hydro locked ?
 

My stb motor keeps hydro locking at restart after a long run .Smokes alot immediately after starting and worse after a long run.. Runs great . What do you think worn out gil manifolds.? These things are old style Gils too. The bad thing is my motors are 572,s and to replace the inboard manifold the motor has to come out. The manifolds are butt tight . We assume its manifolds any way. I can pull the outboard one tomorrow and pressure test . 2 PSI ?. The inboard is another story.It could still be a head gasket. Big Brodix aluminum heads .

Re: hydro locked ?
 

Can you just pull the risers and look down the manifolds? You will see water stains if they are the problem.

Re: hydro locked ?
 

Well, if it's ingesting enough water to lock you up that often, you should see some milkshake in the valve covers or on the dipstick. Could be you have a fuel drain-down situation and/or a somewhat lazy starter when hot. Everything fine when you get it up and running you say? --- Jer

Re: hydro locked ?
 

I don't think its hydrolocking. If it was, it would more than likely only do it once and then you would either fry the starter or you would have a bunch of internal engine damage.

Maybe vapor locking or the carb is leaking and flooding the engine while it sits.

Re: hydro locked ?
 

what does your oil look like, color/ level ???????

Re: hydro locked ?
 

Oil is fine no foam .The excessive very excessive steam leads me to think its water in the cylinders .But it runs perfect. Sometimes it spins fine at start up and sometimes its all bound up .Hell it ran 90 MPH yesterday .

Re: hydro locked ?
 

When you say: My stb motor keeps hydro locking at restart after a long run, then what do you do to clear the hydro lock condition ? Do you remove the spark plugs and crank the engine ? Or does it start in the second or more attempts ? If you remove the spark plugs then what comes out when you crank the engine ?

Re: hydro locked ?
 

I guess Im using the term hydro locked because of the steam from the exhaust.The steam is excessive . But It could possibly be lack of water . Does seam to get less water . I am going to check the impeller. This motor goes to 130 degrees in the drive way in less than 2 minutes. No thermostat .

Re: hydro locked ?
 

Excessesive steam? You don't have a water crossover instead of a water pump do you? Unless crossovers are set up perfectly that's just one of the many problems they can create.

Re: hydro locked ?
 

I do have the cross overs. Both motors are the same , Set up by Joey Griffin years ago.How can the cross over cause steam ? I have always ran cross overs in the past with no problems .
Now I have blowers with the basic cross over and no bypass.
But only one motor steams ?

Re: hydro locked ?
 

sounds like water to me. I'd fix it before you bend something trying to start it. check exhaust first, then work your way down. I had a cracked head once that did the same thing.

Re: hydro locked ?
 

Id hate to tear it down for nothing but many things to check aparently

Re: hydro locked ?
 

You are absolutely sure that you have no water in the oil ?
Do you have the same excessive amount of steam from both exhaust outlets ?
Did you check the spark plugs after having cranked the engine, are there any water or other signs of water ?

Re: hydro locked ?
 

absolutly no water on the dip stick or under the oil fill caps on the valve covers. Both sides are steaming.

Re: hydro locked ?
 

I also had a cracked head that did this.
I wouldn't try turning it over anymore with out pulling the spark plugs first.

Re: hydro locked ?
 

try that it very well could be lack of water if going up to 130 at idle in less then 2 mins with out stats

Re: hydro locked ?
 

Ok I pulled both risers tonight . No signs of water leakage. I checked the propeller and no signs of damage. New propeller.I pulled the 4 easy plugs and no water there . I checked the dip stick again and clean as a whistle.
Guys Im telling you the steam rolls . Im stumped. Its the begining of the season . Id like to fix before I break something .After a moderate 1 hour constant run back to the ramp steaming hard. Harder than at a fresh start.It wouldnt turn over on first trythen she cranked. You can here the plugs clearing off. It sounds like it anyway. All plugs were tanned not white as if water was intruding ....

Re: hydro locked ?
 

did you check for water flow/impeller ?????


plugs not steam cleaned usually means no water in cylinder

Re: hydro locked ?
 

There have been other threads about crossovers, the general thinking is that air pockets form in your block with out the water pump and that creates steam. Do a search in this forum about crossovers and read some threads on it. If they are set up properly they seem to work but if you don't have the correct thermostat or restrictor plate the water can move through your block too fast to actually cool it or remove all the air from it. Just a thought, do some more research. After reading about the problems people have with them I would never remove a water pump.

Re: hydro locked ?
 

How are oil temps???? Are they the same on both engines????

How old are the Gil's?????

