Submerged ad41's after bilge pump failed

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Murcia, Spain
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Hi guys I am looking for advise on what to check / do.

Unfortunately I went to take my boat out today to find the engine room full of water.

The water level was just below the turbos am I correct in thinking the engines the self should be ok?

The starter motor and alternator were however submerged.

I have managed to pump the bilge water out today and tomorrow have a mechanic coming to inspect it.

I just wanted some expert views and advise.

I have attached pictures to help.

Thanks in advance.
 

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Not good. Do you know the cause of the water ingress? First thing to do is to fix this. Have you checked the oil on the dipstick? Any sign of water in the oil?
 
what ever you do don't try and start the engines. get an engineer in there a.s.a.p to get any sea water out of the engines and clean oil in. hopefully you are looking at 2 recon starters, 2 recon alternators, three complete oil changes, new batteries and a lot of TLC on all the other bits.
 
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Agree - do not start the engine, but now that the leak caused so much water coming into engine bay, it's likely that small touch of the drives, or engine mounts causes the leak gets bigger and bigger so be VERY careful before your engineer arrives.
 
Sorry chaps, but do we know for sure that water has got into the engines? I think we should hear this first before we get to the next stage. It is very unlikely that the OP could start the engines even if he wanted to with drowned stater motors. The first thing to do is to empty the water out, and dry everything out. It is highly probable that new/recon starters and alternators will be required as stated above. Any belts that have been submerged must be changed too, as these are usually glued together with water based glues for some reason, and are likely to separate and shred in the future.
 
what ever you do don't try and start the engines. get an engineer in there a.s.a.p to get any sea water out of the engines and clean oil in. hopefully you are looking at 2 recon starters, 2 recon alternators, three complete oil changes, new batteries and a lot of TLC on all the other bits.

All the wiring will need to be replaced too, plus I assume batteries etc.

I would suggest the OP contacts their insurance company ASAP to discuss this and agree on a course of action. Getting an engineer in to first aid the engines to minimize ongoing damage is advised but from bitter experience I would not spend significant money before having the insurer agreeing to it.
 
so I am not too worried about "engine electrics" - To better understand how much damage is possibly done, one needs to know whether the engine was isolated from the batteries or not. If it is isolated then washing the engine with freshwater and then drying the alternator should be enough.

You need to change all engine fluids, regardless.
 
Sorry chaps, but do we know for sure that water has got into the engines? I think we should hear this first before we get to the next stage. It is very unlikely that the OP could start the engines even if he wanted to with drowned stater motors. The first thing to do is to empty the water out, and dry everything out. It is highly probable that new/recon starters and alternators will be required as stated above. Any belts that have been submerged must be changed too, as these are usually glued together with water based glues for some reason, and are likely to separate and shred in the future.

I am unsure if water has entered the engine. The water was just below the turbo and air filter housing do I assumed it would be ok?

After I drained the sea water out I hosed engines down with fresh water.
 
I am more worried about the leak you mentioned than the engine. 99% chance is that it will start and the moment it is run for 20min idling and then above RPM where turbo kicks in, everything should be back to normal -

You do however need to ensure in long run, the anti-corrosion spray is used (on a weekly basis) to various external parts of the engine as no matter how much fresh water you have used, there will still be signs of salt somewhere causing problem.
 
t Any belts that have been submerged must be changed too, as these are usually glued together with water based glues for some reason, and are likely to separate and shred in the future.


I can only assume you are joking right?
Must remember to check my car ones tomorrow as its been raining:D
 
I can only assume you are joking right?
Must remember to check my car ones tomorrow as its been raining:D

I am not joking. I used to be an auto engineer, and found out the hard way. There are specific events like deep wading that impact car belts. The OP's engines have deep waded.
 
I'm not sure this last post was wise!

Why should insurance pay when there was a known problem and was left, any leak should be treated seriously and dealt with immediately. Surely insurance doesn't cover against poor maintenance. Its this kind of negligence we all have to pay increased premiums for.
 
I am not joking. I used to be an auto engineer, and found out the hard way. There are specific events like deep wading that impact car belts. The OP's engines have deep waded.


Have to say i have been truck mech for 25 plus years now and not seen any water damaged belts, and owned many land rovers, all the land rovers have been underwater, not just wet but underwater/mud many times and all the belts are just fine.
Stating the obvious but do you change your car tyres when they have got wet?
Any online references would be excellent to see.
 
Iwould like to see/hear
1- evidence of service history ? In particular last bellows change + if genuine parts inc clamps used ?
2-is it actually insured??

Sounds like bilge pump packed up -often see this "dock walking" water exiting a through -hull fitting around the stern
Starts intermitantly -then full time -then stops -boat lists - boat starts to sink
Marina staff at some point try to contact owner?
 
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