Water in Engine Cylinders

My boat quit running last week. After being towed to dock, I pulled the plugs and found water in #8 cylinder. I thought I had blown a head gasket so I pulled the head and the gasket showed no signs of failure. I had water in #2 & #8 cylinders and indications of rust in the #4 cylinder. I took the heads and had them pressure checked for cracks and they were okay for cracks but they were warped and twisted. At no time during this trip did the engine overheat. Do you think that this could be the reason for the water. I have inspected the exhaust manifolds and they seem to be okay. Can you suggest a good way to test them? There is no sign of water in the oil and no signs of cracks in the cylinders. Any suggestions as to what might have caused the water would be greatly appreciated.

I have a 1987 Supra Saltaire with a 454.

Signed a very frustrated boater and confused mechanic.

cowan4

so sorry to hear of a fellow saltare owner having problems. i wish i had more experience with inner engine issues, then again i'm glad i haven't been there.

the only suggestion i have is to post on a site with better traffic, these 454's are pretty basic and most gear-heads could help. if you haven't posted on another site, i'd try www.iboats.com or www.boatered.com

i can't imagine how those would warp without heat, could have warmed up a while ago and now the gaskets are failing.

how many hours do you have no that engine? i'm just curious, i've got 930 on mine....they don't last forever :(

Sorry about your problems. It sounds bizarre to me too. You're way ahead of me if you're pulling the heads yourself....We're big fans of Vince at skidim.com. They offer free tech advice over the phone. And they like old boats. Here's their contact: call us at (803) 345-0996.

Turned over 820 hours this morning on mine.

I ran my boat hot this weekend to the point I lost the exhaust flaps. When I stopped I thiink the engine inhaled some water. I found water in the cylinders. This is a dangerous situation due to a hydraulic lock being created by the water. You see, water does not compress so something has to give. Generally not a problem cranking with starter but if it fires something has to give, generally rods of cracked pistons.

From what I have learned it sounds like your exhaust manifolds are either cracked or have rusted. You can check this by removing riser and filling them to the top with water. Watch the water level closely and see if it goes down. If it goes down it is most likely leaking internally into the exhaust ports. Be sure to remove water from cylinders afterwards by removing plugs and cranking engine over a few times. One site I visited recommended exhaust manifolds be replaced every five years because they give up so easy.

In my case, they were likely cracked as a result of cold water hitting the hot exhaust. I am checking the heads now. Hopefully, it is not any more serious. The exhaust manifolds with risers and gaskets are typically $500 or $600 per pair.

Hey Everybody,

Thanks for all of the suggestions and help. We are now up and running, not sure what exactly happened but the head was warped and twisted and had them reworked and the boat is running better than ever. I pressure checked the exhaust manifold on the side that had water and it didn't show a leak so I reinstalled with new gaskets and all (for now) is well. Can't say for sure what the problem was but for now I am in the water, running and happy as a boater can be. Be sure if you install a new impeller in your sea pump that you lubricate it with some dish soap when you install, before you run, otherwise you'll do what I did, tear up a brand new impeller-lesson learned.

Again thanks to everyone for your help. It is truly appreciated.

cowan4
87 Supra Saltaire