Unbelievable! The Yellow Submarine Engine Starts Up After Being Under the Water for 30 Years! 

This engine must have had very good seals

The preserving factor for the inside of the engine was the lack of oxygen. The mud, oil, and seals, prevented new oxygen from being introduced into the system, once any existing oxygen was used up, the engine was essentially mummified. Great Job guys, Love the brotherhood, and adventurous spirit. much respect for the can do attitude! ❤💯

Ok. Hold up everybody. My name is Rich. I used to work for a man named Mel at 68 Auto in Golden Valley Arizona. I rebuilt that engine in 1989. I recognize the boat. The paint on both sides of the head gaskets is Krylon Dull Aluminum. If I remember correctly, that distributor is a Mallory dual point unit converted to single. If you pull that oil pan, you'll find that a mig welder was used to add weight to two counterbalances. No load, no structure. It worked. Everything else is kind of fuzzy. That 460 would turn 7000 rpm! Definitely needed more impeller.

Love this project and collaboration between Merlins and Fab Rats.

Built Ford tough! Great job guys unbelievable! Congratulations

Old Fords never die

Wow that's a well built motor the fact that everything sealed up for 30 years & it runs quite well is mind blowing 🤯 if Merlin, Paul & Ben can't get an engine running even an old Ford then she's dead I'm flabbergasted this belongs in the Smithsonian of engine revival great video thank's for sharing ❤😉👍

I love how much fun everyone is having working on this.

I wasn't running when it went down helped a lot. It didn't actively inhale water. that went along way to protecting the interior of that engine.

You have to save that engine now, that is truly incredible.

I am a military trained mechanic , 75 years old , the only thing I can think of is the motor had fresh oil in it and was not running at the time the boat sank . And sometimes Old School works .

She deserves a good rebuild.

Unreal, I'm blown away at how good the inside of that motor was. Cant wait to watch this yellow submarine rebuild.

This boat adventure is some of the best content I’ve seen on this channel or Fab Rats. If you have a chance to do more crossover episodes with Fab Rats you should.

Wow, never would have believed this could have happened!!!

Gentlemen congratulations for your very entertaining video.....good to see that great team work.....with a mission. Also, thanks for sharing mechanical knowledge and stories. Keep on.

The odds were small enough that the engine was still free, and you actually got it to run, but the fact that it did not seize or blow when it buzzed immediately to @ 4000, is absolutely mind-boggling! Lady Luck was smiling with you but don't push your luck!

I agree the oil floated and coated the top end and kept everything from corroding. BUT the even larger factor might have been the lack of Oxygen at that depth but since we can see the external rust that must not be true. So the Oxygen was very low in the internal part of the engine because it was all used up by the minor rusting inside and the water was stagnant therefore not producing more Oxygen from Oxygen rich Water. It must be in the presence of Oxygen molecules (dissolved Oxygen) to Rust. As mentioned the mud may have sealed it,

WOW!!!!! Great work guys!

Well Merlin was a magician. Probably the purity of the Colorado river kept it from rusting.

The aluminum and zinc acted like a sacrificial anode and helped prevent rust. I’d bet most of the corrosion occurred since the lake level fell and it was exposed to the air.

Unbelievable. This is incredible.

New to channel from following Paul’s channel. Makes me really wonder what was in the Lake Powell Water? Great job….No one would believe this story unless they watched it…. Great Video.

My opinion is the cold temperature of the fresh water and the luck of an air pressure "bubble" under that intake.

If it's a Marine grade block, they are thicker and supposed to have rust inhibitors in the inside materials itself

Those head gaskets for some good grip

that was mind blowing seeing that thing start up runs better than my truck!

Once the oxygen was pulled out of the trapped water the corrosion stops. When you have a flow of water over something the oxygen keeps working on the irons. The all trapped oil doesn't hurt either.

