Got our first boat-- 96 Stingray 556zp

[Maclin]

Re: Got our first boat-- 96 Stingray 556zp

Mine will not get up to temp in the driveway even if I run it for 10 or 15 minutes. When it is actually in the lake doing something it gets up to temp in just a few minutes and stays there.

What do you mean by water exiting only on the right side?

Nasty brown does not sound good, evidently no one ever drained the block for winterizing maybe?

 

[Jbrocious]

Re: Got our first boat-- 96 Stingray 556zp

Mine will not get up to temp in the driveway even if I run it for 10 or 15 minutes. When it is actually in the lake doing something it gets up to temp in just a few minutes and stays there.

What do you mean by water exiting only on the right side?

Nasty brown does not sound good, evidently no one ever drained the block for winterizing maybe?

You can see in this picture that the water is only exiting the right hand side of the outdrive...It looks like the same hole is on the left side too....Now the boat is sitting at a slight angle to the right in our yard, so I'd imagine it could flow that way.

As for the brown... previous owner kept it in a heated garage so he did not drain/winterize it last season. Last time it was out was March 2011. I was expecting some dirty water to come out. It was perfectly clear after that.

Also got it it all cleaned up--- quick pic of the interior and engine

 

[sickwilly]

Re: Got our first boat-- 96 Stingray 556zp

Jb, when you run on the muffs be sure and trim your outdrive down as far as it will go. I cannot tell if you did that from the picutre. The picture looks normal for the water coming out. Go hit the lake and keep an eye on the guages. Run that sucker!

 

[Jbrocious]

Re: Got our first boat-- 96 Stingray 556zp

I didn't have it all the way down. I'll be sure to next time. Id love to get it on the water now. But I'm hesitant with the impeller decision. It's hard to find time to put a new one in right now. Its the original impeller from 96 with 123 hours on it. Should I get on the water or put in new one?

 

[spoilsofwar]

Re: Got our first boat-- 96 Stingray 556zp

I didn't have it all the way down. I'll be sure to next time. Id love to get it on the water now. But I'm hesitant with the impeller decision. It's hard to find time to put a new one in right now. Its the original impeller from 96 with 123 hours on it. Should I get on the water or put in new one?

Replace. Replace. Replace!

That item is an annual maintenance item. It's now 16 years old.

 

[Jbrocious]

Re: Got our first boat-- 96 Stingray 556zp

Replace. Replace. Replace!

That item is an annual maintenance item. It's now 16 years old.

Thanks!! I will plan to do it annually then before the beginning of each season. I'll also get a spare as recommended before.

I didn't realize this was a routine part to change. I figured it was just dependant on usage. Thanks again everyone!

 

[sickwilly]

Re: Got our first boat-- 96 Stingray 556zp

How often depends on whether your merc outdrive is a gen 1 or gen 2. I replaced my gen 2 after 5 years and it looks brand new. Its my spare. I would get on the water, personally, and just watch me temp gauge closely, get some boat enjoyment time, and at the end of the year plan to do the following:

1- pull outdrive and check alignment
2- grease coupler and take a real good look at the yoke, bearings, etc.
3- replace impeller
4- replace gear lube

When on the muffs, lower the drive as much as you can. Never rev it high with it in the up, trailer position, or you will cause damage! This is because of the angle placed on the yoke and the u-joints.

Mine always gets up to temp on the hose. If your did not, then maybe your thermostat is stuck in the open position. This is no problem in the middle of the summer. Also, if you impeller was not working, you would be up to temp lickity-split. Since you did not get up to temp, you impeller is likely pumping the water through the drive and engine just fine.

Pick a time when your buddy with his boat can go too and go get some water time. If he is there, you have a tow in and can shut down at the first sign of any problems.

Enjoy that boat!

 

[Jbrocious]

Re: Got our first boat-- 96 Stingray 556zp

It's a gen 2. Judging by the amount of water running through it, the impeller is functioning properly. I guess maybe i should get it in the water and check for any other issues too. I'll order up the parts and keep them with me.

Am I able to test forward and reverse without being in the water? Right now i am running as throttle only

 

[sickwilly]

Re: Got our first boat-- 96 Stingray 556zp

Yes you can put the oat in gear but be sure your outdrive is down as far as you can get it on the trailer. When in gear you can then listen and make sure everything sounds smooth. Hey, it is a good idea to take your prop off and grease where it attaches annually (fishing line can get stuck in there), so to be safe, pull that sucker first. That will also allow you to look at the seal there an make sure there are no leaks.

The key to your outdrive is that it is: 1- full of lube, 2- has no water in it, and 3- holds pressure. If you have lube all the way to the reservoir in the engine compartment, and you are not leaking any lube out, then you can feel pretty confident that all is good with the seals and pressure.

The worst case scenario on a new used boat would be there is water in there and the lube fails, or there is not lube in there and the gears burn up. Lube is pumped in from the bottom, not pored in from the top. You can barely loosen the bottom screw on the outdrive and let just a little out see what condition it is in, and then top off at the reservoir. Replacing the gear lube in the outdrive is an annual maintenance item. It is probably overkill, but it allows you annually to make sure there is no water mixed in with the lube.

 

[Jbrocious]

Re: Got our first boat-- 96 Stingray 556zp

I have to change the prop anyway
So that will be a good time to check everything. I picked up the quicksilver gear oil, but thought I had to also use a hand oil pump to put it in the lower unit. I picked up the quicksilver pump while I was at it. I thought there was a fitting I would take off to fill up the gear oil (as well as filling the reservoir). Not sure if that makes sense. The reservoir is about 1/2 inch below full so I'll fill it up and watch for leaks.

