Another flooded engine bay - advice welcome

[svana]

Well, outing #3 in the new (to me) boat under my belt - had one hell of a day today. I figure I’ll share the whole series of events in case someone picks up on something that I didn’t.

We set out to Egmont Key this morning after me installing a new transom scupper (48h after using 5200 quick set) and patching an open transducer screw hole (24h after using marine tex) earlier this week after noticing that the bilge was running every few minutes last week.

The ride out had no problems, but once we got to Egmont the waves were crashing pretty badly and it “lightly” beached the boat parallel to the shore when the anchor didn’t set. I pulled the boat back out and we reset the anchor about 100’ off shore and just hung out on the boat for a few hours. Come time to leave the boat started no problem and we decided to take a trip around the island before heading back, around 8500rpm. About 15-20min into the ride the port engine took a nose dive, we heard a high pitched whine, it dropped down to around 1500rpm briefly before dying and flashing (what I believe is) the hot oil temp light (middle of the 3 lights - 08 SX230 HO for reference, with the MR-1’s).

I checked the oil level and it was fine, checked the clean out plugs, they were both properly seated and there was nothing felt along the shafts. I didn’t dive in to check from the nozzle side. I of course didn’t have a set of vice grips to clamp the engine and limp in on one, so I gave the engine time to cool down and started it back up. I coasted closer to around 7800rpm going 28mph without any issues when after about 2-3 miles I all of a sudden started to feel us get real sluggish. Figured it was because we were going across some wakes/waves, gave it a little more gas, then realized the swim deck was completely under water. We opened up the engine bay and there was water up to the carpeted walls, about 10-12” deep. The clean out plugs were still properly seated, but the tubes were filled with water.

For reference, the bilge has been on since we left the marina. Obviously it was running non-stop at this point, and luckily it was able to outrun the flood. We were stopped for about 30 minutes while letting the bilge do its thing and didn’t sense additional water entering the boat. At this point we started the engines back up no problem and moseyed the remaining 5 or so miles back to the marina trying to keep the same pace to maintain plane. When we got to the no wake zone we recognized that the engine bay was still flooding but slowly draining as we got back in. We docked right before the marina was gonna close so I couldn’t do anything about it tonight, but will likely be going back tomorrow morning to start assessing the situation. Any recommendations on where to start or what to look for would be greatly appreciated. I’m thinking rinse off the engine bay for sure (avoiding direct contact with the electronics), checking the air filter and oil to make sure they’re dry - it doesn’t look like the water reached that high, or else they likely wouldn’t have started, correct? Target #1 is to source the leak/failure of course.

 

[Cambo]

was the water warm ? trying to figure out if a cooling line popped off

check all the hose connections especially by y splitter . Remove the clean out tray look in the bilge area at all the hose connection points

did you look over the side to see if one of the pissers was running low or not at all ?

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

check cooling hoses for missing clamps and cooling water leaking into the hull and not cooling the engine properly look closely under the side of the engine for the large hose falling off .
also update your profile so people know what boat year and model you own , that makes it easier to hazard a guess. I have see the hoses fall off the drivers side of MR1 engines and do what you are experiencing , All the clamps need to be replaced on those boats use good stainless clamps and cable ties for backup also go in the back by the mufflers and do those clamps .

 

[haknslash]

You bought the boat in Florida correct? As suggested I'd check ALL hose coupling fittings for rust and corrosion. If the previous owner was not religious with silicone spray in the engine compartment you may find some issues. It's possible the leak is coming somewhere from the cooling system. Sounds like a lot of water so I'd look for places of continuous flow (cooling, engine, etc). You can check the sealant around the scupper by pulling the boat out of the water and on the trailer and then fill the bilge which you would then be looking for any leaks outside the boat.

 

[svana]

was the water warm ? trying to figure out if a cooling line popped off

check all the hose connections especially by y splitter . Remove the clean out tray look in the bilge area at all the hose connection points

did you look over the side to see if one of the pissers was running low or not at all ?

Thanks guys. Yes the water was definitely warm - steaming from the ski locker on a cool day like today.

check cooling hoses for missing clamps and cooling water leaking into the hull and not cooling the engine properly look closely under the side of the engine for the large hose falling off .
also update your profile so people know what boat year and model you own , that makes it easier to hazard a guess. I have see the hoses fall off the drivers side of MR1 engines and do what you are experiencing , All the clamps need to be replaced on those boats use good stainless clamps and cable ties for backup also go in the back by the mufflers and do those clamps .

Will do. Funny you mentioned this, when I pulled the water box to replace the scupper about 4 steel bands snapped on me and I ended up replacing them - made me think that I should get around to swapping the rest out. West Marine has 2 levels of bands, one that meets a ABYC standard and one that exceeds the standard for about 3x more at $10/clamp, a bit steep IMO - would they suffice or should I upgrade?

