mercury 4 stroke problem

[rlg]

I just bought a new 22sslx in April with a Mercury 4 stroke 115 hp engine. We love our boat and for the first 20 hours no problem. on the advise of our local mechanic we changed the oil at 20 hours and am glad we did. when we pulled the drain plug for the engine oil about 2 cups of water gushed out. at no time had we had any oil pressure warnings or over heating warnings. The service rep. contacted Mercury and was told to change the filter and fill with oil and let idle for 3 hours and check again. He got more water out in that time. We are concerned that when the problem is figured out and repaired we will have a 20 hour old engine that has been running with contaminated oil. Any one else had similar experience? rlg

 

[Geoffrey & Brenda]

Water in the oil is never a good thing, and as long as there was still oil pressure, there would be no warnings.

My opinion is that the damage has already been done, and a new motor is in order under warranty.

 

[SEMPERFI8387]

I agree the damage has ready been done. Probably scarred cylinder walls, damaged rings, etc .... I'd request replacement, 5 year warranty is not the issue as they will state, don't worry, it's covered...... It's 10 years down the road when it would have still been fine and it craps out.

Just my 2 cents .....

 

[kaydano]

Ditto what those two said.

Use the "that's not going to be acceptable" line and stick with it until you get it replaced under warranty.

 

[rlg]

Thanks for the input. we feel the same way and are beginning to get frustrated by Mercury response or lack there-of. In Montana our season is very short and precious weeks are going by.

 

[ronfl]

Thanks for the input. we feel the same way and are beginning to get frustrated by Mercury response or lack there-of. In Montana our season is very short and precious weeks are going by.

Give them 48 hrs to respond in writing on a new motor or call the attorney general. I would hand them a signed and notarized letter with what my expectations are and indicate that they have 48 hrs to respond. Hand one to your dealer and send another returned receipt to Mercury HQ . If they don't respond call the AGs office or a lawyer if you have one. As you stated your summer will be over and they will just drag their feet. They have tons of 115's they can hook up in a day.

 

[rlg]

FYI just thought I would update you on my situation. After lengthy discussions with Mercury reps. The problem that caused the water in the oil was a filing caught between the gasket that seals the powerhead to the lower unit. The solution for them is to replace the gasket and be done. Their contention is that the water entered the oil reservoir at the bottom and because water is heavier than oil it never actually got into the engine lubricating system. I have not the resources or time to fight them and so we will just go from here. We are not happy but will see if they are right. Unfortunately the final test may not come for years to see if the engine has a normal life and that will be after warranty expires. I do not think Mercury handled this with my best interest in mind but it is what it is. All manufacturers have mistakes but what really matter is how they handle those issues and we are not thrilled with how they handled this one. thanks for your input.

 

[Bamaman]

You should contact Don Weed @ EuropeanMarine.org. He is a Mercury Master Tech and as good of a marine mechanic as there is. His phone # is 864-421-0444 in Greenville, SC.

Don can also be reached if you join BBCBoards.net That's the big Bass Boat website. Sign into the Mercury Engine section and post your above message.

He is a very honest man, and is very willing to share his expertise online.

 

[kaydano]

Wait a minute... You said water gushed out, right?

In a regular car, or inboard, the crank/pistons/etc are lubed mostly by splashing around in the oil. That's why you don't want to overfill it. It will foam up, and explode. Okay, maybe not explode.

But, on an outboard the cylinders lie horizontal. No "splash". So, I'm thinking an outboard must pump the oil around. What I'm getting at is maybe the water did sit on the bottom. It gushed out, right? If the oil in an outboard stays relatively "calm" while the motor is running (because it gets pumped around instead of splashed around) maybe it didn't mix with the water too much.

I guess the question I would ask is whether the oil looked milky/cloudy. If not, maybe you will be okay... Not saying the Mercury story is right, but it may be plausible. Someone with more motor experience can weigh in here. Or ask the guy Bama suggested (you should call that guy for sure).

 

[cwag911]

The oil gets pumped through a car engine as well. I believe the outboard is a "dry sump" setup, no oil pan.

 

[kaydano]

Yeah, I knew that. I should have just said the crank splashes around in the oil mixing it up pretty good, which was the point I was really trying to make.

Don't know what a dry sump is though, or how it works, but I'm guessing it's just a reservoir that holds a majority of the oil from which smaller amounts are pumped around the engine? Anyway, back to RLG's question - Is it possible the water and oil stayed mostly separated?

 

[BulldogsCadillac]

Wouldn't the oil pickup be on the bottom though? You could express your concerns again to Mercury and see if they would throw on extended warranty, if they are so sure it won't have caused an issue, maybe they'd be willing to back up that statement. Worth a try.

 

[RiverBill]

rlg,

I think your engine will be ok; I have over 36 years of experience as a mechanic & engine rebuilder for both automotive and marine engines. I have seen/repaired many engines with water in the oil. If the engine did not spin a bearing due to lack of lubrication usually everything is fine. Normal procedure is to repair the cause of the leak & flush the engine, install new oil & filter. I always told the customer to change the oil & filter sooner than normal for the next service. Fresh water is not that corrosive, salt water that's different story! Sounds like you caught it early. Just my experience and thoughts.

PS lower drives have this problem a lot, if you catch early you flush/reseal & new oil and your back in business.

RiverBill

 

[Bigtop]

I agree with Riverbill, I don't think you should have any problem since you caught it early. If it had scored anything, it would have been getting hot. Even if oil is contaminated with water, it still will lubricate. If it were to get to thin, you would have lost oil pressure and gotten a warning. I once had a Diesel engine that had a bad head gasket and was getting water in the oil and was turning it milky. At the time I did not have the money to overhaul the engine as I thought I might have a hole in a liner. My mechanic told me to go ahead and run it, but to watch my oil pressure really close. I would drain the water from the bottom of the pan on the weekends after it had time to settle. I also changed the oil more frequently. Ran it for a month or so and then put it in the shop and found out it was only a head gasket. Never had any oil related issues with engine.

 

[rlg]

Thanks very much for the responses. It does reassure us to hear the same story from a neutral source and the logic seems sound. still a little disappointed that it took 2 weeks to resolve but that is the way it is and we should pick up the boat Tuesday and will let you all know how it goes.

 

[rlg]

Unbelievable 3 weeks , two gaskets, countless hours of idling to test engine and finally the solution that should have happened day one. My mechanic blew up at tech's and they finally agreed to send a new engine. I was supposed to get the boat last week but every time they tested the engine they got water in the oil. Now it will take another week to get the engine here and I miss July. Not at all happy with the time but glad not to have to worry about lemon engine. Still no boat but hoping next week. Hope my next post is from the lake.

 

[cwag911]

That's good news. I know from being in the auto business that manufacturers have to go through a lot of R&D before they will condem something like a motor. At least you're getting new.

 

[kaydano]

That is REALLY good news. I wouldn't worry so much about the lost time. I'd be thrilled to have it all behind me and have a new motor. That problem would have been a major headache if they continued to play games with you on it.