Mine lasted about 7 years and I had a lot of steam in the exhaust similar to what you are describing. Mine had hairline internal cracks between the runner dividers at the tops of the manifolds. I never had a hard start up. My leaks were so small and they only leaked when they got hot when the mainifolds expanded and there was a lot of water pressure. Also a lot of steam after a hard run. I never had any water in the oil.

Are both exhaust pipes on the same engine giving about the same amount of steam???? Mine were both about the same, I just wonder why its only on one engine and not the other. Be careful, I ended up needing a couple exhaust valves that got pitted from the small amount of water that got in.

Re: hydro locked ?
 

Once, I had a piece of impeller rubber stuck in that little chamber next to the transom that your hose from the pump connects too.

Re: hydro locked ?
 

I guess I should pull the manifolds. Unfortunately I might have to pull the motor to pull the manifolds. These motors are 572 tall decks and there is not 1/16 clearance between manifolds . Steam did get worse as motors got hotter. But it wasnt like a mosquito truck haha. These gils are very old with the old black risers. Impellers were fine in the water pump.
I have transmissions in this boat I guess trans comes out when motor is pulled ? just asking new to me .

Re: hydro locked ?
 

I guess your plugs would be super clean if water was leaking into the cylinders ? Mine were not. Still had good old carbon on them .

Re: hydro locked ?
 

correct thats why I tend to belive its not a water ingestion issue but something else like not enough water to cool the headers ect, the fact that you stated you went up to 130 with no thermostat in less then 2min also leads me to belive the same thing, check for water flow issues ...........

Re: hydro locked ?
 

Check all the water hoses and coolers. If an old impeller came apart pieces of rubber may be restricting your water flow. Might be why temps are going up quick.

Re: hydro locked ?
 

Thanks for your comments .When I pulled the water pump last night , I did notice alot of crap on the back side of the housing , The power steering cooler is 6 inches away . I sure would hate to pull a motor for nothing . The cooler could be corroded. But the slow start makes me think ingestion but I never have to pull plugs to start . This motor does have an old starter .New starter on other motor.

Re: hydro locked ?
 

Well I just got an email from the guy that owned the boat before me. He thinks Im chasing a non existant problem . A few more things to check and maybe it is. But the darn thing steams !!!!! And its coming from somewhere .....He said he never had any problems. I believe him . Im stumped ...Im going to purge all the lines and strainers and coolers. Then Im going for a boat ride ..........................

Re: hydro locked ?
 

try back flushing it and see what comes out

Re: hydro locked ?
 

is it a bravo boat ? The water hose that connects to the drive bell housing and goes through the transom somtimes with age closes off and restricts the flow of water to the engine. a friend of mine has a 242ls formula with a 330hp with a bravo had a steaming problem and that was the problem. common on older salt water used bravo boats.

Re: hydro locked ?
 

No, #4 speedmasters with off shore pickups. I plan to check all cooling lines this weekend. Runs to good to be internal, I hope !

Re: hydro locked ?
 

Where do you boat? Up here in the spring it's still cold and the water temp is in the 40's. We get a lot of steam just from the difference in temp.

Re: hydro locked ?
 

I am in VA Beach . Yes so do we but one motor steams and the other doesnt. Im checking for some kind of water blockage or restriction in the motor in question now. If it was water temp problem they both would be steaming. Agree ?

Re: hydro locked ?
 

Yes. What are your water temps at higher rpm's? If you are restricted in one engine, I would expect to see higher temps in that engine.

Re: hydro locked ?
 

Pulled all 8 sparkplugs . One plug was super clean ? # 5

Re: hydro locked ?
 

Your boat or Boatmans?

Re: hydro locked ?
 

thats where the leak is ..... the water/steam cleans the plug .....a leak in that cylinder

Re: hydro locked ?
 

if you want give me a call will tell / suggest what to do next...Sorry long day ( spring in the boat ind )

Joe

Re: hydro locked ?
 

Pulling the blower off tomorrow and removing head. Going to try to remove head with out removing the motor if possible. Aluminum heads , more than likely leaking around valve guide. .

Re: hydro locked ?
 

Ok , i pu;;ed the head had it checked , no leaks existed. Reassembled the motor with new manifolds and new risers . GIls. with 3 inch rise and aaaaaan eddie marine s pipe on the other end to get under Fountain swim platform . Motor runs fine but steams its butt off.Both motors steam pretty good now with this setup. Could the S pipes be the issue. To much restriction. I also have a little green foam in my valve cover s , only on the motor I tore down . Im thinking an Intake gasket leak. Still steams like crazy . Both motors steam hard.Maybe this set up is just going to steam until I get in the river.It might need alot of water ? Thats not available on a hose ?