Water in oil... Again and again and again and again....
 

I may be biased, but I believe this is the ultimate boat horror story! This problem started late last summer after I purchased a 1995 272 Islander Baja with a carbureted Generation V Merc 454, SR number OF413462, with a Bravo 1 drive. The first 3 times I have had it on the water (fresh water only boat) it has overheated. The first time I took it out it overheated, 230 degrees F, right away. As soon as I heard the warning buzzer go off, I shut the engine down and then heard every cylinder fill up with water (this boat does NOT have through the haul exhaust). The engine was very hot (boiling water when splashed on the block, but there was NO water in the engine compartment and NO water in the engine oil). I towed it to the marina and they rebuilt the fresh water pump (the veins on the old pump were all intact and looked fairly good) and replaced the bellows boot. Took the boat out for the second time and the same time happened, but this time it would get hot only if you ran it at half to full throttle. If you went back to idle or lower throttle, the temp would go back down. I took it back to the same marina and asked them to replace the recurculation water pump. They did not and said that would not be the problem. They went through it again and found no problems. They checked every hose looking for restrictions and found none. They did replace the thermostat. The next time I took the boat out we ran it for 3 hours, at full and half throttle, and had no problems then all at once, it got hot again. I turned the engine off and heard the cylinders gurgling and belching and filling up with water again (again no water in the engine compartment and no water in the oil). I pulled it to my business( I own a trucking company and have our own diesel repair shop). We did a compression test and showed good compression on each cylinder, thus somewhat eliminating the possibility of a blown head gasket. Again with no answers, I took it to a different marina. They removed the circulating water pump and said it looked good. They also looked for restrictions in all the normal places and found nothing. They were stumped and did not know what to try next. I picked it up from that marina and took the boat to yet another marina and had them look at it. I had them replace the exhaust flappers with a new style (although the old ones appeared to be just fine). They also did a leak down test and said that it leaked compression in between three cylinders. I picked the boat up, brought it back to our shop, and removed the engine. I pulled the heads, the gaskets looked just fine, with no signs of being blown. I had the heads magnifluxed and they tested out just fine. I pulled the frost plugs and thought that the block might be full of sand however found no sand inside. Needless to say, I am at a total loss as are the 3 different marinas that looked at the boat.

Later this winter I believe I found the problem. There is a water hose that runs up over the drive unit, in through the haul, and into the engine. This line supplies the boat with water and it had been pinched pretty severely. I replace this hose and all of the overheating issues went away when I had the boat on the water this spring.

I went ahead and completely rebuilt the motor this past winter. I put Elderbrock RPM performer heads, forged SRP flat top pistons with a compression around 9:2 to 1, a Elderbrock air gap intake, a Comp Cam Hydraulic roller cam that is 224 duration at 50 and has lobe separation of 112. In addition I installed a new timing gear and chain, roller rockers, new pushrods, new head bolts, a water bypass kit (this replaces the circulation pump), 142 degree thermostat. Also I installed a Lightening header system which has 4 “ of riser and the Lightning’s switchable exhaust diverters which exhaust out a the factory Y pipe or through a pair of tips that have internal flappers to keep the lake water from reentering the engine.

The first time I took the boat out for it’s initial break in I could only get the engine temperature to 120 degrees with a 142 degree thermostat. I replaced the 142 thermostat with a 160 and the engine immediately shot to 200 degrees while at idle. I shut it off and replaced it with a different 160 thermostat and again it shot to 200 degrees. I put the 142 thermostat back in and the temp has stayed at 140 degrees of less ever since.

Here is my problem. This motor only has 4 hours on it and I keep getting water in my oil. After about 4 weeks of troubleshooting I have narrowed it down. I have done leak down tests and they were fine. I have done compression tests and they were fine. I removed the thermostat and put a plate over the thermostat opening on the intake manifold and placed a fitting on it so I could put a garden hose on the cooling side and held the water at about 60 PSI for 12 hours and still had no water in the oil. I removed the oil cooler and tested it for leaks and found none. IF I did my compression and leak down tests properly, I should not have a head gasket gone bad from the one occasion of the temp going to 200 degrees.

