Moving from 1978 228 to 2001 190HP 4.3 New Boat, need advice

[THenning]

So Bought a 2001 Sea Ray 182 BR. Got a great deal on it.

190 HP 4.3 Carb model Thunderbolt V Ignition

Good News:
Good Compression
Ran Well on the muffs
Clean inside and out
264 Hours on engine

Areas to improve:
Sat without being run last year. Replaces battery.
For Sure needs a fuel/Water Separator
When on plane at cruising speed engine will cycle between cruising speed and just a bit over cruising speed, Seems to surge for 2-6 second, then even out for 2-6 seconds, then surge again. Will repeat this indefinitely. Does not happen at low speed.
Batt Guage shows between 12-13 volts when running (do I need an alternator or is this normal, my 228 produced closer to 14) this is with blower motor and nav lights on.
Serial for engine is 0M078233 - Mercury oarts catalog has 4 carbs listed for this serial, where would markings be to narrow down the rebuild kit I need?

Other than the Fuel/Water separator what initial maintenance would you all recommend?
Cap/Rotor?
Fuel Filter?
Plugs? (Wires appear in excellent shape)
Carb Rebuild? (If so help please on pointing me to the right place on the carb to look for ID stamps)
Fuel Pump?

Given the above surging problem (More like cycling 200 RPM up and down) Seems to me one of the bowls might be a bit fuel starved. What would you all recommend to get this back into tip top shape and in what order?

Thanks all!

 

[wahlejim]

I would start with the simple and move to more complex issues. The following can be done in a morning:

Plugs
Wires
DC and rotor
Fuel filter/water separator
Clean the filter in the line right before the carb
Load test your battery
Go through your electrical system and clean connections. 95% of 12v electrical issues can be solved by cleaning connections, especially grounds. If your voltage doesn't improve, then you can start diagnosing alternator issues. You don't need to be running the blower when you are underway. The built in ventilation will supply more airflow than the blower ever will. Kind of like blowing into a box fan to increase the air flow. If your voltage rises as your rpms increase, your alternator is fine and clean connections will help. Have I mentioned to clean your connections yet? Take them apart and shiny metal clean, not just knocking corrosion off the surface of the connections.

Test the boat. Make sure your choke is functioning correctly and all cables are adjusted properly and your carb is adjusted while in the water. Bring a remote gas tank with you and feed the engine directly from it to isolate the engine from the boats gas tank, which may have supply issues from sitting with old fuel.

 

[Scott Danforth]

clean the carb and fuel system (tank, pickup, anti-siphon, etc). your own words were the boat sat...... so the fuel in the system broke down and turned to non-fuel sludge.

secondly, as Jim stated, clean all the electrical connections. start at the battery and move your way to the helm. clean them to shiny enough your mother would eat off them, then seal with marine electrical varnish. dont forget harness connections and the ground terminal strip at the helm.

264 hours in 19 years is only 14 hours a year. that is one weekend of use per year. sitting ships go to sh!t.

next, assume the prior owner did nothing.....not a bit of maintenance..... because they most likely did not.

so, grab the service manual and do every bit of maintenance that you can find

this includes yanking the drive, doing bellows, alignment and water-pump. check gimbal and alignment
all fluids
ignition system maintenance (plugs, wires, cap and rotor), verify timing
fuel system maintenance
new belts/hoses (they only last about 15 years)
trailer maintenance (bearings, brakes, tires, etc.

 

[Rick Stephens]

↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑


DO EVERYTHING. Go through the drive, the motor, the electrical system and perform all the annual maintenance list. Not only will you save money, and maybe having to walk back from a breakdown, but you learn everything about your new boat.

 

[achris]

Don't forget the trailer. One of the most neglected things 'on' a boat....