New to 4.3L

[Dbone82]

Hi everyone. After borrowing my dad's boat a few times decades ago, and renting a couple recently, we just bought a 1994 runabout with 4.3L. So excited to pick it up tomorrow and start enjoying the waters around middle Tennessee. Our intent is to not do much to it for heavy maintenence until after the season.

what would you recommend we do/check now to ensure we have a reliable boat and trailer for the summer? Besides trailer wheel bearings, our #1 already.

what does the 1994 4.3 have for ingition and distributor? I wrench on cars and bikes a lot, hope it's not an old style distributor with points.

thanks in advance.

 

[alldodge]

Need a motor serial number to know exactly what you have but to get started the below link is similar motor
https://www.mercruiserparts.com/4-3l-gen-ii-2-bbl-gm-262-v-6-1993-1-1

Change motor oil and filter, outdrive lube, gas filter

Remove the outdrive and split in half then change the impeller and check out the pump housing for any scoring

Check gimbal bearing and U joints for smoothness

This is the outdrive
https://www.mercruiserparts.com/alpha-one-gen-ii-1991-1995-0d469859

 

[Scott Danforth]

First, welcome aboard

we just bought a 1994 runabout with 4.3L. So excited to pick it up tomorrow and start enjoying the waters around middle Tennessee.

Second......congrats on your new to you boat.

Our intent is to not do much to it for heavy maintenence until after the season.

Third....if you intended not to do any heavy maintenance, you should have bought a new boat ready to go.

when you buy a used boat, you must assume that the prior owner did nothing on the maintenance, unless it was carefully marina maintained and they have a complete history of every bit of maintenance.

when you buy a 27 year old boat, you will be doing lots of maintenance and repair

in addition to all the boat-side maintenance above, dont forget the trailer.

service the brakes, inspect the brake actuator, inspect the coupler, inspect the tires, re-pack the wheel bearings, replace bearings and seals as needed.

 

[Rick Stephens]

Second Scott's post. Boats are not cheap. And unsafe boats that break down in the wrong place and the wrong time are dangerous. Expect to do all the regular maintenance before you even stick it in the water. Go to boatinfo.no and you can access the mercruiser manual for drive and motor. Start in on it. New to you boat is an old and neglected boat to the last owner. Always assume the worst before you have serious problems where you can't walk back.

 

[achris]

If the engine matches the hull year (1994), that will be a generation II engine, and an Alpha One Gen II drive.

The engine is pretty much a Chevy 350 less a couple of pots, with a modified crankshaft (so it's even firing). The fuel system could be 2bbl or a 4bbl carb (that's why we need the engine serial number). The ignition is Thunderbolt IV, an fully electronic system with very good reliability.

The drive is also a good unit, but on that year, check the top of the upper housing for corrosion where the cover meets the main housing. Very common if the boat's been used in the briney.

As already mentioned, before you even think about going near the water, that engine and drive need a FULL service.

Look in the sticky section of this forum for heaps of really good info, and if you're unsure of anything, ask before breaking something...

Chris...

 

[Dbone82]

Thanks for all the good advice. Really appreciated. I intend to pay it back to others when I get more experience to share.

i will get the engine number after i pick it up and add to this post.

thank you all again.

 

[tpenfield]

:welcome: to iBoats . . .

All the boats that I have owned decide by themselves what maintenance (repairs) are going to be performed and when.

The thing about an older boat (20+ years) is that you could look at just about any part of the boat/engine and say "that should be replaced, or greased, or whatever"

I think the basics of fluid changes on the engine and outdrive are a good start that will give you a baseline.

If you are a wrench-turner, then study up on the engine and outdrive. The engine is the GM 4.3 V6 with a mild cam and marine purposed fuel, ignition, electrical, and exhaust systems. Think of the outdrive as the transmission.

I always keep spare parts on the boat and bring my tool set with me when we go boating.

 

[Dbone82]

Thanks again for the advice. I got a lot done on her today, and cant wait to get her out on the water tomorrow.

Here's a video of the service I did.

https://youtu.be/9q1Rme0_ufs

 

[alldodge]

Looks good
Don't over do the grease in the gimbal bearing. Once a year is normally good for most folks because they don't put that much time in a year. Manual says once every 100 hours. All the excess grease squeezes out into the bellows. Not going to hurt but makes a mess, 3 to 4 pumps should work

 

[Rick Stephens]

Great job. I like your methods and thoughtfulness. You also learned a lot about your new to you boat.

Add to your list before long that you disassemble the wheel hubs, wipe all the grease out and wash the bearings out. Inspect carefully - I owned a trailer shop for 20 years and I normally used a coffee can with lacquer thinner to wash out bearings - fast and drys quick for a regrease.

Also, annual maintenance includes pulling the outdrive off, inspecting and greasing u-joints and gimbal bearing. Condition of bellows, shifter assembly and seals. With a Gen 2 outdrive you can run an impeller for years if it never runs dry, but new to you boat the impeller should be inspected, which means draining the oil, splitting the upper case from the lower.

Doing the above maintenance requires a few gaskets, so plan it for end of season.

I use Napa Gold filters for pretty much everything. They are made by WIX and excellent. NAPA has a couple of 1/2 off filter sales a year, and I go buy a case of each for oil and fuel separator filters. IMHO, no need to purchase expensive Merc originals.

I would change the fuel water separator filter soonest. Dump its contents into a clear container and make darn certain you don't have anything in it except for gas.

Enjoy! Boating is fun, particularly when the boat runs nice as is safe.

Rick