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Water in Cylinder


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I was changing my spark plug and checking the compression (Cold - 205 to 220) and found cylinder number 4 had some water (rusty Cry.gif ). #3 might have had a bit, I saw a drop or two near the cylinder hole. When I lay-ed up the boat at the end of November I warmed it (fake-a-lake) up and changed the oil (I did notice some vapor after the oil change). I then let it see 20 minutes and again ran the engine to see if any vapors came out. Nothing did come out. Two weeks later I drained the block, raisers and transmission.

So today I wanted to run a compression check with the engine warmed up (fake-a-lake). The results are confusing. I found no water in any cylinder and the compression was running is (200 to 210). So now what?

Monsoon motor

Thanks for the comments.

Edited by kona90
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Might just be condensation, but I would do a few checks. I would do a leak down test on at least the offending cylinder to see if there is a problem with the head gasket. I would also pull off the exhaust manifold on that side to see if there was any water leaking down in to the cylinder. You will probably be fine, but the checks will confirm that.

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Did you do the compression test with the #2 and #6 plugs in? If they were out and you had that much compression that is a good sign but as mentioned by woodski you can learn a lot from a leak down test if you know how to do it correctly.

Edited by 68Slalom
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Doesn't 210 seem a bit high, I thought the norm was about 180 on these motors. Or maybe my brain isn't working today.

210 is on the high side of the spectrum but if that really is the number then he probably had all the rings lined up in the right spot (all of them 180 apart plus good ring gap tolerances) to get very little bypass, that and he probably has a very good seating on the valves to valve seats. Most engines don't have that kind of compression but maybe all that rust in the hole helped seal everything up too :)

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I have 284 hours on the motor. The water was enough to form a small puddle under the motor. I also pulled all the plugs before any compression tests and no plugs were in while running the compression checks. I used a new compression gauge but plan to bring it back because since a ball bearing fell out of the quick connection.

The boat is stored in my garage (does not freeze). No, I don't have the gauge for the leak down test (according to http://www.geocities.com/dsmgrrrl/FAQs/leakdown.htm)

Is it easy to remove the raiser? Is there a way to test the raiser for leakage?

Thanks,

Don

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  • 1 month later...

Turns out both manifolds are leaking. New ones are $900ea. I guess I'll be draining them every time I take it out of the water.

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Just go to cast iron exhaust manifolds for that crazy price, they will run ~$600 for both sides, manifolds and risers. Plus you get some extra ballast back there.

-Chris

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I and my mechanic wanted to do that but he was told by an Inmar rep not too. By the way I go the to delta for a day at most twice a year.

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Yeah they may have tuned the ECU that year to get 5 HP out of the new EXT exhaust, but the 03 monsoon was 335 hp with cast manifolds.

I would like to hear the reason not to put on the cast manifolds, 5 HP is nothing when you compare the variation in power output from engine to engine anyway.

-Chris

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FWIW - my bro and I have the exact same boat except for his having the 335 Monsoon, mine being the 340. We've burned lots of gallons comparing the two...zero, and I mean zero different in performance between the two. Save the cash and get the cast iron manifolds.

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For those on the slalom ski side, the 90 # in weight reduction is pretty valuable. If that is not a concern, then the cast iron units would be fine along with the slight performance hit.

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  • 1 year later...

Hello! I'm bringing this back to the top because I'm having an eerily similar issue with my 340 monsoon powered 04 VLX. I recently performed a tuneup (plugs/wires/cap/rotor/etc) and the plug from #3 cylinder was rusty and corroded. I did a compression check on all cylinders and it was equal across the board. From reading this thread I'm starting to think it's a warped manifold (the local dealer service dept said either this or a head gasket). First off, does this sound likely? Second, is there a gasket between the manifold/head or is it a machined surface? (I'm sure I can take it off and check but I'd like to know before I dive into a repair).

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No gasket just RTV

Yeah, I just went ahead and pulled the manifold off. You're right, there is just rtv on it. However, now I'm at a loss as to why my #3 plug was rusty/corroded. The manifold itself looks good. I can't see visible cracks/deformities. The carbon buildup in that port matches every other and there isn't any water residue on the outside of the block either.

