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  1. Lou C

    Leaking Antifreeze after Winterizing

    The only good use of those kits is if you have closed cooling, even so I don't think gravity feed is that great, it might be better to boost it with a livewell pump or similar. Now we might use it on my brother's Merc 4.5 after fully draining it with Merc's new fancy plastic drain system, which...
  2. Lou C

    Time for a ‘new’ boat?

    Really? 300 a year to reg a boat trailer? Even in the high tax capital of the USA, New York State, we don't get dinged like that! I think I pay $60 a year for my small Load Rite registration. And boat reg's here are good for 3 years. But then there's property taxes and electricity. We are still...
  3. Lou C

    Leaking Antifreeze after Winterizing

    Yep I’d like to see that too. People get confused because they see uninformed people on YouTube doing this. Also marinas use this method BUT they have a way of recirculating the AF to keep it hot enough to keep the stat open. That takes a lot more AF and special equipment not 5 gallons and a...
  4. Lou C

    Leaking Antifreeze after Winterizing

    The first year I did mine (2002) I tried that method checked the block drains the next day and dirty water came out so that started my manual drain and back fill procedure. As far as I am concerned ALL inboards should be closed cooled! Even just a half system would protect the most expensive...
  5. Lou C

    Leaking Antifreeze after Winterizing

    I don’t know why anyone does it that way and if FW has instructions telling you to do it that way shame on them! You have to understand how raw water cooling works. Raw water cooling has excess capacity for the cooling needs of the engine. The exhaust system always gets water but water will exit...
  6. Lou C

    Air don't freeze... RV antifreeze DOES!

    Flammable vapor is what would concern me. -200 PG antifreeze would likely cover any situation no matter where you live.
  7. Lou C

    4.3 engine mounted raw water pump inquiry

    I’ve never used my OMC Cobra in winter conditions but over the 20 years of boating in salt water I have never had an overheat due to impeller failure. I did have an episode of warmer than normal running due to sucking up sand. I normally change the impeller every 3 years and they look almost...
  8. Lou C

    Cleaning Manifolds & Risers

    I got them from Partsman.com they are a local Long Island NY parts supplier, you might see if they can deliver to you, keep in mind that Barr casts the Volvo OE parts, so no need to buy OE at all in this case.
  9. Lou C

    Cleaning Manifolds & Risers

    What brand is that pric for? Good plan with the machine shop, they will get them back to flat, and the gaskets will seal. That sealing surface and gasket is the thing that can cause trouble with wet-joint exhausts. Believe it or no, if you had a newer Mercrusier or Volvo I/O with cat converter...
  10. Lou C

    Cleaning Manifolds & Risers

    Those would need to be machined flatter than that for them to seal. You want to be flat enough that when you lay a mechanics straightedge across them a .002” feeler gauge won’t fit in. Otherwise you will have water leaking back in the engine via an open exhaust valve. This will lead to engine...
  11. Lou C

    Air don't freeze... RV antifreeze DOES!

    I have been recycling mine for like 30 years. I don't think I'd want a flammable substance in water drains! PG antifreeze is the way to go, just use the highest concentration you can.
  12. Lou C

    Air don't freeze... RV antifreeze DOES!

    I think it all depends on your boating environment. I bet leaf springs don't rust to crap in 4 years in fresh water, but they surely do here. So my logic, I spray the springs 2x a year with Corrosion X they last me 8-10 years, and aren't even corroded just getting flattened out so I replace...
  13. Lou C

    Air don't freeze... RV antifreeze DOES!

    This is the cheapest, and the best alternative IMHO. Good enough corrosion protection to use as engine coolant, and if you have the refractometer you can blend it to give more freeze protection....50/50 with water gives approx -26*F.
  14. Lou C

    Overheat on 5.0 with SX outdrive

    Just to give you an idea what this involves....and this is just a simple cyl head replacement. Like I said the cleaning and prep takes most of the time....
  15. Lou C

    Air don't freeze... RV antifreeze DOES!

    West Marine has a good article about this on their website, and they specifically do NOT recommend -50 or -60 for areas that get close to or below zero in winter. IMHO those are only good for very mild winter climates. Yet, that is most of what they sell. When my brother asked me to winterize...
  16. Lou C

    Air don't freeze... RV antifreeze DOES!

    But -100 won’t freeze till about -55*F and then there’s -200… The problem with the antifreezes most people use is understanding the difference between freeze point and burst point. Also when checking freeze points I think a decent quality refractometer is a must, the floating balls types tend to...
  17. Lou C

    Mercruiser ECM replacement?

    The best aftermarket is the classic Chevrolet small block enough of everything to keep them running through the next apocalypse!
  18. Lou C

    Air don't freeze... RV antifreeze DOES!

    I’ve used -100 which was totally liquid at a bit below zero in my freezer and now I’m mixing up a batch of Sierra PG antifreeze 50/50 with water that gives freeze protection down to about -30. I use a refractometer to measure the freeze point of the mixture. In fresh water you probably don’t...
  19. Lou C

    I don't think this will buff out....

    But he at least put out a fender lol
  20. Lou C

    Overheat on 5.0 with SX outdrive

    Remember you have a Ford 5 liter (302 cu in) V8, parts aren’t as common as for GM V8s but they are out there. Those engines were used for decades in FoMoCo cars abs trucks. When I bought the cyl heads for my 4.3 V6 they were $275 each, gasket set was about 120 and new cyl head bolts were about...
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