Took on water and was sinking

[Bruce]

12.46 from the battery is good.

The black item in the picture is a relay (powered switch). It switches power receiving a small current on a pair of the contacts opening or closing the circuit on the others.

On earlier MR1 engines the starter is under the engine on the starboard side. Have you checked to see if it is there?

 

[haknslash]

That is a relay not a fuse. There should be a diagram on the body of it showing how the relay circuit works as well as small numbers by each metal post. I'm not sure how different our "boat relays" are to automotive relays but this is how you can check them.

 

[Eric Ballard]

ok i was able to test all 3 relays and all clicked an appear to be working.

Im still not able to identify the starter to test that.

 

[Neutron]

ok i was able to test all 3 relays and all clicked an appear to be working.

Im still not able to identify the starter to test that.

The starter is located on the exhaust side behind the oil filter. There shouldbe a post with a large gauge wire to it

 

[haknslash]

Yup starter is located just below where I'm pointing. It's on the port side of the boat, under the exhaust manifold. On my boat the starter is all black so it's sort of hard to see without a light.

 

[Neutron]

Jump power to the positive on the starter and see if it cranks if it does, Follow the wire back to the starter solenoid in the eletrical box and jump accoss the two large terminals to bypass the solenoid

 

[Tobes]

9 of 10 times, when you go to start an engine and all it does is click at a fast rate, the battery is the issue. Just because a batter shows proper voltage does not mean a cell (or two) are not dead. It may not be giving it enough amperage when it tries to start but theres enough to run electronics and have proper voltage. You may want to try a different battery or have yours tested. If water got to your battery (which it sounds like it would have??), this could easily be the problem.

 

[bronze_10]

My bet at this point is a starter issue... may not be the only issue but as far as the engine turning over...

 

[Bruce]

I very much hope that I am wrong but my guess is a bent rod or other internal damage based on an assumption that the engine was running, sucked in water and hydro locked.

 

[Eric Ballard]

9 of 10 times, when you go to start an engine and all it does is click at a fast rate, the battery is the issue. Just because a batter shows proper voltage does not mean a cell (or two) are not dead. It may not be giving it enough amperage when it tries to start but theres enough to run electronics and have proper voltage. You may want to try a different battery or have yours tested. If water got to your battery (which it sounds like it would have??), this could easily be the problem.

water most definately got to the battery. ill test the battery or try another in the am. Thanks for keeping hope alive!

 

[swatski]

 

[itsdgm]

You could put the meter on the battery, attempt to start, and see what the voltage reads under the load. A huge drop will indicate a fried battery. Good luck @Eric Ballard hopefully it's something simple. But I doubt it's the starter because like @Bruce stated, something caused the engine to stall in the first place. But it could've been a combination of problems. Possibly water in the air filter causing the engine to stall, and maybe now the battery is dead from the bilge pump running so long. Another way to rule out the battery would be using a jump pack.

 

[tdonoughue]

Wow, I really hate to write this.

I think you need to take it in to an expert. There are many experts on here. Dennis (@itsdgm ), @swatski , @Bruce, @bronze_10 certainly among them. With the help of an expert, you can leverage your level of knowledge up a level or two. But I am sorry to say I think this may be a few levels up. And, given the danger of hydrolock, I think were I you I would pull the plugs, change the oil, and take it in to someone who really knows their way around an engine. I agree with almost all the advice you have had on here. But you have some serious, serious diagnostic work to do that will be very slow, particularly with so many voices in the picture. And I don't want to see you trying to fix something and making something worse. Full marks for the attempt, and I certainly hope you will accept this advice in the spirit intended. I am DIY to the core. But I think you need some boots-on-the-ground help with this one.

And I do hope you will keep us updated. Still interested and still willing to help, of course. Good luck, my friend.

 

[haknslash]

I hope that's not the case but it could be hydro locked which is why I suggested he check the air filter. If it's wet then he will know for sure he has sucked in water. I've seen hydro locked engines survive but it's usually if the motor was at idle and shut off or immediately shut off. For those cases you can pull the spark plugs, blow out the water by cranking the engine, do a few oil changes and life goes on but for engines that were still spinning moderate revs and sucked in water it doesn't take much to bend a rod since water doesn't compress.

