Ford Mermaid Turbo Four Mk II

iain

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I recently went to have a look at a boat I am seriously thinking of buying which is fitted with the above 180hp turbocharged engine. As we took her out for a trial spin she refused to go more than a few knots, the exhaust was belching soot and the gaskets on the turbocharger,rocker cover and one of the fuel injectors began popping. There was then a very loud bang which stopped the leaks around the engine. On returning to the harbour we discovered that part of the inside lining of the exhaust hose had come away effectively causing a blockage in the exhaust which forced all the expelled air back into the engine, there was also a large hole in the exhaust pipe between the engine and the blockage which had been the last loud bang we had heard. My question is :-
Will this episode have done any serious damage to the engine or just popped out the gaskets mentioned?
When the present owner replaces them, will there be any effective way for me to check if there are any more hidden leaks?
Any advice appreciated and I also thought it may be of interest to the readers as it seemed like quite an unusual thing to happen.

Iain Maclean
 

brianhumber

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I would not be happy just replacing rocker box gaskets. This fault is more common than realised. If your configuration is with water cooled exhaust the back pressure may have lead to water ingress into cylinders on previous runs leading to other problems. This engine is not a large one, or difficult to overhaul and spares are cheap, so why not insist on a suitable price reduction and do it yourself?
If its a twin engine boat don't forget to replace the other engines exhasut as well.
 

longjohnsilver

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I used to have a boat with the 140 turbo 4. It was an excellent engine and in 6 years of heavy use the only problem I had was a faulty fuel lift pump. As regarde your problem i suggest you speak direct to Mermaid, they are always very helpful Tel no 01202 891824, ask for Chris.
 

iain

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Thanks very much for the advice. The possibility of the raw water being blown back into the engine didn't occur to me but it is obviously a distinct probability unless there is some device to prevent the water being blown back,(which I doubt). Do you think that in view of this the engine will require to be totally stripped down and cleaned or is there another less drastic alternative?
 

DepSol

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Use Soltron in the fuel. It will ensure the engine runs cleaner and also reduce the soot on your turbos significantly.

Will reduce emissions and increase power / economy.

Dom
 
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