I am Australian and have spent most of my life in the marine industry, if that boat sunk in salt water you would not recognize the engine, however Lake Powell is fresh water. I suggest the reason the inside was so well preserved is because it was coated in oil, it was full of water with no air and so no oxidization. The outer ancillaries are made of many different metals to create electrolysis (battery) and water was washing around it. After the lake dried up, that is when most of the corrosion would have occurred, especially as the engine was partially exposed. If the engine was not all cast iron or forged steel, totally different story, if the heads were alloy or the pistons chromoly? game over. Well done all the same, most would have scrapped it, you could put that in an old beater for collecting firewood or something and it would run for years. I was hoping Paul might catch hisself on fire somehow but no, bit of a disappointment.

That’s insane! 30 years under water….wow!!!

Been turning wrenches since I was 8 I'm now 62 and worked over 45+ yrs as a seasoned technician and I f I'd had bet on that engine being clean as it is on inside I'd lost ........ the only thing I could guess is ," only God knows" ........ great job on getting it going again 👏 not let's hear that beast run with some time .... from what I heard it's good to go !

My guess is the heavy amount of zink additives in the old oil, and temperature. At over 100ft deep the oil could have congealed, slowing down the lake water's reaction with the zink additives in the oil. Kinda like a normal zink on a boat, except it's in your engine. That would explain why it's so localized. Now the 30 years argument? After the boat sank, similar to the baby bottle, you have an equalization of pressures inside a technically closed system (except two cylinders). Once the water fills the cylinders, it will react with the theoretical internal zink bringing the solution to an equilibrium. At that point, the reaction needs more lakewater to continue, but with no internal or external pressures forcing water flow, the reaction is very, very, very slow, depending on things like capillary action to continue. IDK, that's my guess.

It's strength is as the strength of ten because its heart is pure. IT'S A FORD KS

Yup, amazing.

You need air for corrosion. Water can hold air in it but if there is no air in the water, no corrosion. So the oil created a trap separating the water inside the engine from the oxygenated water on the outside.

It is a miracle!!!!! Great job. Persistance pays.

There was no continuous supply of oxygen to the water and iron in the interior spaces. Use the O2 from the first water in and the corrosion slows. Some exterior dissimilar metal may have been supplying cathodic protections. What was the starter made of?

Good to always have 8 tape measures…just in case.

Dude, she's a runner.

Here from fab rats from Matt's off road recovery

You are one bad dude wish I can pick your brain for that knowledge keep doing you

Love the tape measure collection and if your like me ya still can't find one when ya need it.🙃

you guys are nuts I love it

Insane that this motor came to life after sitting underwater for 30 years

Magic bubble protection!

The angles that the water could get in the motor were right to not let water in it

I don't know how it's not completely rusted, but please use this motor! There's nothing wrong with the internals so why not? If you done want it I'll take it lol

I remember that Ford marine duty engines (prop driven) were configured to run in the opposite direction. Does this engine run in the normal direction?

That forklift makes it look like he’s sitting on top of a little ‘golden nugget’ from Matt’s off-road recovery. Do a little fab work and get Robby Layton to paint it up. Not only would it look cool but you’d get a lot of cross viewership 🤙

I like how they say we should see the look on Hunters face ad if we know which one he is. 🤪 I would've said lack of oxygen before they said it sat on the beach for two years.. I guess maybe it still could've been holding it out! 🤔

The car gods blessed yas thats all I can say here its a miracle!

Oil was still present when you took it apart. Water in the filter wouldn’t hurt anything because you’re not turning it over and sucking it through. You guys know much more than I do about this, but I would venture to guess the fresh water at Lake Powell, not salt water, mixed with low humidity and probability of rust, ( i.e. if you found this in the Ohio River where I live, you might get the shell back only ) it may have played a factor in keeping the inside much cleaner. I’d be curious as to how deep it was when it sank too….low oxygen would also prevent rust inside, as the outside would be more exposed to moving water as opposed to stagnant water.

watching you all work is almost like watching magicians ✨ this was incredible to see!!

I believe being in the lake for 30 Years, she’s worthy of restoration, a full engine rebuild.

This engine is a fighter and a survivor. I think it earned a full restoration.

The oil floated as it filled with water providing a protective coating. Additionally the softer metals (aluminum magnesium) acted as sacrificial anodes to protect the main components. The interior was also protected by the stagnant water as some of the corrosion processes need well oxygenated water to cause damage. The nuclear industry has dealt with these issues in a variety of ways to keep their piping and pumping components healthy and operable!

