220 DA thread

220 DA Possible Fire Hazard

Hi Everyone!

Just new to this Forum as of today. I presently own a 1990 220 DA, but it's up for sale as I've just taken posession of a 2000 240 DA. I wanted to share with you a potentially hazardous problem with the 220.

Last year, while tied up unattended in its slip, my 220; (5.7L Mercruiser, 260-hp), caught fire. The insurance investigator determined the cause as chaffing within a wire bundle in the engine compartment. Luckily, the automatic Halon fire supression system worked as advertised and most of the damage was contained within the engine compartment. The investigator went on to say he recalled a service bulletin; (not sure if it was from SeaRay or Mercruiser), that addressed that specific problem. I don't know if it was directed only at the 5.7 engines or all of them, but obviously, my marine mechanic wasn't aware of that bulletin.

The boat is finally repaired and cleaned so it looks almost brand new and I'm a bit sad to sell it, but I did want to alert you to this potential problem. Ask your mechanic if he is aware of that wire bundle service bulletin and make sure he complies with it to save you some grief.

Lessons learned: 1) make sure you have a reliable and knowledgeable marine mechanic; and 2) be sure to have a fully charged fire extinguisher available if you don't have the automatic engine compartment Halon system. I'm having one installed in my "new" 240 DA before I launch it for the season.
 
Welcome and thank you for the info. Could you be more specific as to the location of the wire bundle ? I am my own mechanic most of the time.....thanks.
 
Quint4:

Wish I could be more specific, but with the damage, it was hard to tell. The plastic cover (the one that says "Mercruiser, 5.7 L, etc.") over the carbureator, melted over a good portion of the engine, forming a black, gooey sludge-type material. From my best recollection, it was a bundle of 6+ white wires on the starboard side, (looking forward toward the bow). I believe they were part of the main engine harness and had a large "cannon" type of connector on one end closest to the engine. I believe part of it rested or was over one of the engine's valve covers.

At the time of the event, (remember, no one was present at the time), the ignition was off, there was no shore power connected, and all accessory switches were in the "off" positon.
 
Thanks Bridog:

I tried using that link, page-by-page, and even tried using their "search" feature, but nothing came up. Do you have any hints on using that search feature? I tried Mercury, Merury Marine and Mercruiser, but zilch! :smt017
 
I have looked for about 3 hours last night, came up with nothing also...

I wonder if it would be written in the report for insurance?

Is it also possible that the boat was vandalized? Seems odd that everything was off and it started a fire... :smt017

Bilge pump stuck in the on position?

Curious to hear more from the report.
 
All of the apparent damage in the engine compartment was confined to the topside of the engine, most of the coolant hoses and electrical wiring. The bilge pump still operated in the "automatic" mode after the fire, but would not work in the manual mode.

Working with our insurance company was a nightmare from day 1. It has been so adversarial, it still continues today as we haven't signed off on the final papers since the boat hasn't been fully repaired yet; (hopefully, it will be in a couple of days). As the insurance company won't even talk to me, even though I've gotten the State Insurance Commissioner in on this, I'm not going to provoke the company into letting me see the final report. You can PM me if you wish and there I can divulge the name of the insurance company and my tale of woe in dealing with them.

The boat was in its slip in a secure, family-operated marina, overlooked by several owners' homes. There has never been a reported case of vandalism there. The contract (to the insurance co.) marine adjuster claimed he had never seen a case like it before, but he was the one who pointed out the origin of the fire--right in the wiring bundle.
 
Just throwing some thoughts out there... sorry to hear about the BS with the insurance co... they sure like to harass and collect their parts, but trying to get them to pay on a claim is :smt021 ...

Do you have any pics to share?

I was just down looking at mine on lunch, it appears to be the harness that runs up to the helm?
 
I just found a picture of the damaged engine compartment. Now, the problem is how to reduce the size of the pix to meet the 50 mb restriction for posting in the Forum. Suggestions, anyone?

