.

Are we having fun yet :)
Then when its all done.
The water will be cold and murky for diving.
And the fish wont be biting.

And non boat owners will be asking you.
Why you dont take your boat out for a little winter rockfishing :rofl:

[Tail Chaser]

You know the funny thing about this whole boating experience is; As a kid it always seemed so easy to just start the boat and take off. Now that I have one, it seems as if its nothing but a problem. Well not a problem, but there seems to be so much you have to watch for. Are all boats like this? Even the newer ones? Im so appreciative on you helping me out, But I have no clue what your talking about. Oh and the impeller I changed is in the front of the engine. And its a very tight fit. I heard there was an impeller in the drive, but where. The seloc manual I have, just jumps right into mechanic repairs. Its not to clear. If I take it to the shop, what should I tell the mechanic? I dont want to go in and let them stiff me because I have no clue what Im talking about.

Usually you can pick the mechanics brain.
What? Impeller/waterpump in the transmission:shock:
Pull the drive :shock:
Split the drive? Dam, Whats that cost.

Gives you an idea where certain parts are.
And how the shops may work on certain stuff.

Look in your SELOC carefully.
Look under a chapter outdrive. Also cooling. They show how the water goes threw parts
From there, Should have impeller replacement.

Usually states something like pull outdrive.
Refer to outdrive repair/replacement. :angry: :lol:
But there pics are some of the best around.
They also give you great tips and info.

Heres a V8 engine. Raw water cooled
The thermostat is in the front of the engine. All them hoses coming off
The exhaust risers is where the upper water hose is attached.
The water passages may be clogged. Making you run hot.
The other problem.
The internal water jackets of the riser and exhaust manifold get eaten away over time.
Two years in a slip.
Water poor's into the motor blowing it up.
The piston comes up. Cant compress the water. Then bang

Heres my motor.
All work use to be done doing a one handed handstand hanging upside down in the bilge.
Just moved all three batterys away from the motor last week.

The risers are at the 9 O'Clock and 3 O'clock position on the motor. They are attached to the exhaust manifold
Them square things

The thermostat is at the 6 o"clock position. Under the cover closest to the carb. Thermostat itself is round 3 1/2 diameter. Comes to a point in the center.
This should give you an idea of what to look for.

After all this info I gave you.
You still have the electronics :shock:
Clean up and put Dielectric grease on wire connecters and plugs etc. The dirty rusty ones for now anyway :)

Yes..... I love my Boat :mrgreen:

[Eyethautunew]

Last night after we talked, I went inside my garage and started pulling parts off. After looking at a few pictures of my engine I know what the raw water pump is and other engine components. But when I removed some of them i.e. the water pump. Its just a housing, nothing inside but the impeller. I dont see a pump unit or anything. Maybe there was work done on this engine to simplify things. I cannot what so ever find the water strainer, So im thinking its a simple engine with the neccessites to run it. Im gonna keep diggin in, hopefully I dont have to replace anything, but just clean it. The parts are so expensive, and they seem to be small parts. Like hoses, running 400 bucks. Shoot i can cut a water hose for about 99 cents. LOL Now you know Im gonna be taking in water real fast. take care.

[Tail Chaser]

Hoses are not that expensive. 3.00 pr ft water 3/4"
2.00 pr ft fuel hose
Go to www.westmarine.com
Get there catalog.
They have pics of just about every working piece or upgrade for a boat.
Its loaded with boating info also

Free shipping. When you spend over 100.00
They are very exspensive on big parts.
Manifolds
starters
carbs, etc
But you see the parts and get a cost idea for shopping around.
If you call them. They try to match prices though

[Tail Chaser]

Last night after we talked, I went inside my garage and started pulling parts off. After looking at a few pictures of my engine I know what the raw water pump is and other engine components. But when I removed some of them i.e. the water pump. Its just a housing, nothing inside but the impeller. I dont see a pump unit or anything. Maybe there was work done on this engine to simplify things. I cannot what so ever find the water strainer, So im thinking its a simple engine with the neccessites to run it. Im gonna keep diggin in, hopefully I dont have to replace anything, but just clean it. The parts are so expensive, and they seem to be small parts. Like hoses, running 400 bucks. Shoot i can cut a water hose for about 99 cents. LOL Now you know Im gonna be taking in water real fast. take care.