I'm a retired mechanic of 45yrs. I'm 66 and would have bet my entire tool collection that engine was scrap metal. I'm at a loss for words. Great job guys.

This is why I watch RU-vid, not the marketing, not the BS, just good old fashioned fun for the audience and the film makers. PS, let us not forget the talent these gents have.

That motor and boat don't want to die, you "Must" resurrect them together , please dont separate them, that is just so damn impressive that not only the boat is in one peace , the true miracle is that it runs. this is true entertainment, hats off to you guys.

I learned to work on cars at the age of 16, either I fix it or walk and I didn't like walking so I learned. I'm now 61, just retired after 25 years of being a school bus mechanic and in all of my years I have never ever seen something like that. That engine should be a large ball of rust and we just heard it run....simply unbelievable! That engine deserves a full rebuild and put back in the boat...

This is honestly one of my favorite types of vid's. Tearing down old rotted equipment and trying to breath life back into it. Thanks for sharing guys!

The talent in this family is unreal. Freakin love these guys 🙌🏼

I think everyone who ever turned a wrench would just LOVE to be on this crew. The surprise and anticipation of this submarine motor actually running gets me going, the longer I watch. "Yeah, it's good" Amazing! ! ! ! !

The reason it didn't rust on the inside is the same reason the inside of sealed containers don't rust. The once the oxygen is consumed by the rusting process it can not keep rusting until more oxygen is introduced. I was considering listing a whole bunch of examples but I assume that everyone has encountered the same thing at some point even in small scale such as a rusted can of food that is perfectly good inside while the outside is trashed.

That was amazing! I worked on engines for 61 years and never saw anything like that. Thanks for making it happen!

That is one tough engine. It definitely deserves to be rebuilt and put back in the boat. Great video!!!!!

Two things, oxygen and galvanic protection. The inside filled up with water, some stuff corroded a little bit but once the oxygen is used it can't rust any more unless that water is replaced, hence the ones where the valves were open would be worse and where there's no water flowing it will be fine. You also have aluminium components on there that will act as a sacrificial anode, also helping protect the steel.

First, a BIG congrats on "sparking" the life back into a truly deserving engine. As a machinist who plays with mechanical devices, I was just as amazed you folks. I think a big part of the survivor status of the engine is the high nickel content of the castings. Marine components are (were) built to a higher standard. Plus a lot of luck with the oil coating the parts as it initially sank in 100' of water. That motor deserves a rebuild so it can stay with the boat. It EARNED it.

That ole sunken Ford engine just earned you another subscriber. Just goes to show you how tough the old Ford stuff really is.

Merlin.......I've been a mechanic for over 40 years and what you have accomplished is unbelievable. Oh boy thanks for sharing and stay safe 👍

I can’t explain the condition of the inside but I sure think it would be awesome to see this motor go back into the boat. What a story that’d be, oh this boat was under water for 30 years and this is the original motor!

Well that was amazing! When you surprise guys that have worked on engines their entire lives that is pretty impressive! Great jobs fellas, you too Hunter, lol.

This engine must have had very good seals. It's amazing that over 100 feet of water didn't do any worse damage, that was over 44 psi (3 Bar) of pressure on the whole engine. This miracle engine HAS to be restored to its former glory and mated back with the boat! 😎🤟

I've built a couple small block GM motors, and remember how careful we thought we had to be with cleanliness & precision, so I'm flabbergasted! Watching this is the most fun I've had in weeks. Thanks.

I can explain the lack of damage to ineerds of that engine: Even mother nature don't care about an old Ford, she just plain ignored it.

Paul, I imagine you were thinking a different engine would go back in this boat. After the minimal effort it took to get this engine to run, and what a surprise it was, this engine deserves a blue print rebuild and reinstalled in the "yellow submarine".

If I could hang out with these fellas for just day and wrench on stuff, I'd be far happier man, and better father.💗💯👊💪

Wow. That thing sounds good. I can't wait to hear the backstory on this boat and the family that had it out that day.

