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  1. tpenfield

    Boat Buying Pickle . . . Info or Ideas??

    My brother who has not owned a boat in about 25 years has now become interested in getting a boat. He has found a pretty nice boat (center console), put in an offer, and I got him lined up with a good surveyor in case it moves forward. A wrinkle to the deal is that the boat comes with a...
  2. tpenfield

    Bravo 3, 3x3, 4x3, 4x4

    I think part of the problem is 11K lbs being propelled by a single engine/outdrive. A 4x3 24 P might be the way to go, but your engine may end up at around 5300 RPM, if that is OK.. There is some info on the web, but not many real life tales being told, since it is a steep investment to try...
  3. tpenfield

    JBL Marine Speakers

    I installed the speakers today. . . fog bank rolled in, so I had some time to kill. The old speakers were in pretty tough shape The cutouts needed were reasonably close to the existing, but but the fastener holes were in a different location. Got 'em all installed . . . Here is...
  4. tpenfield

    JBL Marine Speakers

    The nearly 20 year old stereo speakers on my boat have seen better days and barely work. So, I bought a pair of JBL MS9520 marine speakers, which I plan on installing this weekend. I only noticed a couple of consumer reviews on the web, so not much to draw on as far as making a good choice...
  5. tpenfield

    Electro-Mechanical Trim Indicators

    Mid-season Update: I have been using the electro-mechanical indicators for a month or so now and have found the trim range where the outdrives like to be, based on various sea and loading conditions. Essentially, it is the middle 1/3 of the trim range, as pictured below and indicated by the...
  6. tpenfield

    'In water' cooling system maintenance . . .

    UPDATE: I took the intake hose and strainer out today to see if the strainer was clogged and take a look at the impeller. I forst tried to separate the strainer from the intake hose, but that was futile, so I just disconnected the hose at the transom assembly and jimmied the whole intake...
  7. tpenfield

    Mercruiser Alpha 1 Gen 1 upper seal bearing pre load

    How much did you tighten it? should be like 1/8 of a turn at a time, then re-check the rolling torque. If the bearing is rusted or worn or defective, then it might lock up once it is tightened. This is how you separate them . . . It is a bearing splitter and it will wedge apart the inner...
  8. tpenfield

    'In water' cooling system maintenance . . .

    Yea, it seems that with the twin engine setup, they make them really close together (like 2") . . . not sure why. Here is a picture of the starboard sea water strainer . . . and here is the port engine strainer . . . I sort of wish the starboard engine was the one that needed attention . ...
  9. tpenfield

    'In water' cooling system maintenance . . .

    My port engine is showing signs of a cooling system issue, so it looks like I have to do some maintenance while the boat is in the water, as pulling the boat and re-launching it is wicked expensive. Some Info & Symptoms so far are: Twin engines per my sig below . . . FULL closed cooling...
  10. tpenfield

    Structural Moisture Remediation - something I came across . . .

    I know that the topic of resolving structural moisture ( in transoms, stringers, bulkheads, foam chambers, etc) in a "pre-rot" situation comes up on this forum from time to time. I myself have raised the issue with my current boat. Conventional wisdom is to cut & gut the affected areas and...
  11. tpenfield

    How do i remove trim sender bolt?

    Oh, got it . . . the trim sender wires . . . I have replaced the senders/wires without removing the bell housing, but it is better to remove the outdrive. If you want to try it with the outdrive on . . . 1/4" socket with 2 6" extensions and a u-joint adapter. 7/16" socket as stated. You would...
  12. tpenfield

    Formula 330 SS Head Liner Refubishment

    Update: With the extra headliner fabric, I got some 1" foam backing and did the back wall of the cabin. It came out OK, not perfect, but OK. I had to do it in 3 sections to surround the cabin hatch, whereas the factory makes it one full piece.
  13. tpenfield

    Too much Seafoam in motor oil ?

    OK, I went to change the oil on the Mercruiser 7.4's this weekend, and had some extra Seafoam. So, I added a can (16 oz) to each engine before the oil change and ran them through a 30 minute warmup, then pumped out the oil. To my surprise the oil came out foamy. So, initial thought was "oh...
  14. tpenfield

    Bravo 3 Bellows Replacement - Times 2

    Here are a couple of pictures that I found showing 2 different gimbal rings this is what is supposedly a Mercruiser 8M0062440 (Bravo) This is supposedly a Mercruiser 865328A01 (Alpha Gen II) The lower part of the gimbal rings look the same, whereas the upper part, where the arrow points...
  15. tpenfield

    Bravo 3 Bellows Replacement - Times 2

    Update . . . Boy do I hate bell housing & bellows work . . . I started off the day with my supplies for cleaning the u-joint bellows flange and prepping for the bellows installation I replaced the exhaust bellows on the starboard drive with a 'tube' since the port drive already had 'the...
  16. tpenfield

    Formula 330 SS Head Liner Refubishment

    Here is a picture of the new headliner, now that the hand prints have settled out . . .
  17. tpenfield

    Bravo 3 Bellows Replacement - Times 2

    Thanks, having taken the bellows off, the top mark does put the flat spots at the sides. My old ones were just installed about 45 degrees off from being correct. It did not seem to have anything to do with the chaffing however. Another thing I noticed is that with the proper orientation, the...
  18. tpenfield

    Bravo 3 Bellows Replacement - Times 2

    I used my ankle grinder with wire brush attachment to clean up the bell housing a bit and take off the corner that was causing the chaffing. I painted the bell housing in the areas where I ground off some corrosion . . . The Starboard bell housing was much worse than the port housing in...
  19. tpenfield

    Bravo 3 Bellows Replacement - Times 2

    Well, I started into the bellows on both outdrives today first the drives had to come off, and the trim limit and sender get taped up out f the way. I was thinking the hings pins would be nearly impossible to remove, but with the help if a long handle wrench, I was able to break them loose...
  20. tpenfield

    1969 Mercury 7.5 HP Drive Shaft . . . .

    I launched the boat today. . . everything worked out fine. Here are a couple of pics . . . The steering is still really stiff. So, that may require a full dis-assembly of the clamp/swivel bracket. The water 'pee' stream stayed healthy the whole time, which is a good thing . . . reaming...
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