YEP!... Rubber bladed thing in a housing.
Water comes in one hole. From up through the outdrive. Or a through hole in the bottom of the boat. (inboards)
The blades catch the water.
Then push it out another hole.
Going through the engine and exhaust manifold water passages. Then out with the exhaust. If they are not clogged.

A cars water pump is basically the same.
But there impeller is made of metal. And you change the assembly.
Boats are pretty simple.
But tight working areas and unmaintained frozen corroded parts can make them a nightmare.

[Eyethautunew]

Ok, so I took the engine apart yesterday. Cleaned everything that needed cleaning, and replaced the gaskets. After seeing the manifold and water intakes were not clogged, I put it back together. It cranked right up once again, But I noticed my heat gauage right at the red line. The engine and exhaust outlet, or inlet hose Steams alot and gets real hot. Is the steam normal and since I do not have any numbers on my heat guage; Is it bad for it to be right at redline. Also Im not sure if my engine has a water strainer or thermostat. I cannot find either. And I looked everywhere. Thanks once again.

[one_leg]

Is it bad for it to be right at redline.

Yes, it is not good for your engine temp guage to be at redline. It should be at or near the marker above the first nominal range indicator. If you run your engine for very long at all you are apt to damage it, possibly irrevocably. It is possible to run an engine w/o a thermostat but it will not run efficiantly and you might eventually incur a very large bill from your mechanic if you do, probably, perhaps.

[Tail Chaser]

Ok, so I took the engine apart yesterday. Cleaned everything that needed cleaning, and replaced the gaskets. After seeing the manifold and water intakes were not clogged, I put it back together. It cranked right up once again, But I noticed my heat gauage right at the red line. The engine and exhaust outlet, or inlet hose Steams alot and gets real hot. Is the steam normal and since I do not have any numbers on my heat guage; Is it bad for it to be right at redline. Also Im not sure if my engine has a water strainer or thermostat. I cannot find either. And I looked everywhere. Thanks once again.

The thermostat is under a housing.
If it is stuck closed.
That will cause your overheating problem.

I posted a pic of my V8
I mentioned where my thermostat housing is. All the water hoses coming off it.
Your 4 cyl should have a similar setup.

You could ask a shop where it is located also.

You mentioned you have two impellers.
The shop changed out the one in the engine?
If you changed it. The impeller has to spin the proper direction during install. So the blades are bent in the housing the proper direction. Impeller blades could be bent backwards.
If theres one in the outdrive also. And its bad.
That may not let enough water in the motor.
May disconnect the outlet hose on the engine impeller.
See if you got good water flow there.
WITH THE ENGINE OFF
Could see if the Garden hose pressure has enough force to get water to the engine impeller.
Without water to a impeller.
It will cook in a matter of seconds if the engine is started


May try to hook a garden hose up and reverse flush the system.
Like you do on a car.
Maybe some of that muck you mentioned is blocking some passages

Dont want to take the boat out till.
The cooling issue is fixed.

Motor is a volvo.
On the V8s

Merc and Volvo buy the blocks from GM
Then put there parts on them.

Your 4 banger is most likely a GM or Ford Block

So the thermostat will be in the same place as one of them motors

[Tail Chaser]

First thing to check is that theres is good water flow from the outlet hose of the engine impeller.
If good water flow to engine. Then
Need to find that thermostat. Replace it. Or take it out for testing.
If your still hot. This really sucks :angry: Then.
See if you have good water flow to exhaust risers.
That's where the water exits the engine, Cools the exhaust manifold, Then the water, Leaves the engine. Goes out with the hot exhaust gases
If no water flow there. Then
Start pulling water hoses. After the impeller outlet and before the exhaust riser.
Clean out all water passages and hoses. The best you can.
Maybe run water backwards from the Riser inlet to the impeller outlet.
Try to flush any junk out.

