first boat purchase with questions

[driver_dav]

I just bought my first boat, 1996 maxum 2100sr, 350 5.7 liter, haven't been around boats to much, as of now I can throw a new battery in it and should be able to drive, it needs flooring and some vinyl repair.
My question is that it has say unused and unregistered for atleast 8 years, previous owner said it was all lubed and wintered before sitting, what should I do before turning the key and starting, oil looks clean and fresh, can I start it outside of the water if so how long is safe to run it

 

[Maclin]

Re: first boat purchase with questions

Runnning it without water hooked up will ruin the impeller in a very short time, even under a minute, especially if it has been sitting that long.

You should remove and replace the impeller first thing now anyway due to the age. Even if you plan to replace it do not run the old one without water or the vanes could break off and cause major blockages.

What brand and model of engine/drive do you have?

 

[BrianNJ]

Re: first boat purchase with questions

You n?ed to put muffs on the outdrive and run water through the engine with a hose to run The engine if the boat is not in the water. Otherwise, the water pump will burn out in no time. Make sure there is water flowing out once started.

 

[matt167]

Re: first boat purchase with questions

You need to change the water pump impeller in the outdrive if it has a Mercruiser Alpha One. Pull outdrive to check allignment. Change gear lube. I would also change the oil. and grab a set of muffs from a marine store or even Walmart

Put the muffs on the water intake holes on the lower unit. Make sure you have adaquate water flow from your garden hose, lower the drive down and then you can safely fire it up. Don't run the engine with the drive up.

 

[driver_dav]

Re: first boat purchase with questions

It came with the muffs, so it is safe to run the engine with the muffs on and water flowing

 

[driver_dav]

Re: first boat purchase with questions

Runnning it without water hooked up will ruin the impeller in a very short time, even under a minute, especially if it has been sitting that long.

You should remove and replace the impeller first thing now anyway due to the age. Even if you plan to replace it do not run the old one without water or the vanes could break off and cause major blockages.

What brand and model of engine/drive do you have?

It is a 350 5.7 liter mercruiser, inboard/outboard

 

[jestor68]

Re: first boat purchase with questions

It came with the muffs, so it is safe to run the engine with the muffs on and water flowing

Yes it is safe. Look for water to be expelled from the exhaust relief passages on either (lower) side of the stern drive within a short time after starting the motor.

It is not necessary to change the water pump impeller if it is functioning properly.

It is advised not to run the engine over about 1500-2000 rpm on the muffs, as the water pumps suction might collapse the water hose, cutting off the water supply.

 

[driver_dav]

Re: first boat purchase with questions

Is there anything I should check to make site is still got good grease in it so I don't for it up and blow something apart

 

[dls322]

Re: first boat purchase with questions

Hmmm, i would have someone check it out for peace of mind, just because the engine starts you have other things to check out...there are items like bellows and transom gaskets that could need attention and would allow water in the boat if they are deteriorated.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: first boat purchase with questions

.

It is not necessary to change the water pump impeller if it is functioning properly.

He said it has been sitting for 8 years. Seems like a good idea to change it

 

[driver_dav]

Re: first boat purchase with questions

the engine is pretty spotless, he placed a new engine in it i guess it had the 5.0 before, he put in the 5.7 and it has only 5 hours on it since then

 

[mguidry629]

Re: first boat purchase with questions

Check out the Mercruiser I/O section of this site. Lots of good info in there. Check out the 'adults only' section and absorb all the info in there, then post your tech questions in there. You will find lots of folks willing to help.

8 years is a long time to be sitting up. Unless it was in a climate controlled storage unit, I would change all the bellows, gimbal bearing, impeller, gear oil, motor oil and filter, fuel filter,etc. BUT just to crank it and hear it run, you should be ok just hooking up the muffs for now AFTER you extract the old gas from the tank and put some new gas in it.

 

[driver_dav]

Re: first boat purchase with questions

Do I have to lube any cylinders to get then to move easy before hand? I want to see if it moves free hand from the crank with a ratchet, any idea which way to go, firing order is 1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2?

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: first boat purchase with questions

1st 2 things to consider -- you can make a repair bill quickly if you do not change the impellor and run 8 year old gas. There is a short list of things that require checking and replacing before considering firing it up. Why after the work and expense was it only run 5 hours and shut down for 8 years?

 

[driver_dav]

Re: first boat purchase with questions

1st 2 things to consider -- you can make a repair bill quickly if you do not change the impellor and run 8 year old gas. There is a short list of things that require checking and replacing before considering firing it up. Why after the work and expense was it only run 5 hours and shut down for 8 years?

I know the family and because they just kinda stopped boating, they snowmobiles just sitting around forever and all sorts of stuff piled up. Yea I'm gonna siphon out the gas then vacuum the tank for all the gunk thats in it.

 

[series60]

Re: first boat purchase with questions

Yea I'm gonna siphon out the gas then vacuum the tank for all the gunk thats in it.

I hope you are not going to vacuum the fuel tank with something like a shop vac. Good way to blow yourself up. Pull the plugs and squirt some light oil in cylinders. Turn the engine over by hand with the plugs out to see if a piston is stuck first. Replace the impeller. Grease all the outdrive lube fittings. Check to L/U gear oil for water. If the engine runs on the muffs then I would pull the outdrive before launching to be sure the bellows and gimble bearing are in good shape. Check engine alignment (this is of the utmost importance). If it's off very much that might indicate problems with stringer/transom. There is a lot of info available in the 'Adults only' section of this forum. Read it!

 

[driver_dav]

Re: first boat purchase with questions

I hope you are not going to vacuum the fuel tank with something like a shop vac. Good way to blow yourself up. Pull the plugs and squirt some light oil in cylinders. Turn the engine over by hand with the plugs out to see if a piston is stuck first. Replace the impeller. Grease all the outdrive lube fittings. Check to L/U gear oil for water. If the engine runs on the muffs then I would pull the outdrive before launching to be sure the bellows and gimble bearing are in good shape. Check engine alignment (this is of the utmost importance). If it's off very much that might indicate problems
with stringer/transom. There is a lot of info available in the 'Adults only' of this forum. Read it!

Any idea what way the engine should crank, I can't find a solid answer

 

[series60]

Re: first boat purchase with questions

Any idea what way the engine should crank, I can't find a solid answer

Clockwise looking at it from the harmonic balancer or front of the engine.

 

[driver_dav]

Re: first boat purchase with questions

So with replacing the impeller, I have came across a few options- 1: impeller all by itself, 2: impeller with various gaskets, 3: impeller, gaskets, and housing. which do I need of I can keep the gasket clean, would I really need to replace the whole housing assembly?

 

[JoLin]

Re: first boat purchase with questions

You won't know until you take it apart and look for scoring of the pump housing and the wear plate below the impeller. I would NEVER reuse the old gaskets. That's just asking for trouble. They'll likely break up when you take the pump apart anyway.

My .02