1988 Merc 3.7 170HP engine....need advice please...

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chrisss72

Seaman Apprentice
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Jun 9, 2011
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Just bought a 1988 wellcraft 19.2 ft boat with 170HP Merc engine. Boat is in great shape outside and in. Was told engine was winterized and tuned up. I believe the guy but dont think it was tuned up. Oil is olde and lower prop oil needs changed.

How do you change the oil? Is their a drain plug near the oil filter. I know how to change lower unit oil with the pump ect.

Also, I was going to take it to a mechanic to have it tuned up in case it was not done properly but Im afrad its going to blow my budget up. So, for 65 bucks i can purchased towing insurance here in erie pa on lake erie.. Then in the fall have it tuned up and winterized by a local professonal.

Any other tips.

Thanks guys.....

Chris from Erie Pa with a few pics...IMG_0269.jpgIMG_0273.jpgIMG_0267.jpgIMG_0273.jpg
 
wellcraft-classic210

wellcraft-classic210

Master Chief Petty Officer
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Sep 22, 2010
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839
Re: 1988 Merc 3.7 170HP engine....need advice please...

Nice boat - These were very wll made boats. I have a 1988 21 foot with same color scheme.

Fixing things yourself will save you money & learning the difference between cars & boats can be fun also.

The oil pan may have a drain plug (my 5.0 litre has one ) but its extremely difficult to catch the oil and you dont want it all over your bilge area. For that reason its pumped out from the dip stick tube with a pump made for that purpose.

The gear lube in the outdrive is drained & then refilled by pumping the fluid in from the bottom up. ( yes another pump ) Be sure to use a marine grade lubricant as they have special additives that will protect your drive should water get in.


I suggest you take tim to familiarize youself with the top 2 positings under the mercruiser I/o section of this forum http://forums.iboats.com/forumdisplay.php?f=21 as they have a wealth of useful info. including online manuals that Don S. our forum moderator has collected.

As far as staying away from the marina service bay--
Preventive maintenance is key. Getting to know your outdrive & cooling system can also be very helpful. Reading this forum be a great source of practical knowledge as well.

Also ---
--Any idea how old the bellows are?-- Replacing them at 5-6 years max & inspcting for cracks can save a lot of problems.
--Any idea how old the Impelller is ?-- Replacing them at 1-3 years max can save a lot of problems.
--Failure to winterize properly ( getting the water out or antifreeze into your block & manifolds before it freezes is crucial to avoiding cracks)

Hope this helps & good luck.
 
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chrisss72

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Re: 1988 Merc 3.7 170HP engine....need advice please...

I plan on going to a marine service but dont want to dish out 200 - 400 dollars right now. The lower unit was serviced with in the last 2 years or basiclly rebuilt.(hopfully that means the impeller is rebuilt? Now that I googled what bellows are I will inspect them and make sure they are not dry rotted or in bad shape. (though im no pro)

I really appreciate your help. I will have my mechanic go over the boat in the fall. Any other info is greatly appreciated. Thanks again
 
cr2k

cr2k

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Re: 1988 Merc 3.7 170HP engine....need advice please...

Impellers don't get rebuilt they are replacement items and NEED to be replaced every 2 years even if the boat is never used.
 
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chrisss72

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Re: 1988 Merc 3.7 170HP engine....need advice please...

Sorry, Told you im a newbie. I will double check with the old owner to when the lower unit was serviced.I thought he said last year ot year before. How much to replace the impeller on average? thanks
 
Don S

Don S

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Re: 1988 Merc 3.7 170HP engine....need advice please...

One other thing to keep in mind. Drive service does not necessarily include impeller replacement. If you want to ask about the impeller, say that. If you as if the drive was serviced, he may think you mean "was the drive lube changed" and answer yes, but he may have never replaced the impeller.
 
Don S

Don S

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Re: 1988 Merc 3.7 170HP engine....need advice please...

Another example of what something means. To many people, winterize means drain the raw water cooling system, to me, here is what I call winterizing http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=178695
As you can see, wording means a lot. So when you ask questions, ask specific questions.
 
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chrisss72

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Re: 1988 Merc 3.7 170HP engine....need advice please...

Can you tell me what alpha drive I have? I just found 2 good videos on replacing the impellar. doesnt look to difficult. I will post the vidoes but want to make sure its the correct drive. Thank you
 
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chrisss72

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Re: 1988 Merc 3.7 170HP engine....need advice please...

Whoops, you replied as I was posting bob. Let me look into that info. Ill contact the seller to clarify what was done. Thanks
 
Don S

Don S

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Re: 1988 Merc 3.7 170HP engine....need advice please...

Who's Bob?

This is for your drive. And I suggest you pull the complete drive off the boat to replace the impeller. Then you can check the alignment, lube the gimal bearing (and clean out the old grease) lube the ujoints, grease the splines on the coupler shaft (unless you enjoy pulling the engine to change the coupler), and check for water in the bellows. It's just all part of owning an outdrive.

View attachment A1 Impeller replace.pdf
 
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chrisss72

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Re: 1988 Merc 3.7 170HP engine....need advice please...

Sorry Don, (Not BOB)

I think I can handle it. Videos help as well. Im no mechanic. Looks like it will save me 150 -200 doing it my self. Not that I wont take it to a pro someday. Thank you DON!
 
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chrisss72

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Re: 1988 Merc 3.7 170HP engine....need advice please...

Don, my bellow is ripped open. This guy said the boat was ready for water. Is it expensive to replace this. I belive i only have 1 bellow in the center of the unit. Thanks so much
 
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chrisss72

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Re: 1988 Merc 3.7 170HP engine....need advice please...

IS that a bellow up above. Its ripped open on the other side. Thanks . I know im asking many questions. I should get this to a marine mechanic at this point.
 
Don S

Don S

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Re: 1988 Merc 3.7 170HP engine....need advice please...

That is the exhaust bellows, even if it fell off you wouldn't sink. Do a search for "exhaust bellows" and "exhaust tube" in this forum and do some reading.
 
T

tsport

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Apr 7, 2012
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Re: 1988 Merc 3.7 170HP engine....need advice please...

to change the oil in that engine you have suck it out through the dipstick tube you can buy an 12 volt oil transfer pump on ebay or from a auto parts store don't bother buying a manual one like you use to pump oil out of a bottle you will be there all day also if that motor dosn;t have the after market altenator set up get it you will be glad you did
 
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stonyloam

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Re: 1988 Merc 3.7 170HP engine....need advice please...

You have a 470 engine (4 cylinder) right. That has a closed cooling system so the block is filled with permanent auto type antifreeze so all you have to do is check that the reservoir (thing with the radiator cap) is full and the overflow tank is filled to the fill line. Also check to make sure the antifreeze is about 50/50. The heat exchanger (round tube on the port side of the engine) cools the antifreeze with raw water just like air cools the antifreeze in a car radiator. You need good cooling water flow through there for efficient cooling, so the impeller change is a good idea. It would be a good idea to change the points and condenser. You will need a timing light and dwell meter, about $50 for both. You will also need a engine manual #8 here: http://www.4shared.com/document/zTbCbkDD/Service_Manual_08.html and an alpha I outdrive manual #6. This should get you there: http://www.4shared.com/office/Ak79wzYs/mercruiser_service_manual_6_r_.html Come on back with any questions. Good luck. BTY nice looking boat!
 
vincechig1975

vincechig1975

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Oct 28, 2011
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Re: 1988 Merc 3.7 170HP engine....need advice please...

The way your boat looks is exactly the way ( color and exterior ) ours looked prior to the refit/ restoration,but the deck and stringers were gone in ours. Nice boat!
 
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