No-going saga of Exhaust riser blow up :(

[Rick]

OK heres what happened this weekend. I installed new plugs and did everything everyone has suggested. When it came time to crank the engine the batteries where of course dead. No problem I used the portable battery I got for just such a day. When I hooked it up (positive to positive, negative to negative) just like I had it the weekend before and cranked the engine,CLICK. No starter except for the first click of it engaging. To make things worse SMOKE coming off the starter wire and the plastic on the battery terminal was melting. When I turn the power off at the main the starter again makes a sound. Mind you, this is exactly the same set up I had the week before when it cranked over just fine but didn't start. I suspect the lack of battery allowed the solenoid to switch but wasn't enough to turn the engine.Of course at this point the First Mate insisted that a call to a mechanic was neccesary. Today I got the call back. He wants me to realize that I need a new engine! Something in diesel at $5000.00. Does the story so far sound like a wrecked engine? Has anyone ever got water back from the muffler and lived to tell?

 

[Rodney Kidd]

Engine Seized

Rick,Sounds like water may have gotten into the cylinders and seized the engine. The starter click was the starter engaging the flywheel, the overheating was caused by the starter not being able to turn the engine, the last click was the starter disengaging from the flywheel. Your mechanic is probably right though you may want to check regarding rebuilding your engine. As much as I hate to admit it, I have found First Mates to be right most of the time. You probably should have gotten a mechanic when the water incursion first occured.Good Luck,Rodney KiddC-38 #297, Flying Bear

 

[Rick]

ouch

Seized? Sounds a little drastic from such a small original problem. Is this a typical problem in the A4. It seems like I see a lot of problems with people and their exhaust risers. Is the A4 really this easy to wreck?

 

[hp]

starting problem

Not enough information is given to determine if your problem is electrical (starter motor or a direct short) vrs a siezed engine.....Call a second mechanic.

 

[Jeff Walker]

My engine survived a similar ordeal

Hi Rick,I have the Universal 25 deisel and my exhaust backed water into the cylinders one time. The effect was the same as you describe with the engine not turning-over. I made a mistake waiting until the next day to drain the aqua-lift muffler and take off the injectors (same effect as removing spark plugs) and manually turning the engine to blow out the water. Thank goodness the engine had not seized so I poured a little alcohol in the cylinders and let everything dry out the best I could. Put the injectors back in and the engine fired up immediately. It's been 7 years since that happened and I havn't had any problems. Be sure to drain that muffler any time you crank the engine for more than 30 seconds and check the anti-siphon valve under the sink to make sure it's clear.Good luck Jeff

 

[Rob Rich]

Read this post!

Rick, you need to go to sail net and join the A-4 mailing list. You can ask your question there, I have read about your exact situation at least three times this year, and your engine is most likely salvageable, though it will probably need work.The guys on the list will probably tell you to drain your crank case oil until you are sure there is no water in it whatsoever, then remove plugs and drop sever teaspoons of Marvel Mystery Oil into the cylinders. Wait a day, then gently try to crank the engine with your manual crank. This is a simplified version, but I would certainly try this before re-powering my boat, especially with an "over the phone diagnosis." You can never ever tell what is wrong with an engine just by listening to someone tell you about it. Anyway, check out the list. The following is a post from a guy in a situtation similar to yours..."It's a long story so I won't go into all the detailsother than to say it's a bad day when you find yourboat with 4 feet of water in the main cabin. After 3full days of hard work, the boat is back in the yard. Here's what I've done thus far to the engine: drainedwater/oil from block; removed spark plugs; MMO intoall cylinders; 6 quarts of cheap oil back in block;transmission to FWD, hand cranked prop to movecylinder heads."