Outboard Disaster - Give Me Some Good News

[pinnache]

hi there i have just bought a 23ft fin keel with an outboard on a plywood engine mount . I just launched it today into freshwater and what do you know the mount snapped and teh engine fell in to the water spinning a few times before dying.

We got it out in about 20-30 seconds.

It is a 4 stroke 4hp suzuki.

Took the engine home with remote tank and stood in bucket of water. we have changed the spark plug, drained and rebuilt the carburretor and put a bit of petrol into the cyclinder.

We have pulled it about 100 times and all we get is a bit of a kick now and then and a puff of smoke from the the carb intake. The pull cord will snap back a few times. The oil also is a nasty green brown colour.

There is definately petrol getting to the plug and there doesn't seem to be any water in the cyclinder

Ok so I've decided I need an oil change and perhaps the flywheel key is sheared...however I can't get it to the mechanic until Monday morning. What are the chances of the engine being F####### by sitting around until then...give only the good news

CJ

[Pete7]

If it dropped into fresh water and it didn't make it into the cylinder then you are in with a chance. If it had been saltwater it would be different.

Pop it into the house somewhere warm to dry out the electrics quick and then off to the dealer prompt Monday.

I always used Martin Stitt on Island Magee, great mechanic.

Pete

[marc2012]

Change the oil if not already done.Might start if dries out.Take plug out and place on engine ,turn over & look for spark.Good luck.If going I would spray little wd40 in cyl as a precaution.marc ps should be ok.

[osirissail]

More than likely the electric/electronics got wet and are not working correctly. It is doubtful that the mechanical part got harmed since the time was so short.
- - Take out the spark plug and fix it so it is touching the engine block(grounded) and you can see the spark gap. Pull the starter cord. If there is consistent sparks at the gap then the electrics are okay - unless - the engine has other electronics for anti-pollution, etc. control. Like the new auto's the new outboards are coming with too much fancy electronics for my taste.
- - Also check the "dead-man" switch to see if it is working and not full of water.

[pinnache]

Spark was replaced after incident and nex spark is giving a good constant flick...there is also pertol getting to the spark so that is good...the problem I see is that the remote tank did not disconnect from the engine and the kill switch did not come off so something else has to have killed the engine as it spun round under water....you don't think it is the flywheel key or the oil...it looks very green and milky

[Captain Bill]

The oil is milky because it has water in it. Change it now! The electronics may be wet or you may have sheared something especially if you ingested some water in the cylinder hile it was running. If the rpms were anything above idle and it injested water the good news is that you are probably getting a new outboard. All kind of bad things happen when a piston comes up against a slug of water at speed. Everything stops very suddenly. Things that have a lot of inertia bend or break. The most common things are connecting rods and valve tems occasionally timing gears or chains and if your really lucky a flywheel key, but most of us aren't that lucky. I sincerely hope you are.

[Philsboat]

Leave the plugs out,pour oil into the cylinders with the plug holes pointing up.Rotate the flywheel to lubricate pistons and rings.
Dry out the electrics with a hair dryer.
Drain all the oil out before putting the plugs in and attempting to start.
If the cord snaps back when trying to start it there is too much oil or water in the cylinder to allow the piston to go past top dead center(hydraulic lock).
Carefully heat the spark plug bases with a propane torch if they keep fouling up(don't do this indoors).It should start eventually.
Good luck!

[zopi]

drain the engine oil and fill with diesel...crank it slowly a few revolutions without the plugs in it...drain that and replace oil...betcha the CDI or ignition module got wet....prolly hafta pull the carb and blow it out too...

[GordMay]

Here’s a couple of tutorials:

➥ What to do if your outboard gets submerged
➥ Submerged Outboard Motor

And ➥ Let me google that for you

[pressuredrop]

dont give up, i had a 15 horse mariner fall off the back in saltwater while it was running! (no i will not tell that story) anyways the engine sat on the bottom for 10 minutes before we retreived it, as soon as we got it out pulled the plugs and dumped oil in the cylinders, took it home and dried it off and pulled and pulled and pulled and pulled, change plugs and pull and pull and pull... you get the idea, finally got it going the next day after 100 pulls and then i ran great for another 2 years until recently it suffered electrical problems, likely from the incident, all of what as been said is good advice, i know i got stupid lucky but if my engine ran after falling of while running in salt water you should be allright

[pinnache]

Originally Posted by Captain Bill

If the rpms were anything above idle and it injested water the good news is that you are probably getting a new outboard.

yes well now you mention it...it was kinda my fault that the engine mount snapped...I didn't decrease rpm before kicking from reverse to forward...this is probably what snapped the board....and well it hit the water wth engine running about half open....

now only T-20 hours before it reaches the repair shop...here's hoping

[pinnache]

good news and thanks to all who salved my weary and worried mind...the engine is back up and running, the flywheel key had sheared off as it was running when it hit the water...an oil change and a new key worked a treat and it is back up and starting on first pull

[marc2012]

Glad for you.Thanks for update.marc