I continued to eliminate sources for the problem. I put the boat on the hose and have ran the boat 4 times at 30 minutes, with RPM's between 400- 1800, and with the water exiting through the Y pipe and never get water in the oil. Then I switch the exhaust and have the exhaust exit through the haul tips and every time I get water in the oil after 10- 20 minutes. I have done this 5 times and every time I get water in the oil.

This has me baffled. I would think that when the exhaust is open out the rear tips that there would be less restrictions for the water to be sucked back into the engine oil. When the exhaust is switched and exiting through the prop, I would think that there is more restriction as the exhaust hits the diverter and has to travel down the Y pipe. At 400- 1000 RPM’s I can hear the internal flappers bouncing inside the tips. They really make a lot of noise. Initially I thought that the exhaust water might be hitting the flappers at the point when they have fallen shut and at that point was being sucked back into the engine. Therefore I wedged the flappers open and retested. At the end of another 20 minute test again I had water in the oil.

At this point one would think that I have found my problem. I contacted the exhaust manufacturer. He instructed me to cut the water that was going to each header in half and to dump the other half out the haul. He also sent a pair of Shotgun exhaust tips from drewmarine.com. These tips are to help with the reversion issue and he felt this combination would solve the problems.

I installed the tips and reduced the water traveling through the headers and took the boat to the lake. I took the boat to Lake Darling on a Friday night and left it on the trailer but backed it into the water. I ran it for 30 minutes with the RPM’s going from 600- 1800 and with the exhaust going out the rear and checked the oil and all was good. Again I backed it in and ran it for 25 minutes, this time with the exhaust going through the prop and checked the oil and it too was fine.

On Saturday I took the boat to Lake Rathburn. I unloaded the boat and ran it for less than 5 minutes with the RPM’s between 500- 4000. At the 4000 RPM range I heard a loud ticking noise (The engine has always had a tick noise at idle. We adjusted the rockers once and the tick still was there so we were assuming that the tick was an exhaust leak). I checked the oil and again it was milky in color. I had put 7 ½ quarts of oil in the engine. While the boat was in the water it had the exhaust going out the rear transom and not through the prop.

One thought would be if the cam is NOT the 224 at 50 cam that I ordered. The cam card says it is, but there is a remote possibility of the wrong cam being sent. I called the Comp Cam rep and he said the next step is to degree the cam and the check the intake centerline in the motor. We lined the dots on the timing gear and cam up when we installed the cam. Another possibility would be if the block was cracked from the high temp problems for last summer. However I would have though that is the block was cracked it would have shown up when they bored the block 30 over when I rebuilt it this summer.

I am completely baffled. I was getting water in the oil with the engine running on the muffs and the exhaust going out the rear but not when the exhaust was going through the prop. However when I but the boat on the water while it was on the trailer I did not get water in the oil while the exhaust was going out the prop OR the rear. I have gotten the water in the oil with it being at a low RPM test as well as a operating at a higher RPM range. There in no trend to follow which is making this incredibly difficult to diagnose. The water in the oil problem does not seem to be heat related because the engine never gets that hot. The water in the oil problem does not seam to be RPM related because it has happened at low RPM’s some times and other times it does not. They do not happen with the exhaust at one position or another. I have gotten water in the oil while it was running on the muffs and while running on the lake.

Not only has this engine bleed me to death financially ( I have spent well over $10,000 in parts and have not even begun to count the labor bill), but also the time away from my family is taking its toll. I have worked on this engine at least 3 nights a week and every Saturday and Sunday for over 4 months now. I need to find the problem.

What should I do and can anyone explain to me why this is happening. I understand that reversion is caused mainly by where the water is being inducted in the exhaust and by the cam that you have. But under my tests, neither has changed. Under each test, my cam is the same and the water is inducted in the exhaust the same, just as it leaves the headers and before the diverter valve.

Please help!!!!! Any ideas would be very welcome. Please feel free to email me at [email protected]

Re: Water in oil... Again and again and again and again....
 

