We fished off Sooke this morning and got 4 decent pinks (the biggest two were caught along the shore east of secretary island) and started running back to Sooke when my engine just lost all power and dropped off plane. fml. I noticed that my engine was overheating and puked antifreeze in to my bilge. Kickered it back to the sooke harbour (really glad I got the merc 15hp not 9.9 caus we were bucking the current) and stopped at Sooke marine for a new impeller on the way home. I checked the impeller at home and it still looks new so somehow the raw water is not circulating is my guess. This evening I dropped it in the salt at sax point and ran it for a while - it got to temp (170) but didn’t overheat.. any chance a piece of seaweed plugged my intake and this was a random event?? Gonna go for a run tomorrow when the water calms down to see what happens.. Volvo penta 5.7 on a SeaSport. I want an outboard!!!. Impeller was $100!!
Inboard just quit while running :(
- Thread starter DuroBoat
- Start date
kingblazer84
Well-Known Member
Could be rust build up inside the coolant ports as well.. how’s the thermostat
Maybe it got stuck closed?
the bigger concern is that the engine got so hot it lost power.. hopefully you didn’t damage a head gasket or the deck surface of the heads from getting so hot.
Foxsea
Well-Known Member
I picked up a plastic bag on my sterndrive once. It caused overheating. You should have a temperature alarm. I put an auxiliary alarm sensor on one of the exhaust elbows. It senses overheat well before the engine gets too hot. I'm unsure where your coolant came from. It should have drained to the overflow tank. As Kingblazer notes, check this situation carefully. Overheating can cause major damage on any engine, including outboards.
noluck
Well-Known Member
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this is what i would use
Thanks for the replies guys. The engine has been completely rebuilt and the heat exchanger and cooling system is new so I don’t have any rust or salt buildup.. I thought of the thermostat but it was running for some time before the the temp suddenly increased so I don’t think my thermostat suddenly closed shut while running. Perhaps a plastic bag or seaweed plugged the leg intake? Bummer is that no mech can look at it for weeks and the we have booked a week in bamfield to go fishing with the kids and leaving tomorrow!
I had a 23’ Hourston with a 5.7 Volvo Penta for 17 years. During that time, the exact same situation happened to me twice. As close as I could determine it was kelp/or? on the intake. Both times I let the engine cool down and then refilled the system with fresh water from the onboard tank - the second time I was ready with 4L of coolant that I was carrying. Both of these were field repairs on the chuck - one of them on the first day of a 5 day trip in Nootka sound. The engine appeared to suffer no damage and was still running strong when I sold it - it was kind of a miracle engine though, but I was relentless with my maintenance. After that I watched my temp gauge like a hawk and I am sure several times I avoided the situation by coming off plane when temp started to climb, and then putting the engine into reverse to clear the intake obstruction - you could immediately see the temp start to return to normal. And, yes I know I should have had a temp alarm installed. Anyway, for what it’s worth, those were my experiences in two severe overheating situations with an inboard.
I now have an outboard!
Sandpiper
Active Member
Might be worth your while to do a compression test and see if any two cylinders are lower than the other 6. The coolant getting forced out of the engine into the block is definitely something to investigate before your long trip.
Another good test would be to pressurize your cooling system to the PSI rating of your overflow cap to check for any bleed down over time as the compression from the engine running may be why the cooling system had the antifreeze forced out the overflow.
Dan
Another good test would be to pressurize your cooling system to the PSI rating of your overflow cap to check for any bleed down over time as the compression from the engine running may be why the cooling system had the antifreeze forced out the overflow.
Dan
Lol I hope you’re right.. good feedback
I’ll test it this afternoon on plane once the tides allow me to launch.. sucks to constantly wonder if your engine is going to overheat!Thanks Sandpiper but I just had the engine installed a month ago. Everything was checked to “as new” before install. Compression was good, new cooling system, new plugs, new risers, new fuel pumps, new hoses.. everything was new or rebuilt to as new.. still has gremlins. The overhearing was a sudden even with no prior trouble
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I took it to sax point yesterday evening and idled it for 20mins with some throttle. It got to temp (170) but didn’t overheat. I couldn’t go for a run because it was too windy and didn’t want to kicker back in with strong winds. Going to take her for a run this aft and will see if it overheats again.
I don’t want to start the whole inboard vs outboard discussion again as we all know there are pros and cons to both. And, even though I never had an inboard problem that left me stranded or ruined a trip, the never ending maintenance and constant worrying about “what ifs” were tiring. I now have a 2021 Suzuki 350 duoprop - which obviously, being brand new, has so far been trouble free. But after three months of running it - wow!Lol I hope you’re right.. good feedback
Feels like I have been time warped from the dark ages to the space age! And I know the inevitable comments - “just wait till you have a problem”. But until then, I will just keep smiling and loving it!..lol what are the pros of an inboard? Besides less expensive to replace..I don’t want to start the whole inboard vs outboard discussion again as we all know there are pros and cons to both. And, even though I never had an inboard problem that left me stranded or ruined a trip, the never ending maintenance and constant worrying about “what ifs” were tiring. I now have a 2021 Suzuki 350 duoprop - which obviously, being brand new, has so far been trouble free. But after three months of running it - wow!
Foxsea
Well-Known Member
It could easily be a one-off event. I wouldn't be overly concerned but watch temperature for a bit at cruising rpm. I scan my guages every minute or so just from habit but the Aqua-alarm certainly provides reassurance.
disco
Well-Known Member
I build my own. 300 HP for $3500.00.
scott craven
Well-Known Member
I've had kelp fronds wrap around the intake also a plastic bag.
Shuts motor down pretty quick when running at speed.
I'm sure you're ok
Shuts motor down pretty quick when running at speed.
I'm sure you're ok
wolf
Well-Known Member
Ive had it happen a few times over many years where a chunk of kelp covers the holes .
you will be fine dont worry about it it may have lasted for 15 seconds , ive seen truck engines go thru hell and back and still keep ticking, have a great trip .
like other said get an alarm and get one with a buzzer REALLY loud as the first one i had could barley hear it then went with a blaster trust me that got my attention all i do is stop and put in reverse to clear leg.
you will be fine dont worry about it it may have lasted for 15 seconds , ive seen truck engines go thru hell and back and still keep ticking, have a great trip .
like other said get an alarm and get one with a buzzer REALLY loud as the first one i had could barley hear it then went with a blaster trust me that got my attention all i do is stop and put in reverse to clear leg.
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