Flooded Engine Compartment - Engines Won't Start

[mrodz123]

Greetings Jetboaters! Long time reader, first time poster. I wish my first post could have been something less serious, but alas I could really use your advice on this one. Last week my fiance and I went out for an evening cruise to watch the sunset. We usually head out for dinner on the water once the sun sets, on our way to the restaurant though we had the awful luck of sucking up someone's rope that was randomly floating in the channel. I immediately heard the sound of my engine grinding, so I idled my way out of the channel, cut both engines, and opened the clean-out plugs hoping I had just sucked in some seaweed, only to find that it was a rope, and it was very badly wound around my impeller shaft of my portside engine. I went at it with my knife but to no avail, it was impossible to remove it all. So we decided to head back to the marina with the portside engine on idle and the starboard engine at low speed. We tied up the boat and left it overnight for the marina crew to put away in the morning, when they would be able to flush my engines and do all that good stuff.

Well, it gets worse. I got a call from my friend at the marina in the morning and he had very bad news. He said the rope had damaged the seal, and my engine compartment had taken on a bunch of water. He pulled the boat out with the forklift and drained the water, and treated the engine with CRC and left the lid open to dry it out before putting the boat away in the indoor storage. He also mentioned that neither engine would start. I went to the marina as soon as I could and took a look. It looked like it sure did take on a lot of water. The engine compartment was wet up to the carpeted area on the sides. I noticed a little bit of water inside one of the air filters, but I have to assume both got wet, just maybe one dried faster. Naturally, the engines would not start just as he said. They both turn over, but just wont start and the check engine message comes up on the dash. I checked the oil, and it seemed to be fine (no milkiness). I wanted to be sure that it wasn't a battery problem, so I hooked up the marina's battery charger and that didn't help. I also added fresh gas with a little bit of STABIL marine, and that also did not help. I read on here that it would be a good idea to pull the spark plugs and check for water, and to also try to start the engines without the plugs and see if water comes out. Well no water came out when I tried to start it up with the plugs removed, but I could see it wet inside when I shined my flashlight into the plug sockets -- I don't know if that is gas, or oil, or water, but it looked wet inside. I'm all out of ideas now, and I'm worried sick that this is going to be a total loss. I called a nearby Yamaha mechanic dealer that services boat on site, but with it being Christmas and all, they told me they probably can't get someone out until Wednesday, so I am really very worried. Any other ideas? Am I in trouble?

Edit: it's a 2013 Yamaha AR210. We bought it new back in 2013.

 

[Scottintexas]

@HELP
I'm on my phone and can't type
Help will alert others

 

[Gym]

Whereas you're in Florida I'm guessing this was salt water intrusion? Did the water get up as high as the ecu boxes? You may very well have water in your electrical connections. I would open them up, one at a time, inspect for water and dry any that are wet. As I understand it both engines crank fine but don't fire. You may have water in the air induction system also if you found water in your air filter boxes.

 

[mrodz123]

Great advice, Gym, thank you. I will attempt to locate the ECU boxes to check for signs of water. If that is the case, is this just a matter of drying them? Or am I looking at replacement? And as for possible water in the air induction systems, what type of remediation would you suggest? You are right, this was a salt water intrusion, which is another reason I am terrified, because I'm well aware that my engines could seize on me

 

[swatski]

@Cobra Jet Steering LLC What would you do? This is a tough one... Doesn't sound like the engine(s) hydrolocked, right?
So - probably electronics...
I would want to know how high did the water reach, if the ECUs went under...

--

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

I would get a couple of cans of silicon spray and spray every damn electrical connector I could find. I would clean the plugs and install them then try to start it again I would next try a bit of starting fluid in the air box and each cylinder and the throttle positioning sensors on the throttle body could be wet and shorting out as well so and see if that helps as well as the rear kill switches in the back hatch. It does not sound like any large amount of water was ingested in the engines so it just needs to be run. letting it sit could be a mistake if water is in the cylinders

 

[Julian]

If the air filters are wet and you are sure the engines don't have water in them, I'd pull the air filters out and try starting with then removed. It could be they are air starved.

You never want to run an engine with major stuff wrapped around the shaft. You can damage the seal, but also without good pressure through the pump , you can overheat the engine.

 

[bronze_10]

I read somewhere they advised ro put a little marvel mystery oil in each cylinder and turn it iver a few times if u cant get it running right away.

 

[tdonoughue]

If you get the ECU's open and there is water in there, first disconnect the batteries. Then get some rubbing alcohol and spray that in there. You don't want the salt water evaporating and leaving the salt and other minerals (which will short out the circuits). So the alcohol will rinse things away, but then will also evaporate itself very quickly.

And this may sound basic, but make sure your lanyard is in. I have had issues, only to solve them and then been puzzled for days of why the thing wouldn't start, only to find that I or someone had pulled the lanyard somewhere along the way...

 

[bronze_10]

Agree.... check the lanyars first... and cross your fingers...