I had an intake manifold/gasket leak water into the engine.

Re: Water in oil... Again and again and again and again....
 

Intake manifold! Did you check that the gaskets are correct when you installed? It's also very common for people to use WAY too much silicone on the gaskets when they're installed.

The Lightning headers don't reintroduce water back into the exhaust intill way back so unless you have a real lumpy cam this is not the problem. Anyhow, that's an easy check. Idle the motor for 10-15 mins then pull one of the headers. If there is any water at the head you have reversion, otherwise you're ok.

Good luck,
Fionn

Re: Water in oil... Again and again and again and again....
 

Checked your water pressure ?...Crossovers can cause very high pres.

Re: Water in oil... Again and again and again and again....
 

I am fighting a similiar problem. Over the winter I built a fairly stout naturally aspirated 540. On my first test run, I encountered reversion. I had a little water in the oil and salt deposits on a couple of plugs. The idle was terrible, I would develope a miss due to plugs fouling with water. At the time, I had a set of Gil WetOffshore manifolds and risers. They dumped the water directly in front of my thru-hull tips. I removed the risers and found alot of water in both manifolds. So much that I originally thought that my Gil manifolds may have rotted or cracked. I pressure checked them and found them to be good. I just got a set of CMI elbow top headers. I was told that they would end my reversion problems. Well, they didn't. It is alot better, but it still there. The engine does not miss anymore, the plugs and oil are both clean. I found the problem when I spotted a drop of water coming from the cool collar joint on the headers. So, I removed the gasket and left the clamp slightly loose to help any reverted water leak at the joint, rather than fill the motor up. And leak it does, I have a mess after a days running around.

I don't have a radical cam.

all measurements are @ .050" lift

intake: .578 lift...238* duration
exhaust .608 lift...248* duration
114* lobe seperation
ivo 5* btdc....ivc 53* bbdc
eco 58* abdc....evc 10* atdc

Not alot of overlap, but apparently enough to cause a problem. My next step is to go full dry pipes. That will certainly fix all my problems.

I realize that your problem is more involved than what I just described. But, my point in sharing this is that I don't think that there is any definitive answer the mystery of reversion. I talked to all the cam companies before deciding on this grind. They all said I would not have problems with reversion. The exhaust companies would not give me their opinion at all. They said, if I want to be sure, do dry pipes. So, tomorrow I will be calling TrickMarine for dry tailpipes.

Re: Water in oil... Again and again and again and again....
 

How much drop is there from the manifolds to the transom? Is it possible that when you were running at the ramp that the bow was higher than when the boat is off the trailer? Just a thought

Re: Water in oil... Again and again and again and again....
 

What cyl heads are you running?

Re: Water in oil... Again and again and again and again....
 

Articfriends: I am running Alum Elderbrock RPM performer heads.

JimV: the trailer was compleatly submerged and th boat was free floating while it was on the trailer.

Birddog: I have not checked my water pressure. What are you sugesting about the crossover?

Jackhammer and Lofty: If it was intake gasket, I would have thought that it would have shown up when I did the leak down lest or when I pressurized the cooling system. What do you think??

Re: Water in oil... Again and again and again and again....
 

An intake leak sure won't show up on a leak down. Pressure testing the cooling system doesn't always show these leaks either. most of the time it takes some heat to get the castings to move a bit before the leak shows up. Also, just a little corrosion on your castings at the gasket face will cause all kinds of trouble once the motor warms up. If you don't have a solid sealing face the gasket will leak.

Re: Water in oil... Again and again and again and again....
 

Articfriends,

I am running AFR 315 cnc heads. I talked to Jeff from CMI today. He suggested something that I just didn't think of. He said to remove the rubber flaps on my tips. They may be causing just enough restriction to cause my problem.

Re: Water in oil... Again and again and again and again....
 

Checkmate454, I have internal flappers in my tips not on the rear. I also though that they might be causing the problem. I had asked my Lighting exhaust manufacturer, CP Performance, and Comp Cams and they said that they would not be the problem. I guess I will have to take their word, but it sure looks like a potential problem to me.