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I just had a similar problem with my 2002 Response Barefooter with Hammerhead - 770hrs. Performed regular maintenance 2 weeks ago and noticed plugs 4 and 6 were "rusty". Kept an eye on it for a day or so, pulling those plugs after running the boat - they were both "wet", not dripping, just condensation like wet. Next I pulled the manifold and riser on that side - looked fine. Then borrowed a compression tester thinking that it was a possible head gasket issue. While pulling all the plugs out to do the test, cylinder #7 was flooded with water.... Ugh. Oil was clear fine. Changed the direction of troubleshooting real quick. Bottom line - it was a failed intake manifold gasket.

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FWIW, A Perforated manifold cost me my motor with no warning. I feel the longevity of the manifolds has more to do with age and casting lot than actual hours. If you have any indication that they may be leaking, $900.00 or $600.00 is cheap compared to the alternative. Don't mess around with this

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I'm unsure how the water makes its way through the exhaust manifolds, but if you left the water running from the fake a lake what would stop it from going into the cylinder from an open exhaust valve?

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I'm unsure how the water makes its way through the exhaust manifolds, but if you left the water running from the fake a lake what would stop it from going into the cylinder from an open exhaust valve?

The water in the manifolds is jacketed, it doesn't mix with exhaust gasses near the ports

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If everyting is in good shape and water is not getting to the cylinders via a bad intake manifold or head gasket or cracked head or exhaust manifold this could be the scenario. The water flows through the engine and is then piped to the exhaust manifolds to keep them cool. It is introduced to the exhaust system a ways down the exhaust manifold elbow at a level lower than the bottom edge of the bend so as to keep it from getting back in to the ports. When you shut off the engine, a couple exhaust valves can or will remain open which will allow some airflow to circulate from the cylinder to the exhaust manifold. What is probably happening is the cooling cycle is drawing moist air in from the exhaust pipes (which have water in them) to the cylinder thus allowing a plug to corrode. The cooling cycle will promote air circulation. Storing the boat with the transom lower than the rest of the boat should promote water draining out of the exhaust system reducing the potential for this scenario. The more likely scenario is a damaged component or gasket rather than what I listed above.

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If everyting is in good shape and water is not getting to the cylinders via a bad intake manifold or head gasket or cracked head or exhaust manifold this could be the scenario. The water flows through the engine and is then piped to the exhaust manifolds to keep them cool. It is introduced to the exhaust system a ways down the exhaust manifold elbow at a level lower than the bottom edge of the bend so as to keep it from getting back in to the ports. When you shut off the engine, a couple exhaust valves can or will remain open which will allow some airflow to circulate from the cylinder to the exhaust manifold. What is probably happening is the cooling cycle is drawing moist air in from the exhaust pipes (which have water in them) to the cylinder thus allowing a plug to corrode. The cooling cycle will promote air circulation. Storing the boat with the transom lower than the rest of the boat should promote water draining out of the exhaust system reducing the potential for this scenario. The more likely scenario is a damaged component or gasket rather than what I listed above.

Woodski nice description...sounds likely.

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That does sound like it might be a possibility. It's an easy thing to try - storing it with the transom lower. Took the boat out this morning and ran it. Motor started right up and just purred at all speeds. No miss at all. Seems difficult to believe that based on the compression results and visual inspection that there really is a head gasket or manifold problem. The plan now is to wait a day for the motor to cool down and possibly suck water into the cylinder and then pull the plug and check again.

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If everyting is in good shape and water is not getting to the cylinders via a bad intake manifold or head gasket or cracked head or exhaust manifold this could be the scenario. The water flows through the engine and is then piped to the exhaust manifolds to keep them cool. It is introduced to the exhaust system a ways down the exhaust manifold elbow at a level lower than the bottom edge of the bend so as to keep it from getting back in to the ports. When you shut off the engine, a couple exhaust valves can or will remain open which will allow some airflow to circulate from the cylinder to the exhaust manifold. What is probably happening is the cooling cycle is drawing moist air in from the exhaust pipes (which have water in them) to the cylinder thus allowing a plug to corrode. The cooling cycle will promote air circulation. Storing the boat with the transom lower than the rest of the boat should promote water draining out of the exhaust system reducing the potential for this scenario. The more likely scenario is a damaged component or gasket rather than what I listed above.

The way to check this is to pressurize the cooling system with all the plugs in, maintain pressure by using a gauge (or basically similar to a leak down test) and start pulling plugs to see if you have pressure drop :)

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