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  1. Lou C

    1987 Merc 4.3 Rebuild or replace?

    Scott posted up a listing of all the changes made in the 4.3s, there are many. The best thing to do is find the block casting # which is behind the starboard side cyl head on the rear end of the block and the cyl head casting #s which are visible when you remove the valve covers. The # you can...
  2. Lou C

    Antifreeze circulation through engine

    OMC/Volvo engines use a brass plug with wing nuts on them that you can just put a small adjustable wrench on. Easy and they never break like the silly plastic stuff Merc uses. There’s a fitting threaded into the block and the plug goes into that fitting
  3. Lou C

    Anti Seize or Not?

    Using Permatex you have to clean the old gunk out of the threads and then it will come out easy next time. I use a small pick on the bolt and thread chasers on internal threads
  4. Lou C

    Anti Seize or Not?

    PS Champion makes a specific anti seize for aluminum; it’s used on spark plugs in air cooled aircraft engines.
  5. Lou C

    Anti Seize or Not?

    I’ve used the Evinrude gasket sealer and Permatex Aviation on all the bolts on the outdrive thermostat housing exhaust manifold & elbow bolts etc. I just removed the manifolds I installed 4 years ago to get access to the steering actuator and they all came right out. The good thing about gasket...
  6. Lou C

    Should we antifoul paint our 1998 SX outdrives?

    When the bellows are installed it is best if the pivot housing is removed because then you can tell if the end that goes on the gimble housing is seated properly. Some mechanics take a short cut by removing the exhaust bellows first and leave the pivot housing intact; and install the driveshaft...
  7. Lou C

    Antifreeze circulation through engine

    NO 1) your impeller will burn up trying to do that 2) unless you drain the engine first, or remove the thermostat, the raw water will not exit the engine on a cool fall day and you will wind up with manifolds full of AF and an engine still with raw water in it, and likely a cracked block in...
  8. Lou C

    Rain water came in through cover

    Well believe it or not freshwater causes far more rot than saltwater does because the microorganisms that cause wood rot don’t live in salt water. Salt water rots cast iron and aluminum but preserves wood!
  9. Lou C

    Condensation in exhaust manifolds...

    that was surprising to me as well, given that these have the latest emissions with the cat converters. I looked for the evidence of salt or calcium deposits in the block or old cyl heads when changed them and didn't see any of that. Even when I took off the Barr manifolds, the exit passages in...
  10. Lou C

    Carb Recommendations for 5.7L Vortec?

    One thing you're going to have to work through is that the Vortecs do not have the heated exhaust cross over that the pre-Vortecs do in the intake manifold, so you will need to got to an electric choke conversion if you want to use a choke, or a manual choke conversion. Remember that there have...
  11. Lou C

    Condensation in exhaust manifolds...

    I kind of figured that and I never checked the old one piece manifolds when running the 160 stat to see if would happen with them under the same conditions. I do know because of the # of times I changed the exhaust on this boat (3 changes in my ownership) I've never seen any rust in the cyl head...
  12. Lou C

    Condensation in exhaust manifolds...

    Ok got a question about condensation in exhaust manifolds. I came across this by accident because I had to remove the Barr Marine/OMC/Volvo exhaust I installed 4 years ago, for access to the steering actuator that needs to be replaced. I ran the engine on the water hose about 20 min, let it cool...
  13. Lou C

    Where do you like to prop your boat?

    also depends on the load you typically have in the boat, light load 4900 is fine but with a full load going little higher may help.
  14. Lou C

    Quadra Jet: cross threaded fuel intake fitting

    The other thing is that unlike in an auto applicaiton, the in carb filter on the Quadrajet is really just a screen, you are supposed to have a water separting filter to do the actual filteration. So they don't have to be replaced every season like the water seperating filters. I only do them...
  15. Lou C

    Can worn points cause this? Video included

    The quickest way I found of setting dwell was to hook up a remote starter switch so I don't have to keep jumping back and forth front to back. it is a bit of a pain but if you can get decent quality points, no electronics to go bad the vid suggest more of a surging condition than a miss. make...
  16. Lou C

    Quadra Jet: cross threaded fuel intake fitting

    I've had 2 Quadrajets (on my family's '75 Olds Delta 88 back in the old days) and on the boat which I have owned nearly 20 years, if you are careful you will not strip this, just remember all it has to do is seal, that's all.
  17. Lou C

    Should we antifoul paint our 1998 SX outdrives?

    PS there is no way that normal aluminum antifouling will last a year in full time salt water storage, at least not in my experience, I get through season but here that's only 6 months at most. So if you want to keep this boat figure on 2 haul outs per year, one to do all the maintenance after...
  18. Lou C

    Quadra Jet: cross threaded fuel intake fitting

    And to prevent this in the future before bolting the carb to the manifold carefully thread the fuel line in by hand; especially with a rigid fuel line this prevents cross threading because the carb can move slightly to let the threads line up. Same thing when installing a new mechanical fuel...
  19. Lou C

    Should we antifoul paint our 1998 SX outdrives?

    Also, the bellows has a ridge that has to fit into a groove in the gimble housing mount for it to seal and the screw for the clamp has to be properly oriented so it doesn’t cut into the rubber when you turn all the way to one side. The bellows is assymetic meaning that it has more folds on one...
  20. Lou C

    Should we antifoul paint our 1998 SX outdrives?

    What you are up against is the difficulty of maintaining stern drives in salt water. The boat yard should be pulling the drives once a season to check the bellows for water intrusion and greasing the gimble bearings and ujoints as well as checking both for roughness and wear. For your next boat...
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