Actually Lighting even took it a step further. They sent me a pair of Shotguns from drewmarine.com. These are to help with the reversion but in my case they have not. If you have never seen a set of shotguns, they are a flapper that is spring loaded in the closed position and only open at higher RPM's. If the though of the water hipping your flappers were true, the shotguns would only make the problem worse, not better because they are harder for the exhaust pressure to open than regular rubber flappers. Thanks for the comments. Let me know what you find out.

Re: Water in oil... Again and again and again and again....
 

Dirthead, you said in your first post that you never get water in your oil when the diverter is closed and the exhaust is thru the prop. If that is true then it is a reversion problem. The solutions for this problem are less cam or dump water farther backin the exhaust. Raising the idle speed is also helpful. You said several times that you were idling at low speeds, 500-800 rpm. That could cause a problem. Try to idle at 800 rpm even when in gear.

Re: Water in oil... Again and again and again and again....
 

I just installed a procharger and I had the very same problem and I fixed it. Here is a little background on the stock exhaust you initally refrenced. A buddy ran his Merc, noticed over temp. and imediately shut down. He ended up with water in his cylinders. He contacted Merc and they said that through the hub exhaust will suck back sea water if the engine is shut down quickly W/O a chance to cool down. I know this does not apply to your new install but listen on as I have an idea for you and just wanted to pass on that story to help you seperate the two problems. First the intake gasket. When I installed my Procharger they insisted on drilling three 1/4" holes in the thermostat. I thought about why and here is what I have come up with. With the circulation pump gone the sea water pump pressure gets in the motor. The pressure can get quite high. High enough to blow an intake manifold gasket. When the engine is cold the thermostat is closed and therefore the exhaust water cant come out of the thermostat housing, builds pressure and blows the gasket. I can't explain the 160 vs 140 experience. If your circulation pump is goneand you do have a thermostat you need to relieve the thermostat. I suggest you pull the intake, Put in a new, GOOD gasket, and make your first run with out a thermostat. Hopefully their will not be any water in your oil. Then dril 3 1/4" holes in your thermostat. If you dont get up to temp running then get another thermostat and only dril 2 holes. Be warned that I blew my gasket plugging two of the three holes while trying to get my engine temp up. Two 1/4" holes kept my intake gasket alive and allowed 140deg running hard. If you want to talk on the phone. Bob @ 530 587 4700

Re: Water in oil... Again and again and again and again....
 

DirtHead,
I will let you know what happens. I plan on testing again tomorrow.

Re: Water in oil... Again and again and again and again....
 

I had milkshake in sb engine last year. Pressure tested everything. Was running mild comp cams with 111lsa and 51* overlap. I didn't think cams were the problem because one engine was ok. Over the winter I went to a little more cam. Now comp cam 278/292 564/567 on 112lsa 61* overlap. Before removing old cams I degreed them just for fun. I found the engine that was getting milkshake had valve timing retarded 4*. The other engine was right on. I didn't connect all the dots until I fired both engines this spring and now both had milkshakes with the 61* overlap. Well enough is enough so I invented these inserts (pic) that convert my exhaust to full dry. No more milkshake for me. Sounds awesome too.

Also, I hate to be the bearer of bad new dirthead, but chance are that ticking is a wiped lobe on those comp cams. I went through 3 cams on my port engine this spring and had to rerebuild that engine one time due to metal in the oil. The lifters were soft. The last cam had a different design lifter which looked much better than the first two. These are my last comp cams cams. They absolutely suck and have cost me gobs of time and money.

BT :cool:

Re: Water in oil... Again and again and again and again....
 

One thing I did last year that cleaned up about 80% of the milkshake in the sb engine was add pcv valves. Not a complete fix but it helped clean the oil and got me through the season. To find out if you wiped a lobe cut open the oil filter and use a magnet to look for metal.

BT

Re: Water in oil... Again and again and again and again....
 

Blue Thunder. How did the PVC type valve breathers help over the traditional style breathers?

Re: Water in oil... Again and again and again and again....
 

