Another breakdown

bullyjack

bullyjack

Active Member
4 years ago i bought a 1985 searay srv240, had the original 350( still with the logstyle manifolds) fixed a few issues but dynamited the engine on a run up the indian arm. That winter dropped a 383 stroker in it brandnew from a shop in richmond. The alpha gen 1 wasn't geared right and probably wouldn't hold up so got a "deal" on a bravo3 dualprop the following summer. Test drove, ran great . Went for a run up to powellriver had issues with the starter, cooling hoses blowing off, shift linkage, mcgivered it back together and made home. Repaired in the fall exept starter. Last summer went to go out and the starter calfed. Boat sat till april, off to a 3rd mechanic. Pull motor and leg, cooling tube in trandsom shield pluggeg with seashells, lower shiftcable seized, alphacoupler on a bravo, rawwaterpump and alternator mounted wrong and not lined up, cooling plumbing backwards, wrong exhaust elbows, no shutters in y pipe, replace starter, wrong intakemanifold(was for a 4 speed drag car) and a few other things i'm sure i forgot, and i replaced both batteries and the isolator switch. Went for a test run up at stavelake yesterday, ran between 1500-2500rpm up the channel checking for leaks and was all good. Got to the lake and opened her up, boat wanted to lean hrd to starboard getting on plane(never did that before) ran the tabs took keep level. Let it cruise at 3400rpm for 5 min, check for leaks still good. Started putting her thruough her paces, cruise, up to max rpm(4500) back to cruise for 10 min, shut down to idle went to do my checkes and she had dumped all the oil into the buildge. Ran back on the kicker and back home. All this with only 20 hrs on the boat. Front of the motor is wet with oil, but can't see any audvious spot where it could be leaking from. I think my boat is cursed, sorry about the rant.
 

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All the oil? Oil pressure was good during the run? Front of the intake or valve covers would make the most sense since you had them off.
Just noticed the pic. How much of that is oil? Could be just blow by from the 4500 rpm run. Kind of issues you had from the beginning rings might not be broken in or broken.
Sounds like what I assume was a change back to a dual plane intake was worth it.
 
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Is your 383 built to marine spec's? I had a 24 Searay with a 350; took 3 seasons to get tired of all the various failures & go outboard. Used a bracket made by Armstrong with a Yamaha 250. Totally different boat; took 3 ft inland water chop at 50 mph; stern sat 4 inches higher so the boat rode like a dream. If you don't need a 50 mph top end you could go with a smaller motor; I got a great deal on the used 250. That boat was like being on drugs; what a feeling.
 
Wild Bill said:
All the oil? Oil pressure was good during the run? Front of the intake or valve covers would make the most sense since you had them off.
Just noticed the pic. How much of that is oil? Could be just blow by from the 4500 rpm run. Kind of issues you had from the beginning rings might not be broken in or broken.
Sounds like what I assume was a change back to a dual plane intake was worth it.
Click to expand...
Oil pressure was good during the run,65-75 untill the end when at idle went down to 20. I think he put a dualplane on, but now it seemslike i dont have as much power and the 4 barrells don't seem to open. The top of the engine is clean, so don't think it's blowby. After looking at it today i'm thinking timingcover lower seal, front main, or tbe blocker plate where the mechanical fuel pump would go. That seems to be where most of tbe oil is. Compression test was done before i got it back so i hope its not anything there.
 
ericl said:
Is your 383 built to marine spec's? I had a 24 Searay with a 350; took 3 seasons to get tired of all the various failures & go outboard. Used a bracket made by Armstrong with a Yamaha 250. Totally different boat; took 3 ft inland water chop at 50 mph; stern sat 4 inches higher so the boat rode like a dream. If you don't need a 50 mph top end you could go with a smaller motor; I got a great deal on the used 250. That boat was like being on drugs; what a feeling.
Click to expand...
The timing was set right and has a marine cam. Heads are rollrized. The guy who last worked on it said there is a lot of quality parts in it, why they put that intake on is beyond me.
 
bullyjack said:
Oil pressure was good during the run,65-75 untill the end when at idle went down to 20. I think he put a dualplane on, but now it seemslike i dont have as much power and the 4 barrells don't seem to open. The top of the engine is clean, so don't think it's blowby. After looking at it today i'm thinking timingcover lower seal, front main, or tbe blocker plate where the mechanical fuel pump would go. That seems to be where most of tbe oil is. Compression test was done before i got it back so i hope its not anything there.
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My son and I built a 350 we put in a Porsche 944. I ran it on the ground and had a front oil pan leak. Better on the ground! 4500 can create some good blow by and did you have the cover on when you were running it, strange where fumes are sucked to. Brake clean oily areas, let sit a while and then even in neutral at 3000 to 3500 should give you an idea where oil is coming from. As far as marine engine, about 8/1 compression and the best valves you can afford, I like mid level Ferrea
 
Wild Bill said:
My son and I built a 350 we put in a Porsche 944. I ran it on the ground and had a front oil pan leak. Better on the ground! 4500 can create some good blow by and did you have the cover on when you were running it, strange where fumes are sucked to. Brake clean oily areas, let sit a while and then even in neutral at 3000 to 3500 should give you an idea where oil is coming from. As far as marine engine, about 8/1 compression and the best valves you can afford, I like mid level Ferrea
Click to expand...
Had the doghouse and the top cusion on, if i don'thear from tbe me hanic tomorow i'll give it a try thanks. Just don'tknow why it didn't happen before.
 
FOUND THE LEAK!!!!! Cleaned the buildge had lost around 6 litres. Topped the oil back up, fired it up ran to temp. Ran her up to 3000 and tbe oil pissed out of a threaded hole with no bolt above where the bracket for the rawwater pump mount
 

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Is it pipe thread? Maybe just needs a pipe plug?
 
bigdogeh said:
Is it pipe thread? Maybe just needs a pipe plug?
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Don't think its a pipe thread, the alternator bracket used to be there but is on the oposite side. Probably just a reagular bolt. If i do it myself i'll use some locktight and a lock washer.
 
Good find, easy fix.
With the fuel pump pushrod out there will be a fair amount of oil coming down to that area and regular NC threads with a bolt in them will do nothing to stop oil escaping with out some type of gasket.
I would wipe it all down and spray with brake clean to remove the residual oil, find a 3/8" nylon washer or gasket to put on the bolt or add a liberal amount of Great stuff or other gasket maker of your choice to the bolt threads and on both sides of a flat washer.
 
Sr SQ said:
Good find, easy fix.
With the fuel pump pushrod out there will be a fair amount of oil coming down to that area and regular NC threads with a bolt in them will do nothing to stop oil escaping with out some type of gasket.
I would wipe it all down and spray with brake clean to remove the residual oil, find a 3/8" nylon washer or gasket to put on the bolt or add a liberal amount of Great stuff or other gasket maker of your choice to the bolt threads and on both sides of a flat washer.
Click to expand...

or a brass (bronze) washer may also work....
 
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