Water in oil

Sun Chaser

Sun Chaser

Member
Oct 13, 2006
177
Bellmore, NY
Boat Info
280 Sundancer 2001
Engines
T 4.3 w/Alpha I CR
While changing my oil today, I noticed that there was water in my oil.

Up till now, the boat has been running great. What should be the first thing I check? I leaning towards my exhaust manifold as they are 4 years old and were an aftermarket brand. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Glenn
 
That wouldn't do it, very little water can get by the piston rings. How much water? Maybe condensation? Bad intake manifold maybe/ How often does the boat get used ?
 
if it was more condensation/moisture than a quart or gallon of water per se and you have been experiencing colder temps and haven't used the boat in awhile it could be normal but we would need more details to help you.
 
You could have an oil or a transmission cooler failing. These cooler I change ever 7 years as the do fail. Once I had one fail and I sucked water into the engine when it was shut down. Coolers are 110 on line and the ones I just got seem good.
 
northern said:
You could have an oil or a transmission cooler failing. These cooler I change ever 7 years as the do fail. Once I had one fail and I sucked water into the engine when it was shut down. Coolers are 110 on line and the ones I just got seem good.
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He doesn't have either
 
The last time I used the boat was 2 weeks ago. I was under the impression that water could get into the engine through the exhaust port due to a bad exhaust manifold.
 
how much water?? or was it more like moisture or condensation??
 
I don't know. I never had good suction. The clear plastic tube was a mixture of oil and water.
 
scoflaw said:
That wouldn't do it, very little water can get by the piston rings. How much water? Maybe condensation? Bad intake manifold maybe/ How often does the boat get used ?
Click to expand...
That is just so wrong.
Water can most certainly enter the engine through a bad exhaust manifold and those of us who have had to replace engines know it.
 
Someday Lady II said:
That is just so wrong.
Water can most certainly enter the engine through a bad exhaust manifold and those of us who have had to replace engines know it.
Click to expand...

Piston rings can hold water for quite some time, this is where hydrolock comes into the picture and cranking a cylinder with water in it can cause catastrophic damage. If you have an oil pan full of water it's not coming by the rings
 
You didn't say how much water?

- Is the oil level high?
- Or does it just have a coffee look to it?

If you haven't run the engine much and when you do, generally take short trips (ie < than 1hr at operating temp) and the oil level is not rising then it could be condensation - it doesn't take much to change the oil to a coffee color. If it were me, I would pull the plugs first - if water is leaking though an open exhaust valve due to a leaking manifold, then the plug for that cylinder will tell the story. Next turn the engine over without the plugs in it to make sure no water is in any cylinder. If this doesn't turn up any evidence of water, then I would put the plugs back in, change the oil and run it, then check again. Also after it sits over night, pull the plugs again and check - a leaking manifold often drips water back through an open exhaust valve AFTER the engine is shut down. If you find evidence of water after this, you most certainly have a manifold or riser issue.

Be care full until you find the source of the water - in addition to rust which will lead to bent/broken valves, water in a cylinder will not compress. Trying to crank an engine with water in a cylinder usually leads to something big getting broken - ie connecting rod or wrist pin $$$.
 
scoflaw said:
Piston rings can hold water for quite some time, this is where hydrolock comes into the picture and cranking a cylinder with water in it can cause catastrophic damage. If you have an oil pan full of water it's not coming by the rings
Click to expand...


Agreed. You are not getting substantial amounts of water into the oil from an exhaust manifold leak unless you have much bigger issues than the exhaust manifold leak.
 
Went down to the boat today. Unable to check all the plugs but checked 3 and they looked good. Started the motor and it ran fine. Will be pulling the boat this weekend and then I am going to check the manifold and riser.

Thanks for all the input.

Glenn
 
I agree with Someday Lady II.
Just had this issue with a manifold this season.
 
Pulled the boat and removed the exhaust manifolds and risers. While there is some clogging, I do not see where any water could have entered the exhaust ports. I also checked to baffles and they were good. So now I guess I'll have to remove the intake manifold and see if I have a bad gasket. Are there any tests that can be made to verify if there is a bad gasket? Or is there anything else I should look for?

Thanks,
Glenn
 
Others will chime in more, but a complete leak down test would help. But sometimes it just takes removing the heads and having a look.

Matt


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
You still haven't answered the how much water question. Don't take anything apart so that you can pressurize the water system to find your leak, everything needs to be intact.
 
In my original post I failed to mention that the oil and water had mixed together. I took the boat for a ride to warm up the engines and when I came back and started to change the oil, it was like sucking on a straw when you get down to the bottom of the glass. So I do not know how much water was mixed in with the oil.

Glenn
 
I know my 454 picked up over a quart of water in the oil this summer and when I drained the water from the block I also have oil in the water. My exhaust manifolds are brand new but froze my engine last fall and popped two freeze plugs and cracked my old exhaust manifolds. I'll be pulling mine apart in a week or two. Just chiming in and looking to upgrade to a 454 mag if needed, Mike.
 
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