SeaWater Pump

[evan 0]

Hi,

I have a question regarding the seawater pump. I bought an 03 Elite, first time out didn't go too well. Put boat in and it ran well for about 5 minutes, stopped enjoyed the boat for a bit like a little kid.

When I started it to take it back in there was a squeel, stopped had a look and all seemed well. Started again, same noise but we were a ways out and I wanted to slowly limp in. Starting getting close to shorer and the temp was high, white soke began to come out the back.

Stopped the boat, belt was broken....and paddled in like a champ.

 

Took it to the shop, they said the cylinders were full of water. The seawater pump was seized, and needs to be replaced. They have told me the boat will not turn over until this is done. But my question is could this have be a factor in getting water into the engine??

 

If anyone has some knowledge on this I would like to hear what you think.

 

Thanks, Evan

 

ps...yes I have spoken to the guy I bought the boat from. We'll wait and see what the scoop is and deal with that.

[CdnWakesurfr 0]

Was the boat winterized? Sounds like a possible cracked block, head gaskets, etc.

Edited June 16, 2010 by dkheppner

[David 0]

Not good news, hope you got a warranty. Bad sea water pump should not cause water to enter the cylinders. I agree either cracked block or bad head gasket. Sounds like a lot of money to me. Did you water test before you bought? I would be so pissed.

[David 0]

I did have an old IO that had a valve stick and it sucked water back up threw the exhaust. It was not too big of a deal. New valve spring and retainer we where off and running. hope its an easy fix and not the block.

[Foiler 1]

The broken belt didn't cause water to enter the cylinders so fixing the seawater pump definitely isn't going to fix all your problems. You have other problems and they sound like big ones, possibly caused from overheating.

[Foiler 1]

After reading your post again, since the belt was squeeling it must have been on there when you first started. The impeller probably came apart or it sucked something up, it happens. Continuing to run it with no water going to it probably caused it to overheat in a big way. Had you stopped and towed it in when it started squeeling then an impeller replacement probably would have fixed you up but now it sounds like you have big problems, I hate to say it. It is hard blame the previous owner when it could have been prevented. I keep a spare impeller and all the tools to replace it on my boat because I have encountered problems like this too. Now if the owner didn't winterize it properly and caused cracks then that is a different story. Sorry to break the news because that really, really sucks and could have happened to anyone. I hope you find out that it is something easy to fix, just not sure what that would be.

[kgordon7378 0]

I would pull the pump apart, and see if it is still there, and together. My guess is the intake impeller, went bad and broke into pieces. This caused the engine to overheat, and warp the heads, allowing water to enter thru the head gasket. If this is the case, you will need a new impeller, clean the debris out of the trans cooler as well. Pull the heads, have the shaved down if possible, and new head gaskets. I would guess there is not significant damage to the lower end, yet it depends on how much water was taken in. The risk is if there was significant water into the cylinder, the piston cannot compress the water, like it does air, thus it bends the connecting rod and or the crank. Does not sound like good news. I would be talking to the previous owner, as it is possible he knew there was an overheating issue that caused this, or the lack of maintenance would have caused this as well. Lesson learned- a $35 impeller every year is well worth the investment. Keep us updated on the progress.

[evan 0]

Thanks for the replies. No news back yet, they do not believe the block is cracked. Hopefully that turns out to be the case.

It was mentioned above that by running the boat with belt squeeling could have led to water entering the block. It ran for 2 minutes tops, with rpms barely above idle.

 

It was mentioned above that the impeller should be replaced every season, is this common practice on a vdrive?

Thanks again. Evan

[David 0]

Yes, I believe the manufacture recommends yearly replacement. I replace mine every other year. I would consider replacing mine sooner but I don’t put that many hours on my boat. I do keep a spare with me at all times. It’s an hour job and $30 in parts.

[kgordon7378 0]

Running the engine itself while the alarm was going off would not cause water to enter into the cylinders. However heating the block up enough, would cause the heads to warp and a leak to develop on the head gasket, and water entering in there.

[evan 0]

Gordon, thanks for the post.

That would make sense with what happened. The pump has come in and should be in by WED, I guess we will see from there. By the sounds of it, a head gasket and lesson learned.

Cheers, Ev