39: Water in sail drive

[Marjane]

Question: our engine with the bad seal in the sail drive will not start. We have been waiting to haul and replace seal for three weeks. Would water in the sail drive keep the engine from starting?

[ggray]

I don't see how it could, unless it had been in there a very long time and cause it to corrode and lock up while it was in gear. Very, very long time.

[DougR]

As mentioned, only if the saildrive is corroded to the point that components won’t move could it cause the engine not to start. And that would be because the starter couldn’t turn the engine over.

If the starter can rotate the engine, then the saildrive isn’t keeping the engine from starting.