picked up a cheap bowrider
 

i picked up a 93 Regal Valanti 196 OB 4.3 Mercruiser, boat is almost mint engine has 360 hours on it, but the guy has claimed low compression on port side, water in oil, and runs like dog chit, im fairly certain its a head gasket. block is solid, no cracks boat was a florida FRESH WATER ONLY boat, but anyone else have an idea on what it could otherwise be just incase? he said it never overheated and was always winterized, seems odd with only 300 hours. and could someone also lead me to the head torque pattern/values and intake manifold torque values.

much appriecated,

Mitch VK

Flamming in 3, 2, 1...

if you're goin to be an ass about it go somewhere else....

Not an ass. Read the threads. Similar thread going on today. Ie, reference cometic head gaskets. Also, your motor would be a trolling motor compared to comparable power on the boats and/or discussed here. Lastly, if your britches get wet at a simple comment you may want to avoid the interweb.

yes i know its not a race boat, just looking for some help, isnt that what OSO is for? the guy had a marina look at it and they said could be an exhaust manifold issue, but that wouldnt cause the compression drop, i simply bought this boat to fix the engine issue and turn it for some quick cash. im currently googling for stuff now, i figured i would see what you guys might chip in on..

So, have you verifies that the compression is low? What cylinder? Could be a bad valve. Once you run a compression check that can take you in many directions. If it is low compression, it could be a bad valve or head gasket. If you pop a head and it looks good then you can scope the block and head to see if there way blow by. Head and/or block may need to be decked. Water in oil isn't good as it could again be the hg, block, or head AMD the raw water system is rolling into the oil. I referenced the other thread because aside from tearing down the block some great pointers were provided by bypassing the.cooling system....

All 3 port side cyclinders are low comp, oily water is on the plugs. Im searching for threads currently

Scratch oilly water on the plugs i meant oil pan. Im probly pulling the head off tmmw or the next day

So that likely rules out bad rings or valves. I'd steer first towards the port head gasket. If you don't have a mixture of low comp on cylinders you may have avoided an overheated motor

Yea Ill let you know how it looks once I dig into it, thanks for your input man

Pull your intake manifold off and check in the lifter valley area. The port side lifter valley area is the weak link on the 4.3 GM / Mercruiser. It will happen all the time if an improper winterization took place or none at all.

Your low comp could be from rust build up on the internals from the water leak / crack. It does not take long to pull the intake off and again check the lifter valley very closely especially the port side. We see this all the time from do it yourselfers and boat owners who think they do not have to winterize their boat / motor in Texas. Good luck.

fixx
 

+1 also check the bottom of the intake for cracks,,water goes under the carb to warm it up a little and when ppl winterise them the never pul the hose off in the front of the intake and set the bow low so the water can drain out..

And I will add + one to what U have said. Also will 1997 add some info V-6 and up, all Mercruisers and Volvo's have a drain plug off center front of the intake manifold just like the one U put in the transom hull that has to be pulled & drained when winterizing.

If it is missed - a crack can take place on the bottom side of the intake manifold reguardless depending on how cold it gets

It is very wise when winterizing after draining block, hoses and so forth to lower and raise the boat on the trailer plus also lower your outdrive completely down to make sure all water has drained out.

Store your outdrive down is also important for a couple of reasons.

IMO I think U have a small crack in the port side lifter valley area. wish I could post pics because it is very common on the V-6 from improper winterizations or a missed one.