03 Evinrude 225 HO FICHT problem after ROUGH WATER

[CATCHEM]

I'll try and make a long story short. Had a tourney today and was in legit 6-8' waves. My motor spit, sputtered after a extended idle of up and down waves and the engine exhaust being submerged. It finally quit after about a half hr ride back. When I went to restart the motor I got just a click. The battery shows 12.4v and was high 13's before the stall. Pulled the cowling and the starter spins about 1/16-1/8th of an inch but that's it. Flywheel won't turn. Good battery.

Is the starter supposed to jump up and then spin the flywheel or just turn it? I have pulled the spark plugs and one is wet and oily slightly others are dry. No aluminum char or shavings.

Any help or ideas would be appreciated. Big tourney again in the morning. Buddy thought hydrolock/vapor lock but plugs are out now and still won't even turn. Just a click.

Thanks in advance

Nick N

[BKeith]

I deleted my post after reading you had already check for hydro lock. Sounds like it might have hydro locked and bent a rod and it has it locked down. Bending or breaking rods from hydro lock is not uncommon.

[SEAHORSE]

check gearcase for metal if you cannot turn the flywheel by hand with plugs out. Remove gearcase to confirm

[CATCHEM]

Ill check the gearcase tomorrow. The prop spins free and quiet in neutral. I re looked and the starter teeth are engaged in the flywheel stuck there. It won't drop down or rise up. Just tries to click and turn. Hoping I didn't smoke ANOTHER lower unit. This is my 3rd SEI in a year. :/

Thanks for the answers. You guys are great.

Nick N

[jc2bg]

I'm no expert, but I don't think the starter teeth are supposed to be stuck in the flywheel. Could be a starter problem.

[SEAHORSE]

Unless the starter drive is rusty or sticky, the drive gear will retract when the flywheel is turned in the direction of rotation.

[Bassmeister]

Sometimes if the engiine dosen't hit or try to fire the bendix will stick. Doing what Seahorse said will let it drop back down and turn normal rpms.

[ChampioNman]

The SEI isn't designed for a 3.3L motor.

[SEAHORSE]

I understood that SEI will not recommend or warranty their gearcases on an HO or other hi-perf make of outboard.

[ChampioNman]

If they don't know what it is going on, and you order online they will never know. But yes Seahorse you are correct.

[CATCHEM]

Very interesting on SEI because their dealer is who sold me the first drive and helped facilitate the one of the others before I got frustrated and dealt direct on this recent one. Well this I starting to suck. With shifter in fwd gear the prop won't turn leg or right. In neutral spins free, in reverse won't spin either way by hand either. Anyone have any insight on a used ready to bolt on? Rebuilts gonna kill me. Feeling generous Eddie? ;) I now have 2 great shells. :/

Thanks so much fellas

Nick N

[CATCHEM]

Update * buddy dropped it. Lower unit is ok, however lower right cylinder ingested water. Possibly left as well. Oily milky water poured out the air intake after pulling the shroud. She Is locked up and occurred at 1200 rpm and hoping that's all that was damaged. Anyone have any cheap advice lol. SMH

I know the Rpms because I was "climbing" a 6' wave trying to keep the bow up :(

Nick N

[ChampioNman]

Pull the plugs as asap on all cylinders and try to rotate the motor by hand if free, crank the motor with the starter.

[CATCHEM]

She is locked solid. He couldn't budge the fly wheel and or the prop even by standing on the prop blades and applying pressure.

Plugs are out. Milky oily residue was found in driver side lower.

He did remove and test the starter. It was good without the flywheel stopping it.

Nick N

[ChampioNman]

Trim it up as far as you can and spray the living hell out of the two bottom cylinders with Knock-R-Loose o Kroil and let it sit overnight. Put plugs back in finger tight. Spray the rest of the cylinders also. Use a breaker bar on the crankshaft nut and rock the crank back and forth you may break it loose.

[CATCHEM]

Trim it up as far as you can and spray the living hell out of the two bottom cylinders with Knock-R-Loose o Kroil and let it sit overnight. Put plugs back in finger tight. Spray the rest of the cylinders also. Use a breaker bar on the crankshaft nut and rock the crank back and forth you may break it loose.

I will surely try this tomorrow, I have a STUUUUPID question. Lol is this a attempt at a miracle to free it up and possibly work or just break it free to help facilitate a repair. I am naive on this stuff. I really appreciate the feedback and advice. Ide buy ya all beers if you were around!!!

Nick N

[BKeith]

I've never seen it happen, so I will ask, have any of the professional ever seen one hydro lock in the crankcase. If enough water got sucked in it won't let the piston come down enough to open the port, but I would think then you would have some movement.

its sounding to me like it either bent a rod, washed a bearing and it welded to the crank or stuck a piston.

[ChampioNman]

I'm really not sure what happened. But using the process I described, you are at least lubricating the cylinder walls. You could label the injectors and remove them then pull the heads and have a look inside worse it will cost you is a set of head gaskets.

[mn_bowhunter]

The SEI isn't designed for a 3.3L motor.

But they'll work on a non H.O. motor? Sorry for going off topic on thread. I believe this is the lower unit put on my E225FPLSRB motor this spring. So it looks like factory Magnum gears were 1.86 and the gears in this case are 1.83. Would that explain gaining 300-400 RPM's on WOT by only having .03 difference in the gears?

[BKeith]

Yes, but my thought is, if somehow it sucked a load of water into the crankcase. because it's pulling air into the crankcase on the upstroke of t he piston and it locked the piston in the piston at the top of the stroke, the water has no place to go and the piston can't come down, water won't compress like the air will and could lock it up from the crankcase side. The only way to get it down would be to go through the throttle body with something to push and hold a reed open while you turn the flywheel to push it back out through the reed.

One thing for sure, he had better hurry up and do something, with that water in it, if it's not junk already, it soon will be.