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  1. Lou C

    First time winterizing 4.3 mercruiser, alpha one.

    Yep I've done it that way every time 20 years of winterizing. Says so in my OMC owners manual... no need to remove the 'stat.
  2. Lou C

    Is this a reasonable quote?

    Buy a drive jack and the tools to do it, if you have the room and you will not have much trouble with your stern drive. The only real specific stern drive tools you need are the drive jack (makes it 100% easier, saves your back) and the alignment bar change gear oil each year, pull drive and...
  3. Lou C

    Unexpected long term storage

    Here 6 month storage is what we do every year. Stabilized fuel change fluids & fogging if your storage conditions demand it (high humidity)….
  4. Lou C

    305 V8 - Rusty spot on intake manifold, with ports that nothing is connected to

    If you can that would be a good idea. They do make block off plates. Those old style manifold heated chokes do work fine as long as you keep the choke plate & linkage clean.
  5. Lou C

    Is this a reasonable quote?

    If the ujoints let go at speed that could have been catastrophic as in a destroyed gimble housing & water coming in the boat!
  6. Lou C

    Is this a reasonable quote?

    That's a deferred maintenance issue. This one is 34 years old and used in salt water 20+ years. Gonna be expensive!
  7. Lou C

    First time winterizing 4.3 mercruiser, alpha one.

    I answered that question above, post #5. You have to learn how raw water cooling works.
  8. Lou C

    305 V8 - Rusty spot on intake manifold, with ports that nothing is connected to

    That area gets pretty hot and was used for the heat tube for the choke on the old 2bbl Rochesters and the divorced choke spring for the 4bbl Quadrajets. The way the hot air chokes worked was that there was vacuum in the choke housing, and it sucked fresh air through that tube which was actually...
  9. Lou C

    Water when pulling stern drive

    I think I'd replace both.
  10. Lou C

    350 mag mpi manifold/elbow temp

    that's what I was referring to...the flow test...volume of water in x amount of time.
  11. Lou C

    Is this a reasonable quote?

    The last time I did both the bellows on the Cobra it took about 2 hrs after removing the drive. This varies with the drive system of course, but what I do is get a rope, and tie the pivot housing to it, and tie the other end to the ski hook on the transom to hold it up so it doesn't weigh on the...
  12. Lou C

    350 mag mpi manifold/elbow temp

    One last thing, the thermostat housing is basically a distribution valve, that takes in cool water & feeds the exhaust system, make sure the nipples that the manifold & elbow hoses connect to are clean and open. Have you ever tested the output of the impeller with the boat in the water? Might...
  13. Lou C

    Is this a reasonable quote?

    One point to keep in mind on the Volvo SX & SX-A drives….there is no gasket between the drive & the pivot housing. This is in contrast to the OMC Cobra (which is what the SX was developed from) and all the Merc drives. So for salt water brackish water and even high mineral fresh water these...
  14. Lou C

    350 mag mpi manifold/elbow temp

    So then can they tell you at what temp an alarm is set? Sounds like a silly guessing game here. Certainly that info must be in their shop manual!
  15. Lou C

    Is this a reasonable quote?

    When they said that they had to pry the drive off the pivot housing that suggests that the drive & pivot housing were corroded together and the pivot was damaged in the removal. This can happen if the drive is not removed for a long time because there is no gasket between them to prevent metal...
  16. Lou C

    350 mag mpi manifold/elbow temp

    Since for cats to work they can’t be too cold it might be that these manifolds are designed to maintain a higher temp.
  17. Lou C

    First time winterizing 4.3 mercruiser, alpha one.

    I leave it in. If you’re going to drain the AF out save your money. I leave it in for corrosion protection which is exactly what Merc advises in their manuals. If you use the RIGHT AF (-100 or do as I do mix up a batch of Sierra No Tox PG AF) you will NOT have a problem. 20 years worth of...
  18. Lou C

    5.7 Merc coolant check?

    yep overheats can blow head gaskets, & and can crack cylinder heads, leading to a pretty extensive repair... people new to boats don't realize its not like a car, with a closed low-maintenance system, in a boat you need a constant supply of cool water in and out, for it to stay at proper temps...
  19. Lou C

    350 mag mpi manifold/elbow temp

    If you're starting out with everything new that may be what it's going to be.
  20. Lou C

    350 mag mpi manifold/elbow temp

    Yep if you have cats at least in a vehicle they routinely run 400* and even hotter. So we can’t really use non cat exhaust temps as a guide here…
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