When the oil gets hot the water vaporizes and causes the atmosphere inside the engine to get humid. That is what creates the scummy creamed cheese and rust. With a passive ventilation system (stock breathers) the turns of air inside the engine are almost stagnate. With a positive vent system (pcv) the turns of air is significantly higher causing the humid air to be evacuated and dryer air drawn in.

BT :cool:

Re: Water in oil... Again and again and again and again....
 

So much for the CMI headers solving my problem. They helped but did not completly eliminate all the reversion. Removing the rubber flappers from the tips didn't do anything to help. I am going to full dry tails. The plus side is that now I can upgrade the cam without being limited by reversion.

Re: Water in oil... Again and again and again and again....
 

CHeckmate,

Sorry to hear that about the CMI's. This weekend I did a few things. I had the cam degreed and I think the engine builder said that it was retarded 3 de and it is supposed to be advanced 4 degrees. I would think that having the cam retarded 7 degrees would be one possible problem. I went ahead and replaced the intake and head gaskets just to make sure all was OK. They looked good with no signs of being blown, however the head gaskets had moisture on both the top and bottom side of the gaskets. The seals around each cylinder were good with no signs of water getting by the seals but other areas that are not sealed had this moister. I never noticed water coming from the heads to the outside of the block, and would have thought that I would have Sean water seeping out of here if it did. Any thoughts?

Re: Water in oil... Again and again and again and again....
 

I am so dejected. I had the cam degreed and found that it was 3 deg retarded an it was to be set at 4 deg advanced. Well I assumed that this would be the problem and was elated to have found it. I went ahead and replaced the intake gasket ( the one that came off looked fine) and replaced the head gaskets with a different brand (Fel Pro this time) just to eliminate those two possibilities. The head gaskets were sealed all around, but when they were taken off, it looked like there was moisture on each side of the gasket. However the seals to the cylinders were good and I have never noticed water coming out of the joint between the heads and the block. Maybe the moisture was just humidity. Anyway they were replaced and I was confident that the problem of having water in my oil was fixed. I ran the boat for 20 minutes with the exhaust going through the silent choice on the Lighting exhaust and the oil looked good. Then I ran it for 20 min with the exhaust going through the transom and the oil looked good. I wa elated and though that my problems were fixed. I went ahead an ran it for another 30 min with the exhaust going out the transom just to be safe and checked my oil. Guess what I HAVE WATER IN THE OIL AGAIN!!!!! I was/ am so depressed. I have spent over 200 hours this spring on this problem. This morning I am going to run it for 60 min with the exhaust going through the prop again to see if it water gets in the oil. If it does,then I am wondering if I could have a cracked block. Any ideas????? I am so depressed. This sucks. I may buy a new engine if I can get it here and installed by Tuesday, June 14th. We are to leave for our vacation with the boat then.

Re: Water in oil... Again and again and again and again....
 

Sounds like you have every issue covered.
Did you have the block magnifluxed?

I feel your pain in a different area, second spun bearing after 10 hours because I did not replace the oil cooler and sent metal debris back into my new engine.
I am building spare engine now with the left over parts :eek:

Boating is to short in the midwest, I dont feel bad this weekend because it is supposed to rain again :( :(

Re: Water in oil... Again and again and again and again....
 

Did you ever check your water pressure ?.....I have seen this very same thing with crossovers. High Pres.

Re: Water in oil... Again and again and again and again....
 

I would listen to Birdog on this one and check the pressure. I would also reconsider your choice of crossovers and get the recurc. pump back on. After reading your first post you had temp problems (too cold) with hot spots.




Disclaimer!
One of the few times I'd listen to Birdog He has been known to make some questionable choices :p

Re: Water in oil... Again and again and again and again....
 

If I am to put the recirc pump back on how will this eliminatethe water getting in the oil? HOw does the water get in the oil if my gaskets look good with good seals around the cylinders??? Thanks for the help!!!

Re: Water in oil... Again and again and again and again....
 

If I remove the thermostat for now will that tell me the same thing?

Re: Water in oil... Again and again and again and again....
 

What should my water pressure be> WHere do I check this? Chould I put a pressure gage inbetween the crossover tube and the thermostat housing?

