3.0 i/o locked up--sea ray

[sea pit]

Got a friend who's selling me a 91 Sea Ray w/ a 3.0 liter 4cyl inboader, Mercruiser outdrive. Problem besides cosmitic issues(needs new carbet and seats recovered), the motor seems to be locked up. My friend believes he will get it unstuck. What problems beside's a complete new engine, could I be looking at. Is it possible this motor would run again without a rebuild and for how long? The asking price is 1000.00. In looking at it initially, this appeared to be a good buy, but now I'm not so sure. Any advice would greatly be appreaciated.

[gonzo]

If the outdrive is locked up the motor won't turn either.

[sea pit]

thanks for the info. I'll check this out. The outdrive was replaced 2 years ago, but the boat has set up for awhile. This boat would probably be a descent deal for someone with prior knowledge of a boat, but for me, cars are the only things I've worked on. I've been told that it's not difficult to figure out, but I'm thinking I need to start off with something with a little less work. What do you think?

[marshmat]

Do you mean the drive is jammed in the tilted-up position? This could be something as simple as a dead trim pump, or as nasty as complete corrosion of the whole gimbal assembly. The 3.0's a perfectly good engine if it's maintained properly (get the maintenance records, for sure). Don't try to run it with the outdrive fully tilted up though as that can damage the drive. I'd get a mechanic or surveyor to look the drivetrain over, if I were you. At the cheap end of possibilities, repairing a problem with the trim pump or cylinders would set you back a few hundred bucks; at worst, replacing the whole Alpha drive with a rebuilt unit might run $2k or more while a new engine/drive package might be had for $4-6 k.