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  1. Rick Stephens

    Acting like a spun prop hub but it's not. What do I try next?

    If you have an alignment bar - an essential tool before you reinstall a drive, then you can swivel the gimbal bearing a bit to point enough to the side to get a better look at the rubber.
  2. Rick Stephens

    Acting like a spun prop hub but it's not. What do I try next?

    You can pull the outdrive and shine a flashlight through the gimbal bearing and reasonably well inspect the splines in the coupler and the rubber around the metal splines. My bet is the rubber will show as melted and the center spline section having spun inside the rubber.
  3. Rick Stephens

    Is 2000 RPM on muffs okay?

    I'd do it in a second as long as I had plenty of water flow from my spigot. The risk is the impeller will pull more water than the hose can provide and you end up with the hose sucked flat. Next is the impeller is toast. I believe that Mercruiser states 1500 RPM max on muffs because of that...
  4. Rick Stephens

    4.3 Mercruiser won't start

    Wiring diagram is in the Mercruiser Service Manual #18 for your motor. Here's the likely main diagram. If you don't have the manual you are working blind.
  5. Rick Stephens

    4.3 TKS "Run On" fixed but Slight Loss in Performance

    Definitely agree with Lou that the plugs look rich, not lean. And not hot, either. Cannot disagree with alldodge that you need to run some more. Personally, I love iridium plugs! Note that carbon fouling from running rich is enough to cause dieseling. The carbon particles get hot and glow...
  6. Rick Stephens

    4.3 TKS "Run On" fixed but Slight Loss in Performance

    I don't get your meaning here. Not arguing, just not understanding. He switched to iridium plugs, which would require the .060 gap. I believe.
  7. Rick Stephens

    Mercruiser 4.3 not starting when hot

    If this is the issue, then a rebuild can help. Using an original Merc rebuild kit, or Edelbrock kit (the Edelbrock 1409 is a direct copy of the Weber) is the way to go. Quality needle valve and seat is the main goal here, Needle valve and seat is what controls inlet flow of fuel into the...
  8. Rick Stephens

    Mercruiser 4.3 not starting when hot

    2 barrel or 4 barrel carb? If you have the 4.3LX with the 4 barrel then you have a Weber carb which has a history of dribbling fuel into the intake when shutdown. Floods the motor making restart tough.
  9. Rick Stephens

    Trim motor running but not engaging trim rams

    There are filter screens and solenoids to switch fluid direction. Clean all your contacts first. Then disassembly and cleaning. I would think you have an electrical problem if the pump runs but the oil isn't going to rams ms.
  10. Rick Stephens

    Can water get into oil from failed exhaust parts?

    You are pressure testing cooling system - the water jackets in block and head. Nothing to do with cylinders, intake or exhaust. Goal is to totally isolate cooling system.
  11. Rick Stephens

    Can water get into oil from failed exhaust parts?

    Steam, vapor, smoke from the vent line is not normal. Remove all hoses from manifolds and risers, plug them with a dowel or a bolt and a clamp. Pull the line off the thermostat housing coming from the sea water pump and pressurize there - or plug that hose/fitting and pressurize at the...
  12. Rick Stephens

    Shifting very difficult

    Just curious for a bit more information here... you are in the water and with motor running - it has trouble coming out of gear? Or does it have trouble going into AND out of gear?
  13. Rick Stephens

    Can water get into oil from failed exhaust parts?

    Number one task is pull the hoses off the manifolds, plug em and pressure test the block. That is the only way to know what you have.
  14. Rick Stephens

    4.3 Mercruiser won't start

    You need to quit buying parts as your diagnostic method. Crazy. Do need to look at the electrical system as an essential safety mechanism to keep from blowing up on the water, let alone keep running. Be careful with jury rigging. Purple wire is hot from ignition. Start there and trace it to...
  15. Rick Stephens

    Throttle cable issue

    Unfortunately, 'new in box carburetor came with boat', doesn't necessarily mean fresh and ready to use carburetor. Even just off the shelf I would prefer to rebuild my old carb, which I know once was working right, than try and get what *might* be a matching new carb to run correctly. There are...
  16. Rick Stephens

    Perfectly for 15 minutes then, surging, knocking, and jumping tac

    Wow. I would be fascinated to learn you could buy a cheap chinesium carburetor for your boat and get better results than all the cheap chinesium chainsaw carburetors I have replaced with OEM over the years. Might work though, and make me the fool. Probably will need some calibratin.
  17. Rick Stephens

    3.0 engine temp never gets over 160 F

    Gasoline engines run most efficiently at 210ƒ. Unfortunately, Chevy never designed a block to run open cooling system on plain water. Normally a cast iron block is run with glycol water mix in the cooling system under around 14 pounds pressure. This allows 210ƒ temps without creating steam...
  18. Rick Stephens

    Noisy alternator bearing when warm

    I'm not much use to your there. You can probably pull numbers off the alternator and we can go a hunting a kit. I'd still try and find a bearing, even elsewhere on this big world.
  19. Rick Stephens

    Noisy alternator bearing when warm

    If was mine, I would tear it down and remove the bearing. Take that down to the NAPA auto parts store or the machine shop in town and have them pull a replacement bearing off the shelf for me. Pretty good chance they have what I need in hand. If not them, then the tractor dealer down the street...
  20. Rick Stephens

    Noisy alternator bearing when warm

    I've rebuilt a gazzillion alternators. You may have to insert paper clips to hold the brushes off the rotor while you reassemble, but replacing a bearing is standard easy fare.
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