Bayliner 175 cracked engine block

[DogCavalry]

Yeah, 100% agree on that one BB. Now that Dad is looked after, we've bought the house and moved in, and renoed the old apartment, I'm really leaning into Serenity again. At least a couple hours a day there.

The binliner, and that 150 Johnson have been in Abbotsford for half a year without enough attention. I'm going to start making that trek. Maybe bring an overnight bag and put in a few 16 hour days.

 

[DogCavalry]

Our Sweet Lime in her natural environment. Thanks again to @BlueBell and @cracked_ribs .

Anyone care to guess what she is? I have no idea.

 

[fallguy]

She's a right lot prettier than blackberry bushes.

Is that a glass hull?

 

[DogCavalry]

Yeah. You can see the very heavy roving inside.

 

[DogCavalry]

Only concern now is we are going through a gallon/4l of 94 octane gas in an 8 minute trip at half throttle. I suspect the space under this sole is full of water, and the state of this prop can't be helpful either.

 

[DogCavalry]

Update. Lime has about a dozen holes in her bottom. Look like screws penetration from the inside out. Repaired, for now.
The interesting thing is the replacement prop won't go on. Got the hub kit for a 70hp Johnson. Too small. Assumed I'd bought the wrong kit so. I bought another, also too small. Tried the hub kit for Serenity's 250HO, and it fits, although too long.

 

[Gandalfe]

I've been a mechanic for 40 years and I'd just weld it, run it, and check the oil for signs of water (milkey). Chances are it'll cost you less than $100.00 to fix. I've welded similar cracks. Just take it to a good welder. Hell I drove a Buick 20k miles with a huge crack in one side of the engine block that I'd JB welded cause it was hard to get to. I kept telling myself I was gonna replace that engine next weekend and before I knew it it was over a year later and I was replacing the car. It still ran fine.
I have an 18.5ft Bayliner Capris with a 3.O that burns 4.5gph at 35mph cruise. I have a 1:65 outdrive on her with a 14X19 Nemesis prop. The motor is a covid rebuild with SBC flat top pistons I had laying around and lS rod bearings.

 

[C. Dog]

I understand their primary usage was in forklifts. Maybe talk to an engine reconditioner. They have least tolerance of raw water cooling of any of the GM engines used in marine and often fail pressure testing after rebore.

 

[DogCavalry]

Unfortunately @Gandalfe , when I checked her out, the oilpan was full of vanilla ice cream. So also broken oil galleries. A real shame. It was a brand new engine. Or at least a new reman. No wonder it was cheap.

 

[C. Dog]

That is probably pin holes in the bores from boring O/S. Either way it's cactus. Talk to truck dismantlers and their colleagues. because the 4 cyl was used in industrial applications from what I was told at Mercruiser service schools back in the Baghdad days.

 

[Gandalfe]

Sorry to hear that Dog. I've gotten away with it a few times over the years. Fortunately the 3.0s can be had for not much money in old boats. Mine came from a boat I picked up free for parts to fix a boat for a friend. I decided to rebuild it during covid with stuff I had lying around and have been really happy with what I call the little sipper. I use it far more than the bigger boat. I picked up a pair air suspended "truckers" seats for it and now the wife loves it. I hope yours turns out as well.

 

[C. Dog]

It might have appeared in smaller Chevrolet cars trying for fuel economy, but unsure of this (old, and a head full of years of memories). A generally hard working and reliable engine; and surely cheaper to replace it than fit an outboard? Don't ask me how I know, but avoid 2nd hand anything from these engines if it's been in a boat, or you will slowly accumulate mooring weights.

The viability of this unit could only be assessed once condition of major components is known, two external gearboxes sharing common oil and immersed in water, water cooled exhaust components, heat exchanger pressure test (if fitted), universal joints. I could go on.

A general rule of thumb in marine is that if the cost of repairs exceeds the replacement value of the item (engine, genset, hull) then it is uneconomical to repair.

 

[DogCavalry]

Yeah. Probably not worth it.

 

[Gandalfe]

From a strictly engineering perspective C. Dog is right, but sometimes healing the sick and seeing it rise like a phoenix form your own hands has it's own rewards. In the end you have a friend like good dog you've trained well.
I'm in Va. but have had no trouble finding 3.0 engines. I just acquired another 3.0 freebee which runs well out of a boat that someone broke the outdrive on and abandoned in the 1990s. My little Binliner Capris had been abandoned in the woods for 14 years before I ended up with it. I rebuilt it with Small Block Chevy and LS parts I had on the shelf. But even if I had purchased all the parts the total would have been less than 1K. Even the valves come straight from a Chevy 350. The key is finding a block that hasn't been frozen or stored wet for years. Much of the rest is common SBC parts. The 8K price tag you got from the marina is hogwash. Get a good block and mix and match.
Mine runs fine and we'll have six people in it on the Chesapeake bay this weekend with a planned cruise of close to 100 miles. In fact we've taken it as far as from Richmond Va. to Okracoke island and back on a long weekend.
While I had the engine out I did replace the bellows, shift cable, impeller and gimble bearing as well as going through a new to me 1:65 outdrive which I'm using instead of the 2:43 that was on it. Yes I only get 3800 rpms out of it downhill but at nearly 10mpg I'm not bitc**'n. Most of my cruising is done at 35mph at 3200-3400rpm @ 4.5 gph. If I run a smaller 3 blade prop and look away from the fuel gauge I can even get over 4000rpms and 44-45mph out of her on certain nights when the wind is right.
Good luck.