What A Mess!!!

[Baitwaster]

A This is a long post,but I hope to get some feedback from you boat techs! My buddy did a job for a guy and in return he was given a boat. 1990 Penta Volvo with what he was told had 40 hours on it. It's a GM 350. I helped him on the first fire up (gave him a new battery, Ears to run it on land and insisted he buy a shop manual for the boat. He did, but said he couldn't understand it. I told him..there are certain things you MUST do before running it on the water (Change the oil, Change the raw water impeller, check all the oils and do all the recommended maintainance in the book) After helping him get all the bugs out and get it running we found that it had a serious bog when you first gave it throttle so we changed the accelerator pump in the carb. (witch I also gave to him)He doesn't have any money and wants to go boating with family and friends. It seemed to run really good. He calls me and wants me to test run it on the river with him. It ran good except for an occasional what seemed like a clogged fuel filter at low rpm's. I can tell the motor is running cold. He takes it out again and calls me to say it's still doing the same thing! Did you do any of the other work to it? NO! Did you check the oil? No! So I go over and change the oil, fuel filter And here's where the problem comes in..Pulled the thermostat and it's shot stuck open. My boat is a GM 350 also and I was told to run it hotter and it will not only run better but will get better fuel economy. I run mine at 185* so I put a 180* in his. he takes it out again and calls me and sais it wont plane off, the oil is milky white and has no power. I told him he has to be towed in. He was 10-15 mi. away from the dock and sais I'm gonna baby it back. I go over to look at it and sure enough head gaskets!! I ask him was it knocking? no! So we proceed to rebuild the top end and I insist he change the seawater pump impeller! When we took it out, sure enough it was shot! and BIG TIME!!! Put it back together and I hear main bearings!!!! Now he calls me up saying that it's 110% my fault and that that thermostat cooked the sea water impeller and I ruined his boat because it was working fine with the stuck open thermostat! I feel really bad but mainly because I didn't force him to change the impeller in the very beginning. I change mine every season. and I did tell him most guy's do the same!! It cost $40. Can anybody help me feel less guilty!
Thanks Frank.

[Hunter 2]

 

Feel less guilty.   It  looks like you did the right thing.

[SouthPaw]

He definately should have change the pump. Probably didn't run it long enough the first time to overheat the engine. And running it back to the dock instead of towing it put the final nail in the coffin.

[Baitwaster]

I guess my big question is could that 180* thermostat have caused the problem if everything else was right? (Cook the engine?) I think that the shot impeller was able to move enough water to keep it cool with a stuck open thermostat but not enough to do it with a good thermostat. I do know that it was NFL even if we hadn't changed the thermostat!!! I wish I had a picture of this impeller!! 90% gone!!!! I wish I had never touched it!!!! Sometimes it doesn't pay to help people! He is convinced I caused the whole problem

Then to add insult to injury...I loaned him the money to do the top end! And I don't expect to see it anytime soon!

[IrishAyes]

The only thing you are guilty of is trying to help a person who, for whatever reason, went against all the good you were trying to do for him.

Chalk it up to experience. This is one boat (owner) you do not want to go near anymore with your help. Let him fend for himself in the future. Don't even suggest what might be a problem.

My opinion, the thermostat had nothing to do with the overheating. As South Paw said, probably wasn't run long enough to overheat on the first run.

When he knew there was a problem the last thing to do is to continue to run the motor. It should have been shut down immediately. If that was done, there would be no issue as to fault. The fault really goes to the operator of the boat for trying to run it while knowing there was an issue.

A 1990 boat with only 40 hours on it. That in itself is not good. Ya gotta run em to keep em in good working order.

[Baitwaster]

Thanks guy's! I feel really bad no matter what!! I'm hoping to hear from a mechanic like maritime Matt or someone who really knows about boat motors. My friend has been told that what I did in changing the thermostat was wrong and will listen to nothing other than just that! I know that it would have ran a little longer with what little was left of the impeller with a stuck open thermostat but it was gonna overheat in a very short time either way! And yes! If he would have shut it off after it overheated I wouldn't be asking the question at all cause we did the top end to a tee! The bottom end bearings were damaged on the ride back!  

[Kenny]

 He was 10-15 mi. away from the dock and sais I'm gonna baby it back....

That was the death nail right there....should have gotten it towed! Just because he " babied it" dose not mean your not going to cook the motor.

Many years ago my Father and I had a small boat.. kept it in the water for the summer and the driveway in the winter...my father did not drain the block one year for it's winter storage    took the boat out the following year, first trip we have an overheating problem...went through the whole deal...thermostate...water impeller...risers etc. thought we had er fixed until we really cooked the motor on a shake down after the repairs...had to pull the motor now...she's all locked up...and what do we find in the bilge after the motor is removed? the rear freeze out plug from the back of the head that was covered up by the bell housing... 

Did the rebuild myself....that motor got so hot from the " slow ride" back in that the piston rings fell off the pistons because they had gotten so brittle from the heat....

Bottom line for me: you did everything a good friend would do to help a buddie....maybe he should return the favor to you by not blaming you for his mis fourtunes... after all you did recommend the impeller replacement from the beginning.

[Andys Delight]

This is why they say no good deed goes unpunished.  You did nothing wrong.  Some people just don't like to take any responsibility when things go wrong.

[Baitwaster]

The really sad thing is the raw water pump is mounted on the harmonic balancer! As easy to get to as picking your nose!!! and it's four little bolts and 10 minutes! (He found it in the book real quick after it overheated)

[wb]

He doesn't have any money and wants to go boating with family and friends.

That was his first mistake. Not possible unless your family and friends are VERY generous.

All the other mistakes were his as well.

[WATSNEXT]

Been there...Done that...Still feel the sting...

Some people you just can't help....

No matter what you do.....

[L.T.]

Here is a post I made in 2009.  My thermostat was also in the wide open position.  Motor di nothing but run better since.  By the way it is also a 350 GM Motor.

I have a 22' Century Cutty With A 260 Mercruiser. I bought it three years ago with 210 Hours on the power train.  That being said, whenever I had more than 2 people in the boat, it had a major problem getting up on plane If at all.  When I bought the boat the last owner told me the water temp gauge was not working   (on cold at all times). No biggie.  I would always eyeball over the stern making sure it was pumping ( throwing water over the swim platform at idle) I put on a steeper pitch prop thinking I would lose High end speed but, could plane at a lower speed.  NO help It just slowed the boat down by about 8 MPH.  Power up with four people, Trim tabs full down, I would have to send 2 people forward into the cabin to get up on plane. Then this past winter the light bulb went on. Change the damn thermostat.  Put on the original prop, got  it up to temp 140*. and it jumped on plane what a difference a thermostat makes.  Moral of my story believe what I see and not as much what I hear.

 I would have done the same as you. As for your friend, 4 words, Asta la vista baby

[Kenny]

The themostat lets the engine get hot which in turn lets the fuel totally vaporize prior to entering the combustion chamber...hence better performance

[Maritime Matt]

Well if there was no maintainance records for this thing then everything should have been done before it hit the water. Yup, remember what happens when we don't change Manifolds and Risers also? How old are they? Very important on Inboard motors. I've seen manifold bolts so rusted there was no heads left on thewm to put a wrench on. Yeah, now the motor has to come out.  I had 2 customer's that bought boats and had no history.
Guess what? One needs a new motor and the other needs TWO new motors.
You tried to help him get on the water. Your guilty of nothing but helping him.
I'm located in Nacote Creek Marina in Port Republic if you need professional help. Call any time. Cell # 908-217-2345.
Matt