Re: Water in oil... Again and again and again and again....
 

Crossovers (on non blower apps) cause strange temp issues including too cold of temps and steam pockets. The other issue that can show up with crossovers on all applications is sky high water pressure thats why Birdog keeps asking what your pressure is. It can blow by gaskets and this may be why you saw signs of water on both sides of your head gasket it did not damage the material but was able to weep into the engine.

Listen I am not even close to being an expert but I do read tons of material and have some true life experience and conversations with my gear head friends :D

Please to a search on crossovers and read some of the bigger threads on them 10 to 1 you will want to put the recurc pump back on. If you look at your original problem with the pump and then what changed it just seems to be the "common" part change that had the right symptoms follow it. You need a fresh start and a different direction to look check your water pressure! Buy a cheep pressure gauge and thread it in a blocked/tapped passage or even in a pinch pull the Temp sender out long enough to see whats going on!

I hope some of this makes sense. Best of luck

Re: Water in oil... Again and again and again and again....
 

Search on Crossover

Read some of the above threads this may help with your problem :cool:

Re: Water in oil... Again and again and again and again....
 

Thanks so much for the advise. DOes anyone have an idea what my pressure should be? I got a gage but am not sure if I am talking about needing a gage to read like 10 PSI or one that would read 70 PSI.

Re: Water in oil... Again and again and again and again....
 

I don't mean to jump on the band wagon but go back and read my response related to a procharger application. I tested my block with 20#s pressure as I too thought I might have a cracked block (winter temps are often below 0 here @ Tahoe) . No leaks even though I had a blown intake at the time. You should make a fresh run with the thermostat out!!! the pressure spec for a closed cooling system on my engine is a 16# cap. That is why I only tested to 20#s. I know you are frustrated but please listen to the experience with the circ pump out. I have only a little experience with water in the exhaust from a Leakey center rise gasket. It takes a while for water to make its way into the oil as it has to go through the rings. Please try this as it may just work.

Re: Water in oil... Again and again and again and again....
 

Bartonbob, I will and I did not mean to ignore any advise, I must have missed it. Are you telling me to remove the thermostat? If so, I am ok with that. I have been considering removing the thermostat to reduce the water pressure. I know it is not ideal to not have the oil at a higher temp, however I need to fix the milkshake first and wory about oil temp second, in my opinion. I am going now to get a gage to test the water pressure. Are you saying nothing more than 20 PSI at idle or WOT? Would putting the circ pump back on lower the PSI? IF you like you can call me at 641-919-3406. THANKS!!!

Re: Water in oil... Again and again and again and again....
 

I checked my water pressure at the block and at the top of the intake manifold. Both of them were 2-3 PSI at idle and about 8 PSI at 4000 RPM. From these numbers it does not appear that water pressure from the crossover is the problem. Any other ideas?

Re: Water in oil... Again and again and again and again....
 

These readings were done while on the hose. However our shop hose is at a fairly high PSI for that it has a booster pump on it.

Re: Water in oil... Again and again and again and again....
 

:rolleyes: ih ive ben away for awhile reeding your problem, i have a 622 lift , 244 dur . i extend the tail pipes 12in. and use no flappers. i did this my slef , you need to cut the outer and inner pipes , use a small gringer, to do this. cut theouter one in. longertourds the riser, then cut the inner one in. longer. remove the inner and outer tail pipes and seperat them so you can wield the extions, inner first , then outer. atthe bottem of tail pipe , out flow end drill 3 half in. holes, about 3/4 in from end, do not pirce the inner pipe. weildthe inner and outer pipe to gather at end. :bunny: :bunny: you have just made a dry pipe :eek: but i dont think this is your prpblem,,, :mad: you must dicth the capations call and through prop smoker pipe :D :D also these water out let holes can not coverd buy a slip on muzzler

Re: Water in oil... Again and again and again and again....
 