@Eric Ballard how high did you see the water in the engine compartment?

 

[robert843]

I hate to say this as many others but take it to a mechanic or dealer now do not wait. Hydrolock can be saved sometimes if that is the case especially if it happened at low rpms but best to know now what your dealing with. In this case it could be something simple or a big deal and best to know upfront what your dealing with the longer you wait if it is something serious the worse it is going to be.

 

[bronze_10]

i agree with having a mechanic roll up their sleeve and dive in... but just brain storming here, in a car you can manually turn the engine with a pull bar and a socket on the front of the crank.... how would you manually turn one of these engines? is the crank viable in the front to get a socket on it? If the motor could be turned by hand then its not locked and it is an electrical or starter issue... if not... internal issue.. I have never had to try to turn one of these engines by hand.

 

[Eric Ballard]

Wow, I really hate to write this.

I think you need to take it in to an expert. There are many experts on here. Dennis (@itsdgm ), @swatski , @Bruce, @bronze_10 certainly among them. With the help of an expert, you can leverage your level of knowledge up a level or two. But I am sorry to say I think this may be a few levels up. And, given the danger of hydrolock, I think were I you I would pull the plugs, change the oil, and take it in to someone who really knows their way around an engine. I agree with almost all the advice you have had on here. But you have some serious, serious diagnostic work to do that will be very slow, particularly with so many voices in the picture. And I don't want to see you trying to fix something and making something worse. Full marks for the attempt, and I certainly hope you will accept this advice in the spirit intended. I am DIY to the core. But I think you need some boots-on-the-ground help with this one.

And I do hope you will keep us updated. Still interested and still willing to help, of course. Good luck, my friend.

Yes I am definitely going to be seeking professional help on this at this point. I feel I've done all I can do with checking though basics with everybody's help here but I am definitely not looking to perform heroic repair. I've actually already called my insurance company to start a claim and I'll be getting the boat over to the repair shop today. I'll definitely keep everybody updated on what happens.

 

[Eric Ballard]

I hope that's not the case but it could be hydro locked which is why I suggested he check the air filter. If it's wet then he will know for sure he has sucked in water. I've seen hydro locked engines survive but it's usually if the motor was at idle and shut off or immediately shut off. For those cases you can pull the spark plugs, blow out the water by cranking the engine, do a few oil changes and life goes on but for engines that were still spinning moderate revs and sucked in water it doesn't take much to bend a rod since water doesn't compress.

@Eric Ballard how high did you see the water in the engine compartment?

I saw the water above the top of the engine and above the fuse box and above the ECU so the problem really could be quite bad. Thankfully that's what insurance is for.

 

[Neutron]

If water got to the top of engine its got to be hydrolocked.

 

[Mainah]

I saw the water above the top of the engine and above the fuse box and above the ECU so the problem really could be quite bad. Thankfully that's what insurance is for.

That is a whole lot of water. With water above the top of the engine and above some major/expensive electrical components it certainly sounds like insurance claim time. It is about to be peak boating season soon near you so don't wait and get this to a great Yamaha mechanic quickly so you don't spend the whole season without your boat. I say Yamaha mechanic because if parts need to be ordered that is going to be your best bet. While at it make sure they check that the scupper and bilge are working. A second direct wire float bilge pump would not be a bad idea either.

My guess is that it is possible if you were going slow with the bow weighted there might not have been enough drop/speed in a 190 for the scupper to work. I am truly sorry this happened to you and am glad that everyone is ok. There will be a lot of Monday morning captain's. I offer the following for anyone reading this as a tip. Big water is relative to the size of the boat and even a 24 foot Yamaha is small considering the hull design. Don't risk it in the first place but if you end up out in it keep the bow up and perpendicular to the dominant waves. Use the 45 degree sailing technique if needed to get to safe harbor.