Cuda
08-14-2004, 10:19 PM
On my post in the other boat section, I posted that my engine might be froze up in my 20 Sc Formula. Yesterday, I pulled the plugs. When I pulled the first plug, water ran out. :( . I haven't run it in nearly three years other than once in a while on the trailer. It has closed cooling, and I couldn't figure out how water got in the cylinders. I checked the oil, sure enough, full of water, and I mean full! Once before when I was changing trailers on the same boat, I forgot to put in the plug and filled the engine compartment with water. That time the crankcase was full of water when I pulled it out. I found a threaded hole on the front of the engine that nothing connected to, but ran through to the crankcase, and that's how the water got in. I put a short bolt in it to seal that up. This time, I was checking around and found two more threaded holes on the port side of the engine that had nothing in them. I'm not sure if they go through to the crankcase though. Upon further inspection, I found a place for a dipstick that was open. What the hell?? The dipstick is on the other side of the engine! Apparently, this block was designed to put the dipstick on either side. :confused: Has anyone ever seen that before? Anyhow, I took a yellow wire nut and put sealant on it and put it in the hole. I spent the rest of the afternoon pumping water and oil out of the crankcase. I think I got over three gallons of water out, and very little oil.
Here's what I think happened. I have a cockpit cover on it that I'm sure was original from Formula (1981). It isn't waterproof, I keep it on mostly to keep the sun and debris out of it. I think with all this rain, it washed something down to the drain hole that clogged it up, then filled the engine compartment with water, which ran through the holes in the side. As the water rose, it pushed the oil out of the hole where the second dipstick hole is. Then eventually, the pressure of all the water blew out whatever had the drain clogged, and the oil/water ran out. It must have gotten high enough to bring the water past the rings in the cylinders.
The good news is yesterday, after I pulled the plugs and got the water out of the cylinders, I filled every cylinder with MMO. Today, I bumped the starter and the engine didn't turn. I bumped it again, and MMO flew everywhere. I should have it running again no problem.
Here's what I think happened. I have a cockpit cover on it that I'm sure was original from Formula (1981). It isn't waterproof, I keep it on mostly to keep the sun and debris out of it. I think with all this rain, it washed something down to the drain hole that clogged it up, then filled the engine compartment with water, which ran through the holes in the side. As the water rose, it pushed the oil out of the hole where the second dipstick hole is. Then eventually, the pressure of all the water blew out whatever had the drain clogged, and the oil/water ran out. It must have gotten high enough to bring the water past the rings in the cylinders.
The good news is yesterday, after I pulled the plugs and got the water out of the cylinders, I filled every cylinder with MMO. Today, I bumped the starter and the engine didn't turn. I bumped it again, and MMO flew everywhere. I should have it running again no problem.