Thats not right....I never could show water pressure on the hose either. Put her in the water & try...Try removing the thermostat..Who Knows ?..I drilled holes in mine {new boat}
My Bullet had Blowers & the pumps..Never a problem..
Like Scott said...He is an idiot...ooops....Not That..... :D
Steam Pockets are another possible problem with crossovers
For 3-5 hp ?...Not worth it to me...............


Scott......You are SOOOO correct about some of my "Choices" :D :D

Re: Water in oil... Again and again and again and again....
 

I just completed a test. 30 min with the exhaust going out the transom and got milkshake. 60 min with the exhaust going out the prop, and the oil looks great. The test was done on the hose, 700 rpm. I have done this test 4 times now and every time I get the same results. Any ideas? I know that this is completely opposite than what one would think with reversion happening when the exhaust has a clear shot out the rear and not when it is going out the prop. Any ideas??? THANKS!!!!

Re: Water in oil... Again and again and again and again....
 

Ok here is my take on this and I have fought the same problem before as others have in this thread. The holes in the thermostat are to feed water to the Lightning headers while the thermostat is closed so they do not overheat.
Are you coming from the thermostat housing to the Lightning headers? Or does the thermostat housing have the four exits like from mercury? You have to figure a way to cut water out of the exhaust like has been mentioned here, that is paramount. I am assuming that you don't have a lot of slope to the exhaust. You can can run one side of the thermostat housing to a bulkhead dump out the side of the boat and then split the other exit from the thermostat housing and run those two hoses to each lightning header. This should be enough water to keep the lightning headers and rubber hoses cool enought that they don't burn. This will effectively cut your water in half and I would be surprised if that doesn't solve your problem. You simply have too much water in the exhasut and the boat cannot blow it out fast enough. This is how i solved mine and this is easy with a bulkhead fitting and a tee. The ultimate fix would be to seal the holes in the lightning headers, have a connection tube welded in the tips and headers, then drill holes in the end of the tips for it to dump, this is how the water exits on my lightnings, and mine is called the dry system.

Re: Water in oil... Again and again and again and again....
 

For you to get the proper reading of water pressure in the block you need to test the pressure before the thermostat.

I am running a crossover on my supercharged motor. I do not run a thermostat in it. Instead I run a restrictor plate in its place. I drilled out the plate to get the water pressure that I was looking for at WOT. My motor never gets above 100 degrees. My water pressure is at 18 psi at WOT. I want a cold water temp in order to cool the excessive heat caused by the blower. I run an oil thermostat to be sure that my oil temp is at 220 - 240 degrees. I also have to run a very large oil cooler to keep the oil temp below 250 when I am at WOT. So in short Because of my excessive cylinder heat caused by the blower I need to run the block very cold. Even with the cold water temps I need to run an over sized oil cooler to keep the oil temp down.

This is the ideal situation of a crossover to be used.

Using a thermostat with out the use of the recreating pump will cause unequal heating of the block. If you are running a crossover with a thermostat that is not drilled out water will not pump through the block until the thermostat is hot enough to open. Until this happens you will have very high water pressure and un equal temps in the block. This is a very bad thing. You will also not be pumping water into the exhaust until the thermostat is open.

If you are running a crossover with a thermostat this will add a constant variable to your trouble shouting. Depending on when the thermostat is open you will have UN equal heating and high and low water pressure.

Let’s just say you are running the boat and all is good. The thermostat is open and water is passing through the block. Some where along the way the block cools and the thermostat closes. Then you run the boat hard and build high water pressure in the block and it leaks in the block. Then after a few minutes the thermostat opens and the water flows freely again and the block dose not leak again until the thermostat closes and you run the boat hard again.


Food for thought.

Re: Water in oil... Again and again and again and again....
 

jspeedemon,

I am using a crossover with a thermostat housing which has 3 fittings on it. 1 for the bypass from the crossover, and then 1 for each header to feed water too. I have done exactly what you are suggesting, that is the have both headers share one fitting and dump the other fitting out the side of the boat, thus getting rid of half of my water. Unfortunately this did not solve the reversion problem. With this setup, under about 5 min of running on the lake I got a milkshake. Does anyone have an opinion on what an OK temp is for the external part of the header to be at ?