I was going to bolt it back together tonight in a fleeting attempt at it not having a cracked block. But before I did, I needed a gasket, so I ran home at lunch today to check something. While doing so, I wanted to see what the oil pan had in it. (I had drained all the contaminated oil/water sludge after it was last run and it had been sitting since.) To my dissappointment, straight water came out.

Meaning that between the time it had last run and now, nothing could have introduced water to the oil but a crack somewhere. My head is ok. Gaskets ok. Manifold OK.

Can you spell new engine?

I can. I’m ordering one up tomorrow.

I have to say that 31 years out of an engine is pretty darn un heard of with out major work. So I can’t complain much except for the fact that I’m 29. Only 2 years left till my replacement. S@#t!

developing…

Well, it has been one of those days. The other blog that I help out with: Kennedy v Machine had a major technical glitch today. The site went down completely for a couple hours. I racked my brain trying to figure it out, and ended up calling tech support. It was just one of those things and all is well. (Does any one really understand tech guys?)

So that took away a lot of my brain’s bandwidth, but the site is back up and intact.

I mailed my second Soldiers’ Angels package last week. And surprisingly, it is cheap to mail a 24 pound box of candy and magazines overseas. $20.

My fellow employees gave into the fears of Health Savings Accounts and rejected the proposal for switching to the Personal Repsonsibility based health care plans. We’ll evaluate again next year, but I’m not holding my breath.

I’m going to test out my boat engine tomorrow night. I was going to do so tonight, but I need to get a new carb gasket and the place closes early.

I’m back from the cabin, and plain old pooped out.

I hosted my sister’s families for the weekend, and snuck in an hour or two with an old friend home from Colorado too. Not much to report, except that the best part of other peoples’ kids, it that they are other peoples’ kids. I’m at home this evening, relaxing in a quiet house with a sleeping dog. All the kids are over at my Mom’s house running around like crazy.

Not much is grabbing my attention right now, so here’s a quick boat update.

To recap so far. I got water in the oil. The gaskets were ok. The head was checked by a professional shop, and was ok. So I reaasembled it, and it tested ok (no water in oil) in the garage. But at a lake under high RPMs, I got the goo again. I followed the advice of an online boat forum, and had the manifold checked out. I just got it back Thursday, and it too is ok. I’m going to reassmble the engine one last time, flush it out with new oil, and try it one last time. I am pretty confident that the block is cracked meaning she is toast. But the good news is that I have found a place that has replacement engines available. I have 2 direct drop in replacements. I can get another 250 Cubic Inch 165HP just like what I have. Or I can get a 292 Cubic Inch 200HP one. Both of them use the same block, the 292 is just bored or stroked, to give more power. All the bolt ons are interchangeble, so the 292 is my odds on favorite so far. I’ll get that extra power I want, but save a ton of work and customizing my boat for a V-8. I’m going to reassemble the thing, and test it this week. If it is blown, I’ll be ordering up a 292, for around $1600, plus $250 for shipping. That is so much better than the $10000 plus I was expecting if I went to a V-8.

We’ll see what happens.

What ever I do, I want it to be done quick. I tried pulling 2 small kids in a tube with the pontoon, and let’s just leave it as mission failed. It is cool though how a tube can get submerged when pulling it at low speeds. But at the risk of having another blown engine to deal with, I’ll not be attempting this again.

OK, it is actually far from her maiden voyage. It is over 30 year from her maiden voyage, but it may the engine’s final one.

In case you don’t remember over the last 2 weeks, I have been working on engine problems in my 1974 boat. I had to rip it apart.

I have reassembled the engine. The advice was given to me that If the head, manifolds, and old gaskets all looked ok to bolt her back together try it. The water in the oil before could have been a fluke. I’m hoping that it is stupidity on my part, I think I forgot to change the oil this Spring.

I’ve reassembled everything. And I have even test run it it the garage. I have flushed the engine out, and so far the oil appears to be water free. But, you can’t put any load on the engine.1

So, I’m going to be driving to a local Twin Cities lake to give her a real test. I can only hope for the best right now. Either the engine is fine, and I’ll just have to keep a close eye on it. Or the block is cracked and the engine is toast.

Developing …

Update: 10:45 AM
She’s done!

This is oil/sludge from after I ran it today.

