Bad News For Me

[Krazymaan]

So just putzing along in my 1986 STV ProComp Sprint Bottom at about 5800 rpms I'd say for 1/4 mile after it was warmed up for about 20 minutes or so. It went like this. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee(engine humming beautifully) Then dead silence. No noise, No bang, No nothing. Just stopped dead in a split second. Motor locked up I am assuming because the starter just clicked and nothing rotated but it didn't blow up. I was running Premium fuel, between 32 and 40 to 1 mixture. Pennzoil Premium Plus Outboard oil. Just like that. The motor was/is a 1984 2.4 Bridgeport carborated. Alien Cowl, CLE lower unit, custom prop, milled heads, aftermarket reeds and a whole bunch of stuff that Tabara Racing put into the engine that I don't quite remember, a 100+ boat. You can hear this engine 1/2 mile away, sounded so badass.

I tried looking up new parts for a rebuild but haven't had any luck sorting parts even though I didn't look too hard yet. Although I didn't pull the motor apart or the heads to see what happened. I just parked it in sadness and am driving one of the other boats.

So do you think I am better off parting out this merc engine for parts, the 1.87 CLE, and/or is it worth rebuilding?

Or bite the bullet and purchase a newer motor like a 300 drag.

I really don't know which direction to go. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Scott Tharpe]

Dont assume stuck mota. Locked up gear case will do same thing. Had friend almost buy new powerhead until I made him pull lower and wah lah. No powerhead needed, just lower.

[FrenchPhil]

Yep, after the mourning do the autopsy...

[Da Bull]

Please post findings. Plug color, jet size and what type carbs. Maybe recheck timing advance. That rpm is sort of a hot range if the jets are iffy.

DB

[PARKER RABE]

keep in mind the motor is 33 years old

[PARKER RABE]

might not be a bridgeport if its an 84?

[jmadisonbiii]

Same thing happened to me last year-it was the lower.

[Bodhi]

Definitely keep and rebuild if diagnosis shows it needs it, those Bridgeports are badass and getting more scarce every year. A 300drag would be cool, but a finely tuned bridgeport is better

[Krazymaan]

Same thing happened to me last year-it was the lower.
I might have to take it out of storage to look at it. Just mentally doesn't seem possible that if the lower unit locked up that the motor would die so fast and quick without twisting the driveshaft off or making a noise with all that inertia and momentum spinning at just under 6k. But then again, This has never happened to me before.

[PARKER RABE]

Definitely keep and rebuild if diagnosis shows it needs it, those Bridgeports are badass and getting more scarce every year. A 300drag would be cool, but a finely tuned bridgeport is better

Are u high? Th ed y quit makin bridgeports in q991........pull ur head ou%a your ass and get as 2.5

[PARKER RABE]

U cant even get parts for them anymore

[twin turbo]

Personaly like the 2.4 better too, lowet weight... Have a fresh rebuilded 2.4efi in my storage, and that will never leave me until its totalt exploded and imposible to rebuild...

[FUJIMO]

Personaly like the 2.4 better too, lowet weight... Have a fresh rebuilded 2.4efi in my storage, and that will never leave me until its totalt exploded and imposible to rebuild...
...I like any performance 2.4 also. There will never be a lighter weight, non sleeved Merc V-6, with higher horsepower, made again. Just a personal favorite, after running every version produced since the beginning. BUT! With that said...The 2.5 was the next great generation of that blocks serious horsepower, that cannot be discounted. The technology & horsepower engineered from that motor still reigns supreme today in racing circles.

[Krazymaan]

Are u high? Th ed y quit makin bridgeports in q991........pull ur head ou%a your ass and get as 2.5

I can agree with you a little bit here for obvious reasons, but for nastalgic reasons I can see why you would want to keep the 1st generation high perf engine going. Kinda like how a brand new Etec in my opinion looks odd on an STV or dropping an old merc inline 6 on a brand new 40k bass boat because it clearly can be done and nobody would ever tell the man with a broken down Hemi Cuda to throw that old piece of crap motor away, they haven't made it since 1971 and tell him to pull his head out of his ass and drop a modern chrysler hemi in his cuda, unless he was high.

[Bodhi]

Are u high? Th ed y quit makin bridgeports in q991........pull ur head ou%a your ass and get as 2.5

I'm just sayin, they're pretty badass when tuned up. I certainly rebuild one if i had it. I'd never give up my 2.5 for one though.....

[Bodhi]

Damn parker....you sound grouchy today. You sound like you need a good blast in the seebold....I'm still waitin to see her run in person

[jmadisonbiii]

I might have to take it out of storage to look at it. Just mentally doesn't seem possible that if the lower unit locked up that the motor would die so fast and quick without twisting the driveshaft off or making a noise with all that inertia and momentum spinning at just under 6k. But then again, This has never happened to me before.

Yeah it was kinda hard for me to believe when it happened...no noises before or after, just an abrupt stop of everything. I figured I had broken the crank or something. My flywheel would rotate about .25-.5" in either direction, but that's it. When I dropped the lower, everything was fine. I have launched a rod before, and it made a helluva racket.

[PARKER RABE]

Damn parker....you sound grouchy today. You sound like you need a good blast in the seebold....I'm still waitin to see her run in person
sold it

[Krazymaan]

Well I'm going to head to storage and grab the boat. If the CLE lower unit went bad. Is there a place where i can buy parts for it

[outasite]

Top or bottom main may have wadded up.Those old oil hoses do break! And the mains will squeal like a pig (but only for a little bit)

[Krazymaan]

Took off the CLE lower unit yesterday. I was praying to the merc gods but they didn't hear me very well. I hit the key and nothing but click. then again click and a few more tries in hopes they would hear me but nothing. Seems like my 2.4 is locked up. So i either don't boat with that boat anymore this year and get the 2.4 rebuilt or I pull out a 10k bill and go get a 300 drag motor and i can continue to go river ripping. Dang it.