I'm going to work on removing the manifolds and risers this weekend for sure. No reason to struggle with the plug access when I really need to check the condition of them anyway. Does anyone know where I can find literature on this engine like a service manual? I have been searching with no luck for a while.
Where do you keep the boat? I’m also from Point Pleasant. We keep our boat in the Glimmer Glass over in Manasquan. As far as parts I pick up oil, filters and some other items needed at the NAPA dealer across from the OB Diner on RT 88 in Point. Good people in there.
I keep it at my parent's house in their slip on Beaver Dam Creek, although obviously I haven't splashed it yet. Good to know, I'll have to stop by there some time.
Well, by Friday evening the work I set out to get done this weekend was already a huge success. I started by removing the risers and manifolds, which look usable to me at least for a couple years, although I'd like to know what you guys think. This gave me far better access to the spark plugs which proved to be all the difference. I ended up spraying them both with the mixture of brake cleaner and PB Blaster, and it worked wonders. I was able to slowly break them all loose, leaving me just with the single broken one in the end. After a lot of thinking, I was able to use one of these rounded nut removers to grab the remaining bit of the plug protruding from the engine. What a relief! Having removed all the plugs I sprayed some Marvel Mystery Oil into the cylinders and let them soak overnight. The next morning I removed the impeller mounted to the crank pulley, and turned the engine free by hand. It wasn't very difficult to break it loose! At this point I'm pretty hopeful this engine is in good shape overall and with some magic I'll be able to get it going. My next step is to drain the fuel tanks so that I can move on to see if the electronics for this TBI system are still good by trying to start it up. So I'll be working on that next weekend. My plan is to wire in a cheap automotive inline fuel pump to pump them out. Obviously I'm going to change the oil as well (which doesn't look horrible). New manifold and riser gaskets too. What other steps should I take before attempting to run this? Also what kind of fluid/service does this transmission require?.. my only prior experience with boats is outboards so it's a little foreign to me. Welp, that's my weekend update, very satisfied with where I stand with things right now, looking forward to more progress soon.
Great news on the plugs (nice to win one every now and then. A few thoughts.... The left raw water port on the riser appears plugged. Regardless the risers and manifolds need to be rodded out as best you can and flushed. If you get her running monitor the oil's color closely for awhile to verify no cracks allowing raw water into the exhaust gas areas as water can get to the oil via the cylinders. This appears to be a raw water cooled engine and may be a problem given the engine's age creating blocked passages, etc. Wouldn't put too much money in the engine until you have a chance to run it under load and monitor temps. Do you know if the starter will turn the engine over? You can run the engine off an external gas tank. I've used a jerry can with both suction and return hoses stuffed directly into the tank. (Be careful of fumes.) Obviously fuel rail needs fresh gas. (If gas in fuel system looks "sludgie" might think about cleaning fuel lines up to the injector. (I'm not a TBI guy so can't offer too much advice.) Would use new riser to exhaust manifold gaskets. (Cheap insurance.)
Wow! Good going! I love it when a plan comes together! Mmmmmm.... tasty plug! Those threads look rough, but the wear and burn color looks good. That's a good sign. There are folks here more familiar with RWC conditions than I, but I'll offer the following until someone gives you better advice. I'm just a land-based motorhead who tossed a RWC engine and installed a new full FWC system. So take the following with a few grains of salt. Yeah, those manifolds and risers look crusty. Given that it's raw water cooled, and the amount of potential debris that could be in the water jackets, I'd suggest asking the PO if he stored the engine with antifreeze. Most owners with RWC engines are religious about flushing and storing correctly. If not, then I'd pull the thermostat housing and water pump and inspect its condition and of the engine coolant inlets. If debris is found, I'd pull the freeze plugs and give the engine it a good flush (two or three) with a good solution to dissolve and get any chunks out. There's probably mud and rust sludge down there. Flush the water hoses too. The only issue is dislodging rust and potentially having it accumulate and cause a constriction somewhere else. Maybe the good thing is that it is not a closed system, and it'll eventually flush out. I'm sure others will correct me if my logic is in decline, or if I went overboard. I'd also flush the tranny cooler and the hoses. I use ATF in the tranny. The small tranny dipstick is only accurate if the boat is in the water or otherwise oriented with the boot stripe level to simulate in-water attitude. I also HATE old oil. It becomes acidic. However, it makes more sense to get the engine running first, and assess the engine operating condition before changing it. You can run the old girl from a 5-gqllon gas can.
You could make a "tank" out of boards lined with heavy plastic and soak those manifolds and risers in muratic acid to clean them up but be very careful while doing that. When replacing the gasket between riser and manifold make sure the tab is toward the bow of the boat. That gasket with the closed port make the water take the longer path over the top of the riser
Thankfully, the whole thing was loaded with antifreeze, properly flushed and winterized when it was last put to bed. I know this is true because the antifreeze was still inside when I pulled them. I'll consider running the engine with the old oil, but I may just end up changing it considering how cheap it is. I'll have to look more closely at the transmission, didn't realize there was a cooler.
That's more good news! Perhaps you can just clean out the manifolds and risers as recommended above, slap on some new gaskets, and call it good for the time being. I'm glad others chimed in, or I'd have you dismantling the entire engine in my OCD style, LOL! Don't forget to check the raw water impeller! It could be dry-rotted or cracked and susceptible to breaking off pieces of the rubber fins. That could clog things up bigly. Most likely a good visual inspection in situ in the housing can ascertain its condition. taking it out may be a be-otch, and may impair it. You could also plop the thermostat in a pot of water on the stove and heat it to make sure it opens at the proper temp, but that probably require buying another housing gasket. Or you could just run the old girl and monitor the conditions..... Get an infrared thermometer and keep measuring the temps of the intake and exhaust manifolds, risers, exhaust hoses, etc. Don't rely on the console temp gauge until you can verify it's accuracy. I keep one on each boat at all times.
