(4 Stroke)
First question is….. 4 stroke or 2 stroke? Water in a 4 stroke is in the crankcase and so is the reservoir for the oil. The water and oil get mixed and put a white foam all over the inside of the engine. Much bigger problem.
4 strokes, because they are larger and more stable, will rarely flip. This means that, barring user error, if you sink it and water the motor it is probably due to a mechanical failure inside. Most likely the cooling system or driveline. Be sure to repair the problem before putting the ski back in the water.
IMPORTANT NOTE: CLEARING WATER OUT OF AN ENGINE AFTER SINKING OR FLIPPING IS SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE RIGHT NOW! Every minute that there is water in the engine there is potential for corrosion. 4 strokes can be a little more forgiving, but a few days is too long to wait.
Arrgh! I sunk my 4 stroke!
1. Check oil on stick and expect to see milky colored and possibly frothy oil.
2. Drain oil, change oil filter and replace oil with “rinse oil” (good, average quality oil which you are going to ruin quickly so most any engine oil will do)
3. Remove and inspect the spark plugs. If they are wet, and especially if they are oily/milky, replace them. You may have to do this several times. If not, you may get away with using the original plugs.
4. Start the engine and bring to operating temp (no need to attach cooling hose, engine should be warm in about a minute)
5. Drain oil and change filter and replace with “rinse oil”
6. Repeat from step #1 until oil is clear after the warm up process (step #4).
7. Run engine on the water (not on a hose) for 15 minutes and then check oil. If the oil is milky, change the oil and filter again.
8. If the engine runs 15 minutes and the oil is still clear, drain and replace oil with proper oil.
9. Run the engine on the water for an extended period, about an hour, to insure all water is burned off.