 

[sickwilly]

Re: Got our first boat-- 96 Stingray 556zp

Yes, you have to use the pump to fill it up and will need a bottle and a quarter bottle. That is to fill it up after you drain it. You don't need the pump to top it off at the reservoir.

Have you found your manual in the adults only section yet? Definitely read before trying to fill.

Essentially there are 3 places you can access that lube. 1 is a large screw at the bottom of the outdrive. 2 is the vent screw (same size screw as the drain one on the bottom). 3 is the reservoir.

To fill it up, you start by pumping fluid from the bottom screw until it comes out the vent hole. You then put the screw back into the vent hole and pump till it gets to your reservoir. You can then top off at the reservoir if needed during your boating season.

If you are currently an inch low in the reservoir, you should have an alarm that goes off? That is if you are an inch below the operating line on the side of the reservoir.

My point in the earlier thread was that you can loosen that bottom screw a bit, let a little of the lube seep out and inspect it, and then just top off at the reservoir, if you just want to get a sense of what the lube look like (its condition). If you plan to change it anyway, then go for it, just pick up one more bottle of lube first. Also, plenty of rags -- it is a messy job.

 

[Jbrocious]

Re: Got our first boat-- 96 Stingray 556zp

I'll pull up manuals tonight. Been replying on here from my iPhone. I'll take a peek at the condition. The reservoir isn't too low that it would set off alarm.

I just saw your picture in your sig towing with the odyssey. Did you install the transmission and power steering coolers on it? Im towing with a pilot and have them to put on before I really starting pullin the boat.

 

[sickwilly]

Re: Got our first boat-- 96 Stingray 556zp

I did put both on, and this will be my 6th season towing with it. However, for the last two the Odyssey alternates duty with an explorer depending on how many people ride with us.

I spoke with a Honda Engineer. Here is the secret for the Odyssey (maybe the same for the Pilot) -- keep the tranny in D3 the whole time. The tranny is more efficient in the higher RPM range as this is where all the torque is. This has worked for me.

 

[Jbrocious]

Re: Got our first boat-- 96 Stingray 556zp

I did put both on, and this will be my 6th season towing with it. However, for the last two the Odyssey alternates duty with an explorer depending on how many people ride with us.

I spoke with a Honda Engineer. Here is the secret for the Odyssey (maybe the same for the Pilot) -- keep the tranny in D3 the whole time. The tranny is more efficient in the higher RPM range as this is where all the torque is. This has worked for me.

Yeah I was using D3 90% of the time. The only time I went up to D was down hill or very flat highway. Figured I give the tranny a break when I could. I'm putting the coolers on on Wednesday (happy 4th to me, haha).

Anyone out there know which damn fuel filter I need? Its the snap in type, but the descriptions on iboats are confusing the hell out of me.

I'm hunting through the manuals too, what an AWESOME resource. The stickies in the 'adults only' are great.

 

[Jbrocious]

Re: Got our first boat-- 96 Stingray 556zp

Next question... some of you were commenting on the black grills mounted to the vent tubes. After running it for the first time, using the blower, it kicked up black dust all over the sundeck and swim platform. Have any of you put covers like these to redirect the vent?

http://www.iboats.com/Cowl-Vent-For...49650124--session_id.182500827--view_id.71272

Not sure if that's what these are intended for, but could work.

 

[rivermouse]

Re: Got our first boat-- 96 Stingray 556zp

Let me see 123 divided by 15.........thats less than 9 hours a year ......for 15 years.....You got service records to back that up I assume?

 

[spoilsofwar]

Re: Got our first boat-- 96 Stingray 556zp

Next question... some of you were commenting on the black grills mounted to the vent tubes. After running it for the first time, using the blower, it kicked up black dust all over the sundeck and swim platform. Have any of you put covers like these to redirect the vent?

http://www.iboats.com/Cowl-Vent-For...49650124--session_id.182500827--view_id.71272

Not sure if that's what these are intended for, but could work.

Those vents are indeed engine compartment vents. Usually, they were located on older boats, one on the starboard gunnel and one on the port gunnel, one facing fore and one facing aft (to shove air in and draw it out while the boat was underway, respectively). Sometimes they were in the same configuration but located more inboard towards the transom.

I don't know that they would fit the grill cutout on your boat's swim platform, and I am sure they would look pretty funny on your style of boat even if they did. If the blower is blowing dust on your swim platform and sunpad, you need to clean out your blower hose. Just remove it and blow some compressed air through it, or replace it all together - those hoses can become brittle and crack with age, reducing their ability to vent the engine compartment. The hose is very cheap as well.

 

[Jbrocious]

Re: Got our first boat-- 96 Stingray 556zp

Let me see 123 divided by 15.........thats less than 9 hours a year ......for 15 years.....You got service records to back that up I assume?

I got what I could from him, but you could tel that he NEVER used it. The only maintenance he really did was oil change, new bellows, couple props, and changed the anti-corrosion pieces (still learning technical names) and trim tab. The engine and outdrive are literally spotless (except for a couple cobwebs). I saw the garage he kept it in- had wall mounted heaters in a 3 bay attached garage. Stayed under the boat cover most of its life. I was quite shocked to find it!

 

[Jbrocious]

Re: Got our first boat-- 96 Stingray 556zp

Spoils--- i think I'll go with your
Recommendation. Looks like it just had collected some dust from sitting. The tubes still look new. Not brittle. I'll clean them out.

 

[sickwilly]

Re: Got our first boat-- 96 Stingray 556zp

I was thinking the same thing. That dust will not be a problem once you run a couple of times.

I have been thinking of changing out my white plastic ones with stainless steel ones -- just another on the wish list of boat projects.