88 sundancer 7.4 wont turn over

2

2013grandsport

New Member
Jan 22, 2017
39
Palm beach
Boat Info
1988 268 Sundancer
Engines
single 454
when I go to engage the starter I get a clunk clunk sound and some very slight pulley movement and then nothing. any idea? Engine has 690 hours roughly.
 
bad starter....hydrolocked engine......bad battery.......blown engine.......seized engine
 
Pull the plugs and see if it'll turn over with zero compression.
 
new battery in, and no change. def needed the battery, now I can run my lights, wipers, pumps etc, but still making only a clunk clunk sound. This time it stopped doing that for a while and was only making a click click sound which leads me to think more along the lines of a starter or connection issue, but the larger clunk sound I occasionally gets sure sounds like shes seized up. Engine probably worth more than the boat.
 
Remove all spark plugs and see if it turns over (make sure you mark all plug wires before yo remove them....very important)
 
Before you go too crazy, check and clean all your wire terminals and connections (especially battery and starter connections). Also, look for burned or melted wires where they come up around the exhaust manifolds. Also remove and clean your ground wires as well as the positive wires. Ground wires can be just as much of a culprit as the power leads.

With only 690 hours on the motor, I find it hard to believe she's blown unless someone really screwed it up with no oil, no winterization or something of that nature..
 
Last edited:
Mechanics just left. Pulled plugs. Two plugs were
awfully rusty. Put her in gear and stepped on prop. Engine will not turn
put it in neutral and prop spins freely. Tested the
cables and starter. All working properly. My engine is
definitely locked up. One plug even had water droplets on it.
Not sure the boat is worth putting an engine it.
 
Ugh. Sounds like someone didn't winterize the ole girl or they cracked a head or block. Bummer.
 
Getaway said:
Can't read your mind. Have fun with your pile trash.
Click to expand...

Wow, you got kind of nasty there for no reason :huh:

It's not the OP's fault you didn't take the time to read that the boat is in South Florida. Not too many people winterize boats here because it rarely gets below freezing. Maybe you should stick to the easier questions...the ones about light bulbs and canvas.
 
2013grandsport said:
Mechanics just left. Pulled plugs. Two plugs were
awfully rusty. Put her in gear and stepped on prop. Engine will not turn
put it in neutral and prop spins freely. Tested the
cables and starter. All working properly. My engine is
definitely locked up. One plug even had water droplets on it.
Not sure the boat is worth putting an engine it.
Click to expand...

IMHO...It all depends on the rest of the boat. If the boat is clean, has a solid hull, good interior and the rest of it works having a long block put in might not be that bad.
 
Getaway said:
Can't read your mind. Have fun with your pile trash.
Click to expand...
LOL, yeah maybe take the time to read my details in each post. "2013grandsport
user-online.png



Join DateJan 2017LocationPalm beachBoatSea RayDetails1988 268 SundancerEngine(s)single 454Posts13"


 
No clue what that guys problem was but I do appreciate the opinions guys. I am just tallying up what it would cost to fix. The boat is pretty decent. Definitely needs some upholstery work. I like that it has AC installed in it already. I have no clue yet what I am going to do
 
Well, I guess I missed that detail as I was taking photos of my boat and posting them and trying to help him through his issues.

I had just taken some time out of my day to doctor a photo showing him where to drill into the wood to look for core rot, when I read his comment. It seemed like a cocky remark to a guy that has been helping him on 2 different topics in this forum.

I'll go back to "light bulbs and canvas"
 
Not cocky at all. Just wasn't sure why you said winterize when I am in southern Florida. It not once dawned on me that you did not or could not see that I was in southern Florida, so I was curious if there was some other reason to winterize. It is hard to interpret what one means sometime via text message or email etc. This is all taken out of proportion. I would appreciate those photos to look for rot.
 
2013grandsport said:
No clue what that guys problem was but I do appreciate the opinions guys. I am just tallying up what it would cost to fix. The boat is pretty decent. Definitely needs some upholstery work. I like that it has AC installed in it already. I have no clue yet what I am going to do
Click to expand...

Everyone relax. Sounds like two good guys that 'misheard'
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,246
Messages
1,429,172
Members
61,123
Latest member
Tim Duncan
Back
Top