Submerged Boat

This past weekend, my '97 Outback took a few large waves over the bow. Ended up with water up to the bottom of the drivers seat. It took about 2 1/2 hours to pump the water out. I went ahead and changed the oil. Not sure how high the water was on the engine, but I figured it would not hurt. My problem the boat will not turn over now. I thought maybe the bilge pump killed the battery, but I put in a different battery and it still will not turn over. Not sure if the starter is the problem or if the engine was damaged. Any suggestions would be helpful.

Anyone else had this problem. I have taken a wave over the bow before, but my cousin was driving the boat and he said that three large waves came over. For a few minutes he thought the boat was gonna sink.


Thanks,

Storm

I have a 98 Mobius that takes on water over the bow more often than I want. I faithfully check the bilge pump that it runs each time I go out as I've replaced the motor unit once. Having an operational pump is more important on these boats because the the low freeboard, potential leaks from the shaft packing and all of the water hoses going everywhere (engine, heater, pitot tube hoses and shower). I've had the bilge pump turn on unexpectedly when my heater core started leaking, when my pitot hose came off in the back and when my packing needed adjustment.

The engine failing to start my be due to water in the starter and should be removed and dried and rechecked. Check to see if you have power going to the starter as a fuse may have blown. Everything is sealed up to the air intake so I can't imagine water would be in the gas or the engine. I would think the engine block would be above the water level you mentioned so I wouldn't think the cold water would crack anything.

Before you try starting the engine I would recommend changing the transmission fluid as I couldn't atest to the sealing abilities of the dip stick seal.

Unfortunately the bilge pump was little help. I pulled the boat to shore and it took several hours for the water to pump out. I was a bit concerned with the water on the block, but I hope that the water did not reach it. Of course after swimming in the lake this weekend, I wonder if the water was cool enough to even cool the motor. The starter was however under the water. I will pull it off this afternoon and check it out. I am do for a transmission fluid change, so I will go ahead and do this as well. It appears that there is power to the starter, as it appears to try and turn over, but can’t. I am hoping there is no damage to the motor. I just had some carb adjustments done and the boat was running better than it ever has. Thanks for the advice.


Storm

One of the things that can happen Ive heard is that the starter gets wet. so when you turn the key you get "click" "click" might be seized from getting wet... Just a suggestion.. I guess there is a bunch of things that could affect it but if it wont even turn over I would check the starter first

Let me know how it turns out Im really curious as I have put some huge rollers over the bow of my boat but not to this extent!!

Cheers

Pull the plugs & check for water. DO NOT start with water anywhere in the engine.

Was there water in the oil you took out?

Not sure if there was water in the oil or not. I changed the oil in the parking lot at the lake. Trying to avoid a trip back to town with the boat. I drained the oil into an oil pan that I can't see into. I have not disposed of it yet, so I have been unable to check for water.

I pulled the starter and dried it out, but I believe that it is fried. I am going to pick up a new one in the morning and change the rest of the fluids. Hopefully this with take care of the problem. I will pull the spark plugs to check for water, but I don't think I got that much water in the boat.

Thanks,

Storm

I would also guess it was your starter. I took on quite a bit of water my fist time out with my 05 Mobius because either the factory or dealer did not hook up the discharge on the recirc pump. Didn't get any in the engine itself, but after a few more trips to the lake the starter was gone. That was only with water sloshing against it. I can imagine if it was submersed for that long that it is toast.

Well things were a little worse than I thought. After 5 oil changes (incl. filter), transmission fluid change, a little carb work, new plugs, and of course the new starter, I believe things are nearly back to normal. I guess that the boat took more water than I originally thought. I am going to change the oil a couple of more times in the morning to make sure all the water is gone. The last oil change still showed a little water in the oil after about 5 to 10 minutes with the engine running. Hopefully I will have it back in the water by noon. I am keeping my fingers crossed. I was beginning to think that something was cracked. Last time I saw that much water in an engine was when I blew a head gasket in my old '85 Chevy many years ago. Wish me luck and thanks for all the input.

Storm