Mice and boat motors Not a good Combo!

A regular down here at Everts was going to head out today with his fishing partner, but the trip was cut short before it started.

The motor wouldn’t turn over. I would try, but then stop after a partial turn. After trying a number of things, the desicion was made to pull out the plugs.

The top cylinder was filled with a cotton like fiber!

Since there was evidence of mice in the rest of the boat, we’re guessing a mouse felt like this would be a good spot to make a home.

Taking off the head to make sure it’s all cleaned out isn’t going to be cheap and hopefully it’s not in the crank shaft area…but how does a person know for sure without tearing it down?

The old saying “a pound of prevention is worth two pounds of cure” certainly holds true here.

especially if it’s one of them that doesn’t have a head. I rebuilt the motor on my last boat and it was like this, makes for a tough time machining out the cylinders when it’s a blind hole.

I hope that mouse learned his lesson

Mice in the combustion chamber? Sheesh!

So true that they’re not a good combo! A few years back, I took one of my boats to Prescott to troll for some eyes(I even called in sick that day) It was the first time of the season for me, and that motor ALWAYS started for me- even without putting on the muffs.

You guessed it- put the boat in the water, parked the truck, turned the key- nothing…. Thought it might be the battery, but it was freshly charged. Mice had gotten under the hood and chewed through the starter solenoid. Not a bad fix, just sucked that I wasted a sick day!!!

how could the mouse possibly get into a cylinder if the plug was in there? that doesn’t make any sense to me .. it doesn’t seem possible…

explain that one to me .. cuz I just don’t see it..

My guess is it got sucked in from the air box.Never seen a mouse in the cylinder.Have to be an aweful small one to get in there.

Couldn’t they get in from the exhaust?

Chances are you probably didnt ruin the engine if you didnt force anything to much.Try turn the engine by hand the opposite way by hand and see if it turns freely.If it does you first have to find out where it came from then somehow clean out the cylinder/carbs with air pressure etc.Big or hard stuff will be a problem but small soft stuff may burn and go out the exhaust if there isnt much of it.

Im guessing this is a 2 stroke carbed engine? Mice love to build nests in the air box.

Yes a two stroke carb… there was mouse droppings in the boat too.
I wouldn’t think a mouse would like the residual smell of burned gas/oil, but since the motor never turned over, I’m not sure how it could have been sucked in.

More to come once the heads taken off I’m sure.

If you can turn the motor freely back to the exhaust stroke I would try blowing it out with compressed air first before taking the head off.It would also depend on what I thought was in there.If you can get it freed up just turning it over will blow the soft fine stuff out the plug hole.Its also hard to tell with out actually being there and looking at it.

I smell a rat !!!

Just a suggestion might try to find someone that has a boar scope and take a peek before you tear it down

I’d say it’s a “pay me now or pay me later” type deal. Mouse pee is corrosive as heck. Now’s a great time to take care of it so the summer’s not messed up with motor problems- jerr

Quote:

---

If you can turn the motor freely back to the exhaust stroke I would try blowing it out with compressed air first before taking the head off.It would also depend on what I thought was in there.If you can get it freed up just turning it over will blow the soft fine stuff out the plug hole.Its also hard to tell with out actually being there and looking at it.

---

DO NOT DO THIS!!! on a 2 stroke the exhaust port and intake port are at the same stroke position, but opposite sides of the cyl. Do this and you will surely end up with debris in the crank, if there is not already. -Mark

To put everyone’s mind at easy, the owner is going to take it in and have the head removed.

To get a mouse nest into the cylinder, the little bugger had to come in though the intake or exhaust ports which means he had to come in via the lower end. Either through the carb (most likely) or through the exhaust at the lower end of the engine.

Who knows what’s down there?

I know the fella that is having this trouble appreciates the thoughts put into this post.

If I hadn’t seen it myself, I would be wondering too.

To keep mice out of your boat put fabric softener sheets in the boat compartments. They don’t like the smell.Don’t know about putting under the hood, might end up in the motor.

wheres he taking it in at? I would recomend Bay City hardware the places selling boats and snowmobiles are gonna take a while to get at fixing a boat motor this time of year.

Having had some problems with Mice the last two Winters , I decieded to try something I heard about in North Dakota…. It is called CabFresh… I bought this product on line…. I placed it in an area around a bay window where I suspected entry into the house may be happening…. I placed it in some Garage Cabinets where the wife stores her bird feed… and I placed it it my Boat prior to storing it.

The results so far have been great not a single mouse sighting!
No Screams from the wife….(has a slight mouse phobia)

I have not checked the boat yet, plus I stored that inside this winter.

Brian if its a two stroke it had to come up through the exhaust. The reed valves that are on the intake side of the motor would have to broken or badly warped in order for a mouse to get through them. The exhaust side is more then likely how it got in. The mouse can go up through the exhaust and underneath the exhaust cover plate on the side of the motor and into the cylinder assuming the piston is down far enough to go through the exhaust ports. Heres the easiest way to find out. Remove the exhaust cover, its on the side of the motor and has about 8 too 10 bolts holding it inplace, its a smaller 3″ by 5″ or 6″ plate. Once removed you’ll be able to see whats in both cylinders when you turn the engine over by hand. Remove the plugs and just use a needle nose pliers to pull out anything thats in there through the plug hole or through the exhaust ports, then blow out with air if you can. You’ll be able to get enough of everything out with a flashlight and needle nose that when you put the plugs back in it will start with no damage, but try to get everything visible out first. Once you think you’ve got everything out with the plugs still out, turn the engine over with the starter and it will blow out everything remaining through the plug hole, this is a double check. If nothing comes out then put the plugs back in and it should start. Don’t run it long until you get the cover plate back on with a high temperature gasket sealer on the gaskets or new gaskets.

Quote:

---

I would recomend Bay City hardware the places selling boats and snowmobiles are gonna take a while to get at fixing a boat motor this time of year.

---

Dan’s the man!

If I were closer I would, got an extra bunk at Everts Brian? Once a month free motor repair for donation, only an idea.