Help! engine been in the sea will it ever run?

[dnscomp]

Hi all

My 12 foot speedboat has been moored in a creek neer my home for a number of months, last week a high tide pulled it toward the marsh and when the tide went out it left the boat at a steep angle, when the next mornings tide came in it filld with water and sank

It was 5 days untill i was able to get to it and i have now got the boat on dry land and i am just wondering what the general consensus it about the engine and whether it stands any chance at all of being ok again

It all looks fine but has been submerged in the sea for a number of days, it is a 60hp mercury circa 1994 and i currently have not tried anything to revive it

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated

Dan

 

[tinkicker0]

Hi all

My 12 foot speedboat has been moored in a creek neer my home for a number of months, last week a high tide pulled it toward the marsh and when the tide went out it left the boat at a steep angle, when the next mornings tide came in it filld with water and sank

It was 5 days untill i was able to get to it and i have now got the boat on dry land and i am just wondering what the general consensus it about the engine and whether it stands any chance at all of being ok again

It all looks fine but has been submerged in the sea for a number of days, it is a 60hp mercury circa 1994 and i currently have not tried anything to revive it

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated

Dan

It needs pickling tout sweet if you are going to have any chance. That's immersing in freshwater for a day or so, then dropping in a bath of parrafin.

Personally, I think after 5 days in the briny, the crank will be shot at the very least.

 

[Searush]

You might have been alright with a seagull! But a big complex motor like that has really fine tolerances, loads of electronics etc. Try treating it as suggested, but you probably have a better chance if you simply fill in an insurance claim. Good luck.

 

[Wiggo]

I doubt there's much electronics on an engine that age, so I reckon he may get away with it if he gets it rinsed out and oiled up asap. But I reckon it will want a complete strip down and inspection...

 

[Moonshiners]

Strip down, fresh flush and a big oil bath... Depends how handy you are with the spanners...

 

[oldgit]

Sorry to hear that,presume it was salt,and no insurance ?
As other have said get the thing out and removing the plugs flood everthing with any old oil esp in bores and soak carbs in wd40 etc,turn over by hand to get oil in every orifice ,you need to stop corrosion starting with exposure to air esp in alloy carbs etc.
Suspect you will need to replace everything electrical as once the salt has got in it WILL fail,if not now....later.
Poss worth trying above if money is tight but may be worth looking for second hand outboard if you cannot be bothered with all above and would all depend on what sort of nick the outboard was in before as this happened.No point on spending time and money on something that was bit unreliable in first place.

 

[lewi]

WD40 or similar , if its electrical soak it let it dry then soak again,
and as stated above remove any covers and or plugs then repeat
the soaking part only in the area of the crank use a lub spray,
3in1 spray or similar ,then rotate the crank manually , only once
you are happy there is no water present and the crank is not
seized would you try to start the engine,
oh,, dont forget to flush the fuel system with fresh fuel, and
if all is ok and the motor is sound , drain and flush the drive system,

above is a rough description of what a friend and i did to his unit,
it spent 2weeks in salt water a couple of years back and it its still
running today, not everyone will be as lucky as him, but its got to be
worth a try,
the above method was used last year on a smaller unit lifted from
fresh water and in a little over a hour it was on the water for testing
(fishing ) ,
if you tackle it your self mind and post the progress,

 

[aviator]

I dun dat many years ago with a boat I had with a friend on the Orwell. It was a converted lifeboat with a car Ford 8 engine complete with three speed gear box.

The friend left out the bung for a few days and when we noticed and drained out the whole thing we tried to turn it over. 12v wouldn't touch it so 24v later the thing bursts into life.

It had huge compression due to corrosion of the pistons I guess and went like stink for a few weeks before the corrosion finally wore away and it was basically knackered. Note the technical terms...........

Pip Pip

 

[dnscomp]

thanks

thankyou for the advice everyone,

I am pulling it out on a trailer tonight so will begin stripping down this week,ill post my progress as i go as im sure i will have questions

Thanks again

Dan

 

[Nautibusiness]

Without wishing to sound too depressing. If you are capable of doing the job it may well be worth it.
If you are like me and are about as mechanically minded as going for Duplo Blocks over Lego then the cost of getting a pro to do it will probably far outweigh the value of the engine.

 

[Marsupial]

Before you start chucking lots of water around, drain the oil and see what comes out, if its oil then hooray theres not much to worry about INSIDE the engine, if its oil and water then get a set of spanners and a manual.

As for all the other bits like carbs, starters and alternators and what ever else is bolted on the outside, wash it with lots of fresh water and let it dry out then wash it again, why well when it dries you could see some salt on it, dry off then finish off with wd40. Use wd40 too soon and you will seal the water in - not good.

The main thing is to get the thing running again asap, its a marine engine, somebody thought about water and what it could do when it was designed, have a little faith.