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  1. Lou C

    2 stroke longevity?

    I think the problems with 2 strokes has always been: 1) integrated fuel and lubrication systems, yes they work but the second they don't, bad things happen...on a 4 stroke, you check the oil, as long as it's clean and full you rarely have problems.... 2) sensitivity to lean running which can...
  2. Lou C

    Timing mod: running or not running engine

    I’ve done it that way many times. I bought a nice new OTC advance timing light which works better (easier to see the marks) that my old Craftsman. I actually do it with the boat in the water so I can run the motor up to about 2,000 rpm to check total advance. Still have an old school Prestolite...
  3. Lou C

    2 stroke longevity?

    Thank your unelected bureaucrats at the EPA for forcing that. When you get to replace a cat converter and you have the misfortune of living in a Cali emissions state (14 of them) you’ll learn that it costs 2-3x as much as a fed converter. Same reason why all you can get is ultra complex small...
  4. Lou C

    A couple more I/O questions...

    It is, you just replace the whole exhaust system with the one I linked above, pricy but can avoid ruining an engine. For us in salt water we have to do this every 5-7 seasons. My engine is on its 4th exhaust system and probably will get at least new elbows at the end of this season.
  5. Lou C

    2 stroke longevity?

    Any Evinrude Etecs with 4,000-5,000 hrs on them? This is not uncommon with 4 strokes even here in salt water... don't get me wrong I like 2 strokes myself, but there is a reason why the market went 100% 4 stroke for outboards. Then again, if our un-elected bureaucrats hadn't stuck their big fat...
  6. Lou C

    Hydraulic cylinder rebuild

    getting off the end caps (not easy) taking apart the piston and ram rod from a set of freshwater used cylinders I bought to replace all the seals original cylinders with re-done seals on freshwater used internal parts.... PS the original OMC seals lasted 36 years before they started to leak!
  7. Lou C

    Hydraulic cylinder rebuild

    When I did mine, I heated the end of the cylinders with a heat gun but not that hot, because the hydraulic fluid inside is flammable! I left the cyls on the transom mount and had to use my full weight/strength to get the caps to budge. Was able to get both off of a salt water used and moored...
  8. Lou C

    A couple more I/O questions...

    Those are Merc's Batwings, same idea cast all in one piece. Besides saving money the one really good aspect of the design was no gasket to leak between the manifold and elbow. But the difficulties in the casting process caused so many warrantee claims I'd think that Merc quit making them...
  9. Lou C

    If you're wondering if your anti siphon valve is stuck, or clogged, here's a test....

    Wow thanks for posting this it is a good warning for any of us DIY guys to not take short cuts, not bypass safety measures put in place for good reasons, etc. What doesn't really make sense or is at least surprising is that the fuel filter rotted out on such a new boat. I always change them...
  10. Lou C

    A couple more I/O questions...

    There was an article on another website about it, Merc apparently did this to save $50 per engine, due to the Vortec engines costing slightly more, and what caused the problem was that they couldn't get consistent wall thickness in the castings, so some had really thin areas that rusted through...
  11. Lou C

    salt water in single cylinder

    I’m very suspicious of ANY of those places. Try a local rebuilder, ask local marine mechanics for recommendations, who do they use. The idea of sending off $3500 to a place I've never seen people I don't know is unsettling. It's too bad you can't get any more new 4.3s, the only GM marine engines...
  12. Lou C

    2 stroke longevity?

    That and mistakenly running straight gas unless its oil injected… I love my 3 Echo machines they just run and run and when you need parts they are easy to find, my Husky saw is more temperamental, the Suzuki 2 stroke in my snow blower is great but the carb does better when drained in the off...
  13. Lou C

    2 stroke longevity?

    It's probably true that a 2 stroke won't last as long as a 4, but it really depends on the quality of the fuel/oil mix and user habits. If you can remove the exhaust or intake and view the cylinders you can tell if they are scored or not. This is easy to do on small yard engines but not sure how...
  14. Lou C

    99 Volvo 5.0GL

    If you have a carb the proper fuel pressure will be on the low end, the 3-8 psi spec you cited. A 99 Volvo for sure won't have points, they used the Prestolite BID system on early models with electronic ignition and later they switched to the Delco EST IIRC. You have an electric fuel pump...
  15. Lou C

    Volvo Penta stiff steering

    You basically want to narrow down the cause by a process of elimination. If you disconnect the steering cable at the steering arm and you can easily move it in and out then you can eliminate both the cable and the helm unit. But if it's stiff, then you can disconnect the cable at the helm unit...
  16. Lou C

    I should add a 2nd battery...

    Agreed I have good covers & always used them even though it’s a pain but the boat isn’t self bailing so you just have to use em. And no matter what they all leak some!
  17. Lou C

    I should add a 2nd battery...

    It’s good to have the system installed; not a lot of work, but user error can get in the way….you can get nice new cables made up & do it yourself. Blue Seas makes a nice switch as does Cole Hersee. Never leave the boat with the switch on Both because if one battery fails it will suck the juice...
  18. Lou C

    I should add a 2nd battery...

    It’s rare but when that’s happened what I’ve done is start on the battery that wasn’t used for the bilge pump; then switch charging to both, run it that way for about an hr, then switch to the battery that was used running the bilge pump to make sure it gets as fully charged as possible. In...
  19. Lou C

    I should add a 2nd battery...

    I added the dual battery system with the switch about 20 years ago because my boat has always been moored and if heavy rains & storms occur you want to make sure that bilge pump will be powered and still be able to start the engine to then recharge the battery that may have been depleted from...
  20. Lou C

    salt water in single cylinder

    If you wind up going with it & still have those one piece exhaust manifolds it’s a good time to ditch them for the 2 piece conversion. Barr marine makes a nice one check out Lighthouse Marine in Riverhead…,
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