Engine Under water-- forgot drain plugs - need advice pls help

[rodge37]

Hello everyone,

So I'm really dumb and forgot to close the drain plugs last night before launching my boat.

I was out for about 1 hour and boat was not running right so i limped back to shore, pulled the boat out of the water and A LOT of water was pouring out of both holes.

I'm not sure how much got in the bilge (like if the engine was totally under water) but it was a lot.

Is my engine ruined ? What should I do ? I have not ried to start it, but the oil looks okay.

thanks,

Justin

 

[crisso]

put the drain plugs in and run it for as long as you can.As soon as you can.The heat from the motor helps dry everything out.Then hit it with a lot of water dispersing spray.Then do it all again.Was it fresh or salt water?

 

[rodge37]

It was fresh water. What do you mean by "Hit it with water dispersing spray" ? Do you mean engine fogging ?

thanks very much for your advice...will do it today

 

[crisso]

Sorry mate.Aussie saying.Put a heap of spray all over the motor battery,electrical box etc.main thing is to get it running as it will help dry everything out

 

[crisso]

All the best.You should be ok

 

[Seadoobuddy]

If you don 't know if water got into the engine, then try this first.
Pull the plugs and crank the engine, if no water comes out then you are good to go. reinstall the plugs and run it for a while to make sure.
If water comes out, then crank it many times to remove water. About 5 seconds each time then let it sit for 30 seconds and try again and again if needed. Then try starting it and run it.

Spray WD40 or something similar over electrical connections to prevent rust, etc. Not fogging oil.

 

[Macster]

Check your oil too.

FYI - you can upgrade your bilge pump to an automatic one.