Hesitating Purchase 2004 AR230

[Squidfin]

Hey everyone, I'm looking for advice on a purchase. This is my first post and potentially my first boat. I'm in the process of purchasing a 2004 Yamaha AR230. We put a small deposit down and checked out the boat in person. For a 2004 it looks great, but due to our weather (Illinois), we cannot test it on the water for a couple months/weeks. The salesman sent us their inspection results after they took the boat in on trade. The tech noted water in both motors; Port: cylinder 3 and 4; Starboard: cylinder 3. The compression test results were 180 in these three cylinders and 190 in all the others. They do not have the hours.

They claim to stand behind their boats and assured us that everything is ok. They are also willing to "help out" if there are problems found after we water test it. They claim the water entered the engine from towing it or possibly launching. The oil was clean but they may have recently changed it in preparation to sell.

Based on records I found going back to 2012, the boat spent most of its life in fresh water on Geneva Lake. My research on the non-ho mr1 leads me to believe we may be looking at anything from a cracked block, head, head-gasket or exhaust manifold. Is this info enough to say forget it or is it possible the water is somewhat expected or considered a "normal" condition and I'm just paranoid?

Thank you in advance.

 

[Lawman25]

What dealer is it?

 

[marcham]

Welcome to the forum!

Water in the engine? Run away.... could have left the wash down hose on with the engines not running.... water then comes in through the exhaust valve.

Will they give you 6 month full coverage warranty on the engines with no deductible?

Water cannot enter the engine from towing or launching, salesperson is either clueless or dishonest.

Edit: towing in the water with engine off, could cause water ingress..... I was thinking towing on the trailer.... duhhh!

 

[CaptRedbeard]

If there is water in the cylinder(s) and the engine has been turned over with the plugs in or started, there’s a possibility it has bent a rod. I’m curious how and when they detected water in the cylinders.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Welcome to the forum!

Water in the engine? Run away.... could have left the wash down hose on with the engines not running.... water then comes in through the exhaust valve.

Will they give you 6 month full coverage warranty on the engines with no deductible?

Water cannot enter the engine from towing or launching, salesperson is either clueless or dishonest.

Yes, water can come get into the motor from towing. The manual specifically states that if towing not to exceed 5 mph with the engine(s) off.

 

[Squidfin]

Just to clarify, in theory, it’s possible that water entered during a wash down if the exhaust valves over those cylinders happened to be open at the time?

I’m speaking with them today about what extent they are willing to “help out”. Some type of warranty is what Im hoping for.

A bent rod would give some type of piston slap or knock noise? Or maybe not turn over at all correct? I worked as a tech at a small auto repair shop for 12 years and saw a good ammount of failed engines. Do these MR1 motors make a bent rod obvious?

Sorry for the novel posts, but one last question, I know it’s possible for the ECU to leave injectors open and dump fuel. Im wondering if they could’ve mistaken water for fuel or is that not too common?

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Hey everyone, I'm looking for advice on a purchase. This is my first post and potentially my first boat. I'm in the process of purchasing a 2004 Yamaha AR230. We put a small deposit down and checked out the boat in person. For a 2004 it looks great, but due to our weather (Illinois), we cannot test it on the water for a couple months/weeks. The salesman sent us their inspection results after they took the boat in on trade. The tech noted water in both motors; Port: cylinder 3 and 4; Starboard: cylinder 3. The compression test results were 180 in these three cylinders and 190 in all the others. They do not have the hours.

They claim to stand behind their boats and assured us that everything is ok. They are also willing to "help out" if there are problems found after we water test it. They claim the water entered the engine from towing it or possibly launching. The oil was clean but they may have recently changed it in preparation to sell.

Based on records I found going back to 2012, the boat spent most of its life in fresh water on Geneva Lake. My research on the non-ho mr1 leads me to believe we may be looking at anything from a cracked block, head, head-gasket or exhaust manifold. Is this info enough to say forget it or is it possible the water is somewhat expected or considered a "normal" condition and I'm just paranoid?

Thank you in advance.

RUN AWAY!

You do not want to start your boating adventure with a boat with a known problem. If at all possible buy a new boat, if that is not possible then wait for a better boat.

The MR-1 engines have been replaced by either the 1.8 liter HO, or the TR-1 1.05 liter engine as you probably know, see if you can find a boat with these engines that are in production.

 

[marcham]

Yes, water can come get into the motor from towing. The manual specifically states that if towing not to exceed 5 mph with the engine(s) off.

Towing in the water,... of course, in my head I was thinking down the street on the trailer.... need more caffeine!


Still, I would never buy a used boat without an in water test, even if it has a warranty. How long would it take to get a rebuilt engine? You could loose your summer...

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Towing in the water,... of course, in my head I was thinking down the street on the trailer.... need more caffeine!

And it’s Monday! LOL! Your heart was in the right place!

 

[Seadeals]

Do the engines run? You don’t have to put it in the water to run the engines (or even hook up the flush hose if running for just a short period of time before it has a chance to warm up. Sure it’s a huge issue if you fill a cylinder up with H2O as mentioned; but what did the tech mean about noting water in there? Condensation could also occur if they brought it out from the yard inside to inspect (droplets) versus an inch of water on top of the pistons.

 

[tdonoughue]

I'm with several others on saying you should pass on this one.

It would be of interest to know what the tech did when he found the water in the engines. Did they replace the engines? Or dry them out? Or just put them back together? Were they run on hose?

I say, 'of interest' because, for me, regardless of the answer (short of 'replace the engines'--which there is no way they did) I would probably still not go for it. Bottom line is that water in the cylinders is not normal. You have issues with rust, corrosion, hydrolock... nothing good. And that is if it got in there from some temporary condition (towing with engine off too fast, etc.). If it is in there from something worse (cracked block, etc.), things get worse from there.

And they don't even have the number of hours on the engines. That's pretty basic information to not have from an intake inspection...

Too many red flags on this one. Look for another opportunity.

 

[Squidfin]

Thank you for the advice. Looks like I’ll be back on the hunt!

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Mr1 engines over time get corrosion in the water jackets in the exhaust manifold and this is a good possibility did you look closely for evidence of water in the oil like drops of water on the top of the fill cap or a milky discoloration of the oil . Personally if this is your first boat and you do not have a lot of experience with these boats I would say that it is a bad idea to spend time and money with a boat that is going to cost a lot of money to get running and would have reliability questions as you have no idea what shape the pumps are in or the intermediate bearings conditions. It may be a simple problem or a huge one . The spark plugs would have revealed a lot of info to someone who knows what to look for.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Thank you for the advice. Looks like I’ll be back on the hunt!

Im curious, what was the asking price for this boat?