If you had good waterflow to the exhaust riser. Then
Pull the riser and clean out all water passages

Overheating 80% of the time is a impeller or stuck thermostat.
Followed by, clogged coolant passages in the exhaust risers.
Hot water has got to get back out of the motor.
So the cold can get in.
Otherwise it sits and boils.
Some old 4 cyl motors were fresh water cooled.
Do you have a 4" x 1' long canister in the front of the motor?
If you do, The motor is fresh water cooled.
That canister is a heat exchanger/Radiater.
Sea water runs through that canister. It clogs, and does not cool your motor

[Fastfish]

30yr marine technician, I live in Apple Valley my time is small and does cost if your still having troubles call me 760/524-7966

[Eyethautunew]

Wooo whoooo. So I said I wasnt going to work on the boat today, but I lied. I went out there and started removing stuff again. The engine was getting water to it but not enough, it kept steaming. So I used the water hose and connected it straight to the water pump, started the engine and it ran like a charm. There was no steam, the engine and exhaust manifold was cool to the touch and the heat guage was at like 1/4 . No numbers just red and green color. LOl So I think the problem was there wasnt enough pressure in my hose the first time I started it. Water was getting in, but not enough. So 2maro Im going to take it out to silverwood, and if all goes well. I will be bringing home some striper. Thanks for the help. I really appreciate it.

[Tail Chaser]

If you ran water staright to the water pump on the engine. And its cool.

You need to run water from the outdrive.
If it gets hot running water from there.
Your impeller in the outdrive is bad.
Or something is clogged from the drive to the engine impeller/waterpump.
The drive impeller is what pulls water from the lake/ocean.
Then pushes it up to the engine impeller/waterpump

Call a shop to confirm you have a impeller in that drive.
I'm not familiar with engine impeller setups.(I have engine waterpump only)
I'm guessing having a engine impeller and a engine water pump.
There is no impeller in the drive.

But i am 100% guessing on that.

If there is no drive impeller.
And she gets hot running water from the drive.
Disconnect the water pump inlet/impeller hose.
Then back flush the junk back out the drive.

Sounds like you got it whipped :thumb:

[Eyethautunew]

Well I thought I had it wipped. Took it out to silverwood today. And on the way over the outdrive started coming down a couple of inches. I went to put it back up and it wouldnt go. So I figured Ill put it in the water, put it all the way down and itll prolly come up after. NOpe wouldnt budge one bit. So I said oh well, ill worry about it later lets run it. I started the engine, and threw it in drive, and the prop did not turn at all. It wasnt frozen, it just wouldnt spin. Scratched my head for like 10,000 mins, and decided to pull it back out. Had to tie the outdrive up with like 100 ties, and drive home like 2mph. So its back to the drawing board for me. Oh and about the water flow; its completely strong, and doesnt get hot at all. After the mechanic comes to check it out, ill keep you informed on how much I need to borrow from the bank. LOL jk.

[Tail Chaser]

Bummer about the drive.
Oil level may be super low in the hydraulic reservoir. Air got into the system. Causing the drive to drop. If the pump is bad. Do a online search for best price.

On the Merc Alpha 1 drive
Shifter adjustment is done by

Moving shifter forward into gear.
While spinning the prop counter clockwise.
The prop should stop when the clutch is engaged.

If not
The lower shift cable that comes from the outdrive to the engine shift linkage.
Pushing the end of the lower shift cable (engine side) Toward the outdrive.
Should shift the drive into forward.
I put a bungee on the prop to keep it rotated (locked) in the counterclockwise position while making that adjustment

There's also a neutral button on the shifter.
That's keeps the trans from being able to go into gear.
Lets you give the boat some gas without engaging the trans.
Good for warming up the engine.