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View Full Version : Possible Reversion - CRAP!



Elk Chaser
07-09-2004, 02:58 PM
Recently bought a used boat (Baja Force 235) with a "built" 454 set up with low compression for a future blower install. (No sense going into the details on the engine set up) Engine had "25" hours on it when I bought it. It ran great and sounded great all weekend, really turns heads.
Anyways, the exhaust is Mercruiser magnum stock manifolds with stock risers and the exhaust hoses run nearly horizontal (slight down hill towards transom) to the thru transom exhaust tips above the water. Flappers were worn out and I put off installing my new stainless tips (Mistake #1).
After running around Friday and most of Saturday the wife and I had stopped and climbed into the cuddy for a little afternoon delight (Mistake #2 - I think we raised the stern enough to allow the water that was in the exhaust to flow back into the engine)
When I started the engine back up and took off I had suddenly lost considerable power. Never heard anything unusual at start up at all and it sounded a like I simply had a miss on a cylinder.
I was hoping I just lost a valve spring on one cylinder but I just pulled all the plugs and did a compression test, cylinders 1 and 3 read 40 psi. cylinder 5 has 140 and the rest have 150. So looks like I lost both 1 & 3 as well as possibly something wrong in 5.
I pulled the valve cover and visually checked the valve springs as well as all else I could see and everything looks good from up top and the exhaust valves are in one piece inside the head.
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I just wanted to get an idea if I'm thinking on the right track before I take it to a shop for repairs and get an idea of the cost for repairs.
So what do you guys think, sounds like I lost two pistons and or rings and who knows what else came apart, right?
Most expensive damn sex I have ever had. :rolleyes:
Time to get some taller risers too I guess, there goes the blower for awhile.
CRAP! :mad:

DaveA
07-09-2004, 06:45 PM
If water got back into the exhaust ports, you may have a warped exhaust valve on those cylinders. In all your carnal excitement, you may have started the boat to rocking fore and aft, sloshing the water back up the pipe.
Next time, do it so the boat rocks side to side. Variety is the spice of life, you know.
Seeing as how your wife was partly to blame in this endeavor, have her ante up 50% of the repair costs. It may get you 'cut off' too, of course. But hey, look what happened to your BOAT!:eek: :eek:

058
07-09-2004, 07:39 PM
Blown head gasket

Floored
07-09-2004, 10:19 PM
bring #1 to TDC and plug an air hose into it at 20 psi and listen to where the air goes. pull the other plugs also. hole to hole= head gasket. air to crankcase maybe a damaged piston, light hydrolock. or do leakdown test same basic thing, this does almost same thing for diagnosis.

Elk Chaser
07-10-2004, 04:02 AM
That was my second thought, blown head gasket. I'll know the answer soon as I took it to the shop last night.

Elk Chaser
07-13-2004, 06:56 PM
Update.
Well, that was it. Blown head gasket. They were cheap gaskets and a couple head bolts stripped out in the block, the bad block threads may have caused the failure.

Brodie
07-13-2004, 07:53 PM
Bummer