SoCal Jet Boats
Tech Talk => Engine Mechanical / Electrical => Topic started by: STWD Cruiser on September 02, 2010, 08:24:22 AM
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I have been lurking for awhile, but decided to join to share this story that recently happened.
I recently purchased a junk boat for its running motor to swap into my boat to get me back on the water. (I will be parting it out shortly)
The motor runs like a bat out of hell.....GPS said it got my pig up to 70mph!!! :o
Dont know much about the motor...its a 2 block main, but has 990's, crane golds and a decent comp cams cam. I was please to see this was a built motor, not just something taken out of a truck.
Anyways I took this thing out on the river this past sunday.....drove it up the river and floated back down then made a few passes. on the 3rd of 4th pass, the oil pressure dropped and it started to knock.
i shut her down quickly and lifted the engine cover....oil everywhere....bilge pump is pumping milkshake into the river like a BP well.
I float down the river back to the ramp, put it back on the trailer, take it back home and put a cover over it and call it a day. defeated and broken.
Monday I started to get it ready to be pulled out of the boat to see what happened. I pulled off the passenger side exhaust log and there it was....a 1" hole where the drain plug was supposed to be. somehow it walked its way out and emptied the pan into the bilge. This pan is a 10 qt doolly pan with a 1" drain plug on the front and a drain hose on the back. I used the drain hose to change the oil during the motor swap. never checked this plug......so again, i stopped what i was doing, put the cover back on it and called it a day. I figured it was bad. it had to have been.
so last night I got back to it and pulled the motor out....got it flipped over and started pulling rod caps and mains. the crank is in excellent shape. not a sign of anything bad. the bearings are a little burnt but overall dont look to bad.
I got a new set of bearings on order and all the gaskets n crap. might as well replace the timing set while im at it too.
so call it what you want, but I think my boat is cursed for something so odd ball to happen, and I got dumb luck to come out of this with no major damage.
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I just changed all the hoses on my new $75 cruiser.I went out and fired it up the other day, sat there and let it warm up. After a minute or two I notice no oil pressure. So I shut it off and look around, the bilge is full of oil. One oil line had come off at the adapter for remote filters. Added three Qts and we're golden again, Took it out for about four hours and she ran great.
Reminds me of a time years ago when my buddy brings home a '60 ElCamino. He had it right on the front lawn, drained the oil, added 5 qts and you guessed it.....no drain plug!
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:sly:
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I don't know if I ever told this story here, but I'm eating lunch and LMAO so thought this was a good time.LOL
I had a kid working for me and we were working on a day cruiser with a 454 and a jet, we put the motor back in after replacing some gaskets and other odds and ends. Anyways, he wanted to do most of the work and was a pretty good mechanic for the most part and got all the plumbing hooked up and the engine mounted properly in the boat.
This thing had a water leak along with the oil leaks we repaired and we wanted to make sure resealing the transom adapter fixed it, so off to the water.... :thumbup:
As soon as we put the boat in the water we went through and checked everything out, all looked killer, we thought we had it. So I hit the key and fired the engine and straight out of the water dump comes several quarts of brand new 20-50W Amsoil.... :o
WTF?!!!
Apparently, all of the oil lines and water lines were the same Earls black AN8 fittings and hose....the oil cooler lines were reversed on the way back in, one to water and one to oil.....Woops. Honest mistake (except for the oil in the hose he attached to the water line).
Save for some water in the crankcase and some oil in the lake (we were able to pick up 90+% of it with a beach towel) all was not lost...
Use different color, or at least type of hoses when plumbing your chit...Otherwise label it when you pull them off. ;)
GT
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I think you're lucky that you caught it before you did too much damage, hopefully some new bearings and you'll be golden.
BTW, welcome to the fray....
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Sooooo if it was knocking...and its not bearings what was it. I guess maybe colapsed lifters from no oil????? I don't know what that sounds like...never tried it.lol
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I have a similar story. Thought it was a rod bearing, it happend to be a push rod tip worn down and the the exhuast vavle wouldnt open so it was just back fireing but sounding like a knock. have the motor torn down rite now and am replacing the damage parts, (3) and doing all new bearings and a hone job to be safe. I got real lucky too. best thing you did was shut it down and float back. I had to float 2-1/2 hours when mine broke and the wife was going nutz cause it was dark, ( she worries about the river sharks, piranas, snakes, eals, coyotes, rats and croks lol) f-n wemon. saved me thousandas in parts and may have sunk the boat if I didnt shut her down when I did. if you didnt it would have been big $ to rebuild.
always shut your boat down if you hear or suspect anything off. check what you can reach while on the water and do a full inspection when on the trailer.
I would go through the valve train to see if something is damaged. Check the lifters, rockers, push rods, valves & springs and cam. If you heard knocking then most likly something failed. DO NOT OVER LOOK THAT. find the reason for the knocking you heard, you dont want to have to pull the motor soon as you drop it back in. not having oil can destroy or mildly hurt every part in the motor in minutes. Pictures for us too please. the more the marrier. and one of the genius's on her may be able to tell witch part you need to replace. Are they roller lifters? or what kind? check for a flat or worn cam lobe. use a micrometer if you can.
One thing I do Is check the oil before every ride and befor iI leave for every trip. I cange the oil as soon as its not golden brown anymore, like every 10 20 running hours. I'm anal about that.
Welcome to the site and sounds like a nice boat. looking forward to see if anything broke or got warn so others can know what to look for if/when it happens, lol me or them.
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I havent dug into the top end yet, but planning on it once I get it flipped back over.
I dont know much about the top end yet. The previous owner had a cam number. I looked it up and its a hydraulic flat cam. so I assume its got hydraulic lifters....i know, obvious, but you never know. :screwy:
i will let you guys know what I find.
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Post pictures of it while you tear it down, helps for reasembly and us forum junkies love pictures. If its not to late, see if you have any loose rockers b4 you remove them, that could explain the knock. I have a weird feeling you have a flat cam lobe. thsoe lifters are not the best (no offense). I would up grade to a sloind roller lifter & camset up if you have to replace those. Inspect the shit out of the rockers, lifters, and cam.
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ok, not so lucky after all...
i pulled the crank out with the pistons still in it.
#7's wrist pin is frozen. it moves, but not freely. :thumbdown:
and when you slide the piston in and out, it grinds, the rest slide like butter. :thumbdown:
the motor is too heavy at this point to roll over on the engine stand by myself. so i'll call a buddy this weekend to help roll it over so i can pull a head and further investigate.
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After years on the race circuit I have found on oil lines even with push lock fittings will come off. Now some will say BS however have seen it and had it happen to me. So I add clamps to the lines and safety wire all fittings. Same goes with water fitting they also fly off. I check mine every time I go out to be sure, engines are too expensive to replace. Call it preventive maintenance, just my .02 cents.