I can send the picture to anyone if they send me a PM with their e-mail address--the picture size will probably not be an issue then.

After looking at the picture, the wiring harness is on the starboard side--not port as I had orignally posted.

Yesterday, the boat was finally finished and passed the sea trial. You'd never know the previous damage by looking at it.
 
Just another stupid question

I have another "newbie" question.

Do you feel that your boat rides better with a full tank of gas? We have always had a 1/2 tank or less and the boat feels tippy. This last weekend--since our lake is VERY FLOODED--we went about an hour up the river. It was great. The views were outstanding. Anyway-- we actually filled the boat up with gas. The boat seemed to ride better with more weight. It almost felt as if the center of gravity was lower with the weight of the gas.

Am I crazy? or Do you experience the same thing?:smt017
 
mmmm....I like the extra "zip" my boat has with about 1/4 tank ( less weight ) I guess I'm just used to the top heavy feel of a cruiser.
 
Hi
We have a 1989 220DA, 5.7 w/40hr, Alpha One. This is our second full season with this boat. We dock her in Rock Hall, MD on the Chesapeake Bay. We try to get out every weekend, May through Nov.

I enjoy making custom upgrades and improvements to the boat. The Engine was replaced last year with a Jasper Marine 5.7. due to a mishap in late June.

So far this year, everything is running great. I was reading some posts about fuel economy. I have a fuel flow meter. I cruise at about 22 MPH, 3200 RPM and I'm burning about 9.5 GPH.
This can vary a bit with conditions. Our normal load is a full tank of gas, 1/3 tank of water and 2 adults. Wind and tide have an effect on the fuel economy also, but those numbers are the average. I think that works out to about 2.4MPG.

I'm enjoying the thread. Keep it going.

Mark
 
Hello Mark...good to see you here. Hey Wendy , how did the swim platform install work out ?
 
Paint Stripe Question

Looking at pictures of 1990 220DA's on the Virtual Marina and at other websites, I've noticed all of them appear to have a wide, painted stripe on the hull, just below the rub rail which tapers towards the bow; however mine doesn't have this--it's just the same color as the rest of the hull (cream/white). I have noticed this lack of a stripe on 1989 models though.

Was this stripe an option in 1990? According to the hull VIN no., mine is definitely a 1990 model.
 
Mine is a 90 and no color below the rub rail.

I really have to take some pics... :smt021
 
there is an all white '90 220da for sale on ebay right now.
 
We pulled out boat out to have the swim platform put on and the outboard needs a little attention. Any words on wisdom on how to sand off rust on what antifouling paint to use.

Another quick question. We are needing to buy a fan for the cabin. Any recomendations? We noticed this koolaire air conditioner that goes on top of a cooler and wondered if it actually work.

thanks
 
I just painted my outdrive this season. I probably over did it a little. I stripped the entire unit down to bare aluminum. Then used 3 coats of Interlux Primocon promer. $20 a can. I think I used 2 cans, but I dont remember. I used Grey. Then I put 2 coats of Interlux Trilux, Prop & Drive paint. $30 a can. Black.

My main problem was Barnicals. When you say rust, I'm not sure what you mean. You might have an electrolosys problem. Make sure you have the proper zincs.

You do not need to strip the drive like I did. just make sure it's good and clean.

Mark
 
Canvas Question

I've got the full canvas package on my 220. If I store the camper frame in the brackets on the gunwhales, it seems that I can not use the regular aft curtain. Is this correct or am I missing something? We rarely use the camper, but would be nice to have along. I do use the aft curtain. Is it one or the other? I'd hate to store the camper frame anywhere else on the boat for fear of it getting damaged.
 
Listing Starboard

Hello can anyone tell me why my boat tends to list to the right? Water tank is on the left side, if anything you would think it would list to the left. Has anyone ever had a boat where water leaks into one of the air/floation chambers?
 

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