Just bought it 2 days ago and went to change the oil today and found this:
http://picasaweb.google.com/rooterserv/OilInMotor/photo#4971210416277815314

Needless to say it pretty much canceled our plans to go to the lake.

The motor has less than thirty hours and was built by a professional and reputable speed shop so there's little concern of block/cylinder head damage or cracking, but not to be ruled out totally, but then again who knows for sure without tearing it down? Also, there's no dipstick! What kind of a dipstick doesn't install a dipstick??
This seller now wants ME to change the oil a few times til it "washes out". Doesn't make sense. I think he just want to buy some time.
Did I mention I haven't even taken the boat out on the water yet?

This guy I bought it from has been really upfront and honest about everything regarding the boat. Unfortunetly he knows little about motors
and is going off of advice from his uncle and his girlfriends dad who is a "mechanic". I'm not really sure how to handle this. I know the guy isn't gonna just take the boat back...although I would prefer that. That or...have a professinal shop look into it. I don't wanna spend a dime whatever it takes.

I honestly believe the guy didn't know about this but being in my situation,
it seems he would take responsibility to make it right.

any input is appreciated.
Thanks

 

Is this in a jet boat, by some chance?

 

Most likely your exhaust manifolds or headers are leaking. Water coming in through the exhaust. Also it could possibly be the oil cooler if it has one.

 

what kind of cooling system does the motor have? is it a closed system? what kind of boat is it in? hows the condition of the rest of the bost. a little more info would help me help you.

 

21' southwind mini daycruiser jet boat.
No oil cooler. I'm assume it's NOT considered a closed cooling system since it draws water into the engine through the jet.
Boat doesn't appear to have been under water.

The rest of the boat is in decent shape.
Here's some pics the seller took:
http://www.hotboat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=101949&page=2

Thanks

 

seems to me like its a bad spot in a head gasket. how does it run otherwise? any smoking or steaming out of the exhaust? any watery oil inside the valve covers? did he get any sort of warranty on that motor? id be inclined to contact the speedshop who built the motor and discuss the problem with them. short of it being a fluke where water did get into the combustion chamber or vavle covers and washed out the cylinder and flooded the oil pan, where just changing the oil would remedy the problem. i would be getting some tools ready and prepare to tare down the motor a little to find out what the problem is. i cant tell by the pictures but i doubt that motor has water jacketed exhaust manifolds. let us know if you come up with anything else..

 

You need to check the flappers at the exhaust exit. If they are under water and appear to be at the same height as the elbows on the engine when sitting on the water- there's your problem as the water will run up the exhaust and over the elbows when not running. These older boats suffered major engine failures from this and it was common for an engine to hydraulic lock and bent rods, etc was the norm. Another place to look is at the elbows. If they were the old ones they are bad. They generally don't last but a few years anyway but some folks like to clean them and expect them to be perfect. And sometimes they get away with it but check them as well. My money says the boat is sitting too low at the back end and the engine is getting an occasional drink of lake water. I would suggest running a cheap oil thru it with a cheap filter just idling for about an hour and then changing to a dual rated oil like Rotella T 15w-40. There most likely isn't any damage-yet.

FWIW, there were no pics at the link provided. I personally love the old jets. I had a 79 Carlson 21' with a highly modded 429 and Jaccuzi drive. It was a trip to drive and typical jet of the day- no steering at low rpms. Hope all this works out for you.

 

Motor runs fine otherwise.
No smoking or steam either.
No watery oil anywhere else except the filter and I assume in the pan.

Pulled all the plugs and ran a "poor mans" compression test. lol Mostly to see if there was any water in the cylinders. Nothing.

Not sure about the warranty--if any. I did get the "build" invoice and he encouraged me follow up if I needed any details on the motor..which is nice to know.

As far as a teardown??? Umm....I don't want to get into that.

 

I see you bought that boat. I remember when he first put it up. My earlier post about a jet hit the nail on the head, I reckon. Anyway- see if there is a valve of some type in the line from the pump. This water in the oil seems to be a fairly common problem with jets. The pump pressure blows out the intake gaskets that are only designed for about 25 psi, not 300 psi.
The valve regulates water flow thru the engine and is also used to controll engine temp.
I'm not guaranteeing this is the problem, but it is the first place I would look.

 

Yeah, I'm the guy who bought it.

Yes, there's an inline ball valve from the jet.
I just cranked down the intake manifold. Some were semi tight, some were torqued properly.
Would you suggest replaccing the intake gaskets if changing the oil a couple times doesn't work?

more pics:
http://picasaweb.google.com/rooterserv/OilInMotor

 

The ones in front could be the culprits if they were loose. It can't hurt to change the oil a couple of times and see if it clears up. If not, pull the intake and look closely at the intake gaskets. Use some RTV around the water ports when replacing the gaskets.Check to make sure the water valve is not wide open. There needs to be water coming out of the exhaust when the engine is running, but set the valve opening by the water temperature. You might install a water pressure gauge somewhere to monitor the pressure as well.
Oh- BTW- I am DelawareDave on Hotboat forums.

 

Yeah it was gettin kinda nasty overthere at hotboat for a while.

I'll keep my out for ya.

Thanks

 

Bought a boat with no test drive / ride?

 

Pretty dumb...heh

I can't really explain how it ended up this way, it just did. I took the guy at his word really. But I'm pretty sure he had no clue about the water in the oil unless he's a complete liar willing to risk his online reputation where he was advertising the boat.

A test drive on the water, I don't would have revaled the oil problem. And since the oil pan doesn't have a dipstick provision, I doubt I would have ever caught it unless I actually reached down and unscrewed the filter which he wouldn't have approved.

Anyway, going to be changing oil a couple times to see if that clears it up. If not, I'll take it to the next level.

 

Thanks Dave, I'll keep ya posted.