Why to use Antifreeze

I bought my boat last march from a dealer who was acting as a broker for the owner. The boat was winterized, by the dealer I think, because when I started it in the spring both petcocks where open and the hose coupling between the manifolds was disconnected. I ran the boat all summer putting on about 30 hours. The engine ran fine no problems. Last weekend I winterized the boat and discovered a crack in the block. What responsibility does the dealer have for this issue? What is the best way to approach them?

i am sure no responsibility.... "as is"
Seems weird that your boat ran fine all year...
good luck!

2 Questions

#1 do you think the block was cracked when you bought it and you just didnt notice it?
#2 Or do you think the block was fine when you bought it and it cracked somehow while you owned it?

I used to work for a boat dealership that did a lot of brokerage business. Let me assure the dealership absolves themselves of all responsibility for the condition of the boat and does not offer any kind of warranty. The sea trial is designed for the buyer to discover any kind of defects prior to buying. If the problem was not found during the sea trial and no contingency was part of the agreement between you and the seller, then there is nothing that can be done.

Matt, where are you located?

(Message edited by poontank on November 12, 2007)

(Message edited by poontank on November 12, 2007)

What kind of boat?

Since a marine engine cooling is non-pressureized a crack in the external block can run for years only leaking small amounts of water into the bilge. Cracks that destroy the engine are internal or in the heads and cause water to leak into the cylinder or a loss of compression. I ran a 3.O liter in a i/o for 2 years with a crack like yours. You can sometimes stop the water leak with JB Weld.

"G"
I believe the block was cracked but no staining of the paint, I check it over good before I bought it.

Zoah,
I know that wash there hands of any responsibility, but if the dealer is the one that did winterization, they should be held responsible. I live in Illinois.

Matin,
It's a 2000 Indmar engine

George,
Yes I've heard the same about JB weld working for years, but this is still temporary.

Even if the dealer were implicitly at fault here, there are far too many ways for them to wiggle out of actually doing anything about it. The biggest gotcha I see is that it ran fine all summer. Even if the crack were that old, they could claim it's not and you'd be a bit short on evidence to the contrary. I know it sucks but I think you're on your own.

I would do a compression test. If it comes out fine, then take George's advice and JB weld it. That is only a temporary solution but as long as the crack is external only (as proven by the compression test), at worst case when JB fails, you won't be stuck in the middle of the lake. Just make sure to drill both ends of the crack to keep it from spreading. If you fail a compression test, it's time to replace the block.

Also, the dealer or previous owner could've easily opened up the petcocks after the damage was done. Discovering them open doesn't mean the block was drained in time for the winter. In that case, it could be due to a malicious dealer/owner trying to hide that the block wasn't drained or just ignorance that there was any damage. After all, you ran it for a long time without noticeable issue. If this problem existed before you bought it, the original owner could've done the same.

Matt, that's at the top of the block so it would not have happened if the block was drained or even if just the petcocks were opened. You can try drilling small holes at the ends of the crack to stop it from spreading and then JB weld in or use a very high grade urethane adhesive sealant. It's important you clean the surfaces really well.
Do NOT try to get it welded. In essence the block is toast and needs to be replaced in the long term.
George's advice is good. It's a non pressure system.

you don't need to use anti-freeze if all is drained -- ie the block on both sides, manifolds and if it has a heater, blow the lines out -- i never use antifreeze... if you do --remember to use a mix --anti-freeze by itself will freeze...

Matt, check with your boat insurance company and make a claim for freeze damage. Boat policies are all different but I have heard of them covering this claim. I think its your only recourse for getting any money out of this situation.

Don't be lead into a false sense of security with anti-freeze. There is no assurance that the anit-freeze will get into every small nook/spaces (the ones that freeze and cause damage) in the engine to protect it. I know several dealerships that found that out and now stay away from it. The more anti-freeze you run through it the better your chances but I would go with draining it over anti-freeze any day (JMHO).

Dave,
Good point. Thats why I heat up the engine, drain the block and exhaust manifold and then quickly pull antifreeze in. Otherwise, if the thermostate doesn't open, you just failed to winterize if you didn't drain. Mastercraft (Indmar probably) only requires you to drain the block and exhaust headers, so pulling antifreeze in is just extra protection.

Mercruiser recommends pouring anti-freeze in through the thermostat housing for long term storage (after you drain the block). That's probably the safest method to add antifreeze. Personally, I leave it empty. Merc is a little grey on what constitutes "long term" but it looks like they're thinking more than three or four months.