You bought the boat in Florida correct? As suggested I'd check ALL hose coupling fittings for rust and corrosion. If the previous owner was not religious with silicone spray in the engine compartment you may find some issues. It's possible the leak is coming somewhere from the cooling system. Sounds like a lot of water so I'd look for places of continuous flow (cooling, engine, etc). You can check the sealant around the scupper by pulling the boat out of the water and on the trailer and then fill the bilge which you would then be looking for any leaks outside the boat.

Yes, purchased in Florida from a snowbird that rarely used it - <100 hours on a 12 year old boat, but he had it maintained by a tech down here. Will do on the fittings, some of them are a royal PITA to get to though. I just replaced the scupper so I would like to believe that it's solid, but I'll look again. I'm less inclined to believe that it was the source of the leak as we weren't taking on water when we were on the water and the engines were off. Also, agreed that the volume wouldn't correlate with the leak. I would generally want to check it though to make sure my work holds lol.


Thanks everyone for the direction, I'll keep an eye on it. Would one way to look for the leak be to use the flush valve to run water through the engine and look for the failure point?

 

[the MfM]

Thanks everyone for the direction, I'll keep an eye on it. Would one way to look for the leak be to use the flush valve to run water through the engine and look for the failure point?

...Always make sure the engine is running if flushing...

 

[svana]

...Always make sure the engine is running if flushing...

For sure - funny enough, last night I was looking at installing the shutoff valves on the lines, and today I could've used it.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

If you replace the clamps with stainless clamps and put heavy duty cable ties next to them you should be ok.
Look under the engines first the hoses there fall off due to bad clamps as does the hoses on the water boxes, both will fill your boat with water.
Also if you are going to boat in Tampa bay be sure to add zinc anodes to your pumps , I have thousands of hours in that water and never put a boat in without zinc anodes.

 

[svana]

If you replace the clamps with stainless clamps and put heavy duty cable ties next to them you should be ok.
Look under the engines first the hoses there fall off due to bad clamps as does the hoses on the water boxes, both will fill your boat with water.
Also if you are going to boat in Tampa bay be sure to add zinc anodes to your pumps , I have thousands of hours in that water and never put a boat in without zinc anodes.

Ya, mot are actually double clamped, so I've been replacing them one for one, I'll continue to do so. And yes, it's got the anodes in pretty good shape on the port side of each housing, although not sure how to confirm it's zinc vs aluminum vs magnesium. I could probably tell if it looks like aluminum, but not sure about the other two.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Zinc is heavy feels like lead.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

The original ones are magnesium add some zinc

 

[sananvet]

...Always make sure the engine is running if flushing...

Can I ask a stupid question? If I'm flushing the engines after a day on the bay, is it critical the engine is started BEFORE turning on the hose and then the reverse, the hose is turned off before turning off the engine? I havent religiously followed this, and may have run the hose for 60 seconds or so with the engine off. Is this a problem?

 

[Beachbummer]

This is not THE problem in this situation, but it is a problem in that if the pressure that day is higher than normal and it fills up all the reservoirs quick and water starts entering the engine it could catch up with you. I would say a few seconds (20 or less for me) is not a deal breaker but I don't feel comfortable with more than that (And you just proved it, as you frequently go to 60 without ill effects)

The point is that the system is not designed for any water without the engine running. There is no extra failsafe, that's why we need the "tow valves" to tow, and to send water in only when the engine is running. Water is kept in line with the exhaust pressure and flow. no exhaust, water can enter the wrong places.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

People are creatures of habit, so get in the habit of engine on / water on/ water off then engine off ,never have the water on if the engine is not running all it takes is one distraction , and it has happened , some members have posted some of their mishaps with the water running with the engine off.

 

[the MfM]

Can I ask a stupid question? If I'm flushing the engines after a day on the bay, is it critical the engine is started BEFORE turning on the hose and then the reverse, the hose is turned off before turning off the engine? I havent religiously followed this, and may have run the hose for 60 seconds or so with the engine off. Is this a problem?

As @Cobra Jet Steering LLC and @Beachbummer pointed and you have experienced you can run the hose for a short time before turning on the engines.

I only mentioned it because the OP is new to the boat and I wanted to make sure he didn’t turn the hose on without firing the engines while looking for a leak. And in the process do more damage.

 

[Beachbummer]

For the OP and everyone else, I highly recommend a bilge float alarm and additional bilge pumping power.

A working bilge pump alone is not enough, because it does not alert you to the underlying problem. You require awareness that the water has reached a risk level, that is low enough to have a chance still to resolve without being already too deep into it.

The alarm will give you the opportunity to act early and realize the problem early enough to give you a chance to resolve without big harm.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Considering you just replaced your scupper, I would start looking there. The scupper drain line hoses become brittle over time and may be cracked and allowing water in to the bilge. If not there, look at the exhaust hoses and cooling lines in the area, its possible you bumped something loose.

I have a high water alarm and will always have one in any boat for the reason you discovered

Alarms – Water Witch Inc.

waterwitchinc.com

 

[svana]

Well...this’ll do it. Ran the engine with the flush valve and it was like the bellagio fountains in the engine bay lol.

 

[Beachbummer]

Nice. Easy fix!

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Yup....thars yer problem!