Glad I had a spare pulley

Dream_Inn

…again.  You guys remember my last story about having a spare pulley and saving @LaRea ‘s new owners day?  Well, good thing I bought a replacement.  Yesterday I was on my way to Still pond and all of a sudden while on plane I lost power steering.  At the same time, the admiral saw no water pressure on my vessel view for my stbd motor.  I immediately pulled both throttles to neutral ( for a second I thought it was strange that if I lost a motor how was it that I was still on plane or didn’t feel it boggle down).  I also shut off my port motor as the boat slowed to a stop.  Well, opening the engine hatch, I immediately saw a belt on the engine room floor and a pulley missing.  Luckily I had a spare!   So I thought.  Well, the spare I had was for the grooved pulley, but the one I needed to replace was not grooved and slightly smaller.  Luckily it still worked.  I went to start and get back underway but port motor wouldn’t crank.  I limped over to a marina that kindly let me tie on their fuel dock.  After two hours pulling all 8 plugs, one rear cylinder had water in it, I was able start her up and ran 30 knots to where I am now, in still pond!  Wow do I feel luckily, even with a really busted up knuckle!  I am going to buy two of the other pulleys.  On e to replace the incorrect one installed and the other as a spare.  I have 3 spare belts  as well, in case the groove pulley does something to the back side of the belt on my way home Monday, which I highly doubt.

Ian

But what happened with the pulley?

LaRea

Water in cylinder ... from stopping so fast?  Exhaust flap missing?

Dream_Inn

The bearings in the pulley gave up, so the pulley melted and came off.  As far as water in the cylinder, I have exhaust flaps and new (2 yr old) risers and exhaust manifulds.  A mechanic I talked to said it was probably hydrolock, where with the sudden stop the motor may have actually cycled a step backward and ingested a small amount of water.  Motor is running great and no water in the oil.  I'll be changing the oil in a few weeks anyhow, but all is good.  Ordered new pulley today.

echandler1971

I go a step further and keep a spare Rinker 360 that I tow behind mine as a dinghy. I’m here all week, tip your waiters. 

Ian

echandler1971 said:

I go a step further and keep a spare Rinker 360 that I tow behind mine as a dinghy. I’m here all week, tip your waiters. 

They used to say in the 80s you had to buy 2 Harleys so you always had one to ride while the other was getting fixed. Thank god AMF went back to doing bowling alleys…