That was worth every minute watching it. That engine deserves to be rebuilt. Yeah it is a time piece. But make it fresh. Great collab. Definitely could see more of that. Merfabratication.

There is nothing more satisfying than being with your mates ( brothers ) in the back yard doing mechanical repairs , all chipping in , having fun and getting it done . Good one guys . This one was so good I had to watch it twice .

I'd start bottling and selling that Lake Mead water looks like it works better than Motor Medic .

Mind boggling is the understatement of the century. A mechanic of 30+ years and I've never seen anything like this. We had rebuilt motors come into the garage to be installed and some didn't sound or run that good. I'm speechless. My thinking was like Hunter's. No way is it going to start and run. Simply WOWWWW.

The look you ALL had when the motor fired and RAN was awesome! You could see the gears turning in your heads while you stared in awe of what just happened. You boys just struck gold on the bottom of Lake Powell! Incredible story unfolding here, can`t wait for the rest to play out. Well done!😄

What a family and what a friend! Great team of guys having a blast doing the improbable! When you guys laugh its infectious. Really enjoyed this Collab and what a treat. Happy holidays to all.

Such an amazing roar to hear after 30 years! Congratulations!

All I can say is whoever put this engine together took their time and did it right, that motor was a labor of love.....

You guys live a life many of us dream about. Great job. Great mechanics. Great friends. ❤🎉🎉😊😊

I wish I had family like your guy’s !!!! I bet you guys are just a blast to hang out with and to work on projects!!! So jealous!! Thanks for the great content

See miracles happen & I knew you guys could do it . I never thought it would sound & run that good . Pure amazement. Hunter don’t under estimate these guys you work with, they are the best of the best.

I'm truly amazed by the conditions of everything in that boat, even the upholstery is still good, truly incredible! Every piece earned itself the right of being reconditioned and put back in place. This boat did not want to die! 🖤🏴‍☠️

I remember seeing one of these ski boats sunk at the doc after a storm, it was completely underwater, maybe 6 feet. They left it there for over a week until the shop in town was ready to go through the motor. They said it would rust faster if they pulled it up and let it set as opposed to being in a lower oxygen environment in the lake.

That engine was hot when it went down, maybe running, from the evidence of fast submergence and abandonment. It chugged a bit of water and 30 years later it barked to life. At Merlins! There was no oxygen internaly and it was pretty much sealed so oxidation/rust couldn't form. But externaly it was an oxidation party! Great work to all!

Amazing guys…what would be great for laughs is to do a compression test on all the cylinders and see if they are within spec. I can’t believe how smooth it ran!

On a frozen up Case tractor, I removed the head and used a fence post and sledge hammer to break the pistons free. We then got it running in about three hours.

That is so awesome. To see that thing run after being under water for so long. Along with having cousins working on this together to make it happen. Thanks for the content of this channel.

I can thank Pau for leading me to Merlin. Matt led me to Paul, Rory, Rudy, Holly.... Thanks yall Amazing Deepwater recovery 👏 ❤

Awesome to see 4 G.O.A.T 's tearing into that motor. Great content!!

That is absolutely insane! Had no idea what the inside looked like and you still got it to run. Very impressive. Nice work.

Many years ago my father worked in the electronic field mainly servicing a fleet of professional fishing boats (when electronics were fixed not tossed out and replaced), on occasion one of these boats would get salt water into electronics from various mishaps. They would often be at the wharf when the boat arrived armed with suitable sized containers and fresh water, the unfortunate electronics were quickly removed and put into said containers with fresh water and moved around to get all the air out. Often they would stay that way for a couple of days before being taken out, striped down cleaned with various sprays to remove any remaining salt and fresh water, often to work again with minimal electronic work. As for the motor under water for 30 years it would have been fine until exposes to oxygen, most of the internals would still have an oily coating or still covered with water. And all the rust and corrosion on the outside would have happened in the last 2 years or so of being out of water. Was still amazing thou and a good entertaining video to se it up and going again even with the crude surfacing lol

As a mechanical engineering student... I just want to say that these type of guys are , and always will be, the ones I take my queues from!