However if water is in the ecu boxes and that cUsed the engibes to not start then the damag is dont the ecus.. time to have them fixed or replaced... not a cheap issue to fix.

 

[mrodz123]

Thanks for all your replies and good suggestions. I have a few follow up questions to determine my next course of action.

1) When you say to check the lanyard, are you referring to the safety armband that stops the boat in the event the pilot is ejected from their seat? If so, would this type of engine failure trigger a "check engine" message on the dash?

2) I've tried to look through the manual to determine where I might find the ECU's but I couldn't quite figure out. Is there a simple way to spot these?

I would get a couple of cans of silicon spray and spray every damn electrical connector I could find. I would clean the plugs and install them then try to start it again I would next try a bit of starting fluid in the air box and each cylinder and the throttle positioning sensors on the throttle body could be wet and shorting out as well so and see if that helps as well as the rear kill switches in the back hatch. It does not sound like any large amount of water was ingested in the engines so it just needs to be run. letting it sit could be a mistake if water is in the cylinders

@Cobra Jet Steering LLC had a lot of solid things to try, but he kind of lost me. I'd like to do exactly what he is suggesting. So I get the first suggestion, I will spray all electrical connectors with silicon spray. I've removed the plugs, and can install new ones no problem -- should I treat the plug sockets with something before installing the new plugs? I'm not exactly sure what or where the air box is, and I don't know how to access the cylinders to add starter fluid into -- are the cylinders accessible by the spark plug sockets? I think the throttle sensor is okay because it doesn't allow me to even try to start the engines unless the throttles are in neutral, but if you think it would still be a good troubleshooting step to open it up and cleaning the sensors anyway I will do that too. I didn't know there were kill switches in the back hatch, where might I find these or what do they look like so I can be sure to check those too?

Thanks again everybody, this is awesome.

 

[bronze_10]

mine is an 2008 but my ecu are in the black box bolted on the back wall. In this pic it is the box on the wall behind the oil reservoir where u put the oil in. This is the only pic i had.

 

[bronze_10]

this is a shot of the water in my ecu box.

this is the ECU its self in an 08.. sorry pic isnt better.

 

[mrodz123]

Thanks @bronze_10 I'll look for something that looks like that

 

[Julian]

If the engines turn over, the clean out hatch switches are not the issue (engine won't turn over at all if they are triggered)

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

@Cobra Jet Steering LLC had a lot of solid things to try, but he kind of lost me.
I'd like to do exactly what he is suggesting. So I get the first suggestion, I will spray all electrical connectors with silicon spray. I've removed the plugs, and can install new ones no problem -- should I treat the plug sockets with something before installing the new plugs?
A debate can come from that question what I do is I use never seize religiously but I do not use a torque wrench when I install my plugs I do this to avoid having a plug seize when being removed.
I'm not exactly sure what or where the air box is, It is where your air cleaner element is housed in front of your engine follow the big tube leading into the engine
and I don't know how to access the cylinders to add starter fluid into -- are the cylinders accessible by the spark plug sockets?
Yes you put a small amount in prior to installing each plug. I think the throttle sensor is okay because it doesn't allow me to even try to start the engines unless the throttles are in neutral,
Yes but on the 1800 engines I have experienced a lot of issues where the engine turns over but refuses to start and I found moving the throttle a bit solves the problem since the throttle body sensors are on the outside or the throttle body they could be wet and shorting so soak the sensor connections with silicon spray the sensors should be at the end of the air intake tube closest to the engine.
but if you think it would still be a good troubleshooting step to open it up and cleaning the sensors anyway I will do that too. I didn't know there were kill switches in the back hatch, where might I find these or what do they look like so I can be sure to check those too?
The sensors prevent the engines from running if the hatch is opened because of the clean out plugs I believe this is to keep people from reaching in to check while the engine is running but I forgot that the starter will not work if those are triggered as Julian stated so those would not be the problem if it is cranking over. As for spraying all the electrical plugs every wire connector you see , small or large open it , spray it and put it back together , from the sound of it the water had a lot of time to get into things. and the picture of the ecu was posted of a mr1 engine you have a 1800 engine so those won't be the same.

 

[mrodz123]

Awesome thanks @Cobra Jet Steering LLC!

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

You really need to find out if you have any spark at the plugs as this will direct you to the area to start your search. if it has no spark you need to focus on the electrical system if it does and spraying a bit of starting fluid gets some sort of reaction then you need to focus on the fuel injection section of your boat although that too will most likely be electronics that operate it.
My own experience with 1800 engines is that I had water up to the top of the engine with maybe 1 inch before it was going to get ingested into the into the engine and I never had any electrical issues and that was over 500 running hours ago. This occurred when my nano hull breeched and filled my engine compartment with salt water. And it took forever to drain it out but it did not sit overnight like yours did.

 

[Julian]

@mrodz123 any updates on your progress?

 

[Philippe]

Also, Do you have insurance? The cause is the rope and the flood is the consequence. If you have inssurance it can be cover.