And if you want,use the contact form below, I’ll provide a mailing address that monetary donations can be sent to. Depending on the size of it, I may even take you for a ride or two. Would that be blegging or boagging?

Here’s Some pics from the engine disassembly

The side of the boat in a garage.

The inside of the boat from the bow.

The engine with out the valve cover.

The inside of the valve cover. The yellow is the oil and water mixed goo/sludge.

The engine again, the yellow goo is again the goo/sludge.

Here’s a close up. That yellow stuff should be regular old oil.

Thsi is the head. It had a blown of frost plug, but no other problems.

This is the engine block. It could be cracked internally and then it would be junk. It has been flushed out and temporary oil has been poured in it for now.

I’m back for a day. It has been a crappy vacation so far. I wrote this was Saturday Night.

My boat took a dump tonight. I had finally just got caught up on things in life, and then this. I don’t know how bad it is yet, but it is not good. It is an Inboard outboard, so it has a real engine. Just like a car does. It is a 1974 Starcraft. It was my Dad’s. He left it to me. So it is kind of a bummer that she has gone, well, belly up.

Not to mention that I now have to rebuild the engine. I barely have the time or the money to do so. It could be as simple as a head gasket, I hope! But it could be worse.

I was watching a movie up at the cabin and I wanted to watch the sunset. So I got the dogs, a cigar, and hit the lake. It was beautiful. Sitting a drift in the middle of a lake, the waves rocking you back and forth. Floating along, drifting. Petting the dogs and listening to tunes.

I was just trying to reposition for a better view. I was cruising down the lake and she just wasn’t running well. I had no power. So I was going to check for weeds on the lower unit. But then she quit. I turned around to a cloud of smoke and panic set in. I shooed the dogs off the motor cover, they love to lay there. There was a small pool of oil behind me and the air was filled with smoke.

I opened the hood, and a gray sludge covered the engine compartment. At this point, I wished I didn’t like sunsets. I knew it was not good. The breather line had blown off the top of the valve cover. And the oil now foamed up with water was oozing down the engine and the inside of the hood.

You see when oil mixes with water in a running engine, the two are mixes together like a milkshake. The mixture the 2 substances produce look just like that. A milkshake. Yep, that milkshake goo was now coming out of a place that should only have oil.

If you have ever been boating, a breakdown is bad. It isn’t like a car. You can’t walk to the next exit. So I sat and finished my cigar, and wondered if anyone would stop and tow me in. I calculated how long it would take to drift to shore. It was calm, no wind. Wouls she run? Could I limp it back to the dock?

Before I made an ass of myself, and started frantically waving for help, I tried starting her. This was bad. What ever damage had been done so far, would only be exponentially worsened if she did run. I turned the key. Nothing, just hard cranking. Again, and nothing. Then, with a gasp, she came back to life. The motor wasn’t running rough. She still purred, like always.

I decided to try to make it back to the dock. I started slow. Everything was okay. I gas her more has figuring she’d give up any time. I modestly cruised home. Not too much, but enough to keep her moving fast for a long drift if needed. The smoke was gone. No oil slick behind.

She wasn’t running great, but she definitely wanted to get home as much as I did. She has only been towed once so far. That was on the Mississippi when I was like 11. Both her and I are proud to say that she has only been towed once that I know of. We made it home.

I checked again under the hood back at the dock. Everything looked about the same under the hood. The gray goo was still there, no surprise, but it wasn’t worse. Was she okay? No! But Besides running rough, it was intact.

At this point, the panic of getting home at any cost sided. Now the damage done was weighing on my mind. How much? How much $? The neighbor came over and agreed it wasn’t good. But he convinced me that it might just be a head gasket.

He and his son-in-law will help me get her to the launch in the morning before they leave. She may be towed for that one, if pride doesn’t get in the way, and logic wins out.

All in all, for a 1974 Chevrolet Mercruiser that has never had major work done to her, 29 years ain’t all that bad. Most engines or boats don’t last that long. Mine lasted that long with out many repairs at all. So I was due.

I like to work on stuff. I used to have an old corvette, but due to an engagement with ‘Satan’ I sold it. I had even pondered buying an old classic car to tinker with, but I have finally become fiscally wise. Save the money is my new way. No more impressive toys, besides the truck.

We’ll have to see how badly damaged the engine is. It will be fun fixing her, even though it sucks she broke.