Good evening , my name is Joe and I recently (19 July) purchased a 1987 198F with a Mercruiser 165 4 cylinder married to an Alpha One stern drive serial number OB712228.
The motor runs magnificently and all of the functions on the stern drive work as they should. I wanted to make sure everything was good to go before putting it in the water so I went to my local marina and asked for the maintenance that I needed to do prior to putting it in the water. So far I have gone through and changed the oil in the motor, did a tune up (plugs, wires, cap and rotor), changed the oil in the stern drive and then asked on the Chaparral forum for additional maintenance that is recommended before splashing. I was told to change the water pump in the stern drive, which I am going to do this weekend. This is where I encounter my first problem, I am not entirely sure which is the correct water pump kit that I need to order. I would prefer to purchase one that has any and all seals that I should change while I am in there. Any direction that you can give in regards to the right kit would be greatly appreciated. Now on to my second and probably biggest problem... I pulled the boat to my father in laws house which is 2 blocks from my house to detail the boat and do some cosmetic maintenance. I had the stern drive in the trailer position for the trip, but when I walked around to the back of the boat upon arrival, I noticed an oil leak at the location indicated on the picture I have attached. You will be able to see the chunk of aluminum missing and this is where the leak was. It was a very small and slow leak, enough to trail down the lower unit and leave about 10 drops on the concrete. I saw the damage but no leak, when I purchased the boat and asked my local boat center if this was a serious problem and they told me not to worry about it, as it was probably damage done by hitting something in the water. I am starting to second guess the information they gave me and am once again looking to the forum members for help. So I guess my question is this a serious dilemma or possibly a seal/gasket issue that I can repair when I go in to change the water pump and seals. I deploy 15 August and really want to get my boat in the water before I have to lay it up until I return next April. Thank you in advance for any help and advice that you can give me.
The motor runs magnificently and all of the functions on the stern drive work as they should. I wanted to make sure everything was good to go before putting it in the water so I went to my local marina and asked for the maintenance that I needed to do prior to putting it in the water. So far I have gone through and changed the oil in the motor, did a tune up (plugs, wires, cap and rotor), changed the oil in the stern drive and then asked on the Chaparral forum for additional maintenance that is recommended before splashing. I was told to change the water pump in the stern drive, which I am going to do this weekend. This is where I encounter my first problem, I am not entirely sure which is the correct water pump kit that I need to order. I would prefer to purchase one that has any and all seals that I should change while I am in there. Any direction that you can give in regards to the right kit would be greatly appreciated. Now on to my second and probably biggest problem... I pulled the boat to my father in laws house which is 2 blocks from my house to detail the boat and do some cosmetic maintenance. I had the stern drive in the trailer position for the trip, but when I walked around to the back of the boat upon arrival, I noticed an oil leak at the location indicated on the picture I have attached. You will be able to see the chunk of aluminum missing and this is where the leak was. It was a very small and slow leak, enough to trail down the lower unit and leave about 10 drops on the concrete. I saw the damage but no leak, when I purchased the boat and asked my local boat center if this was a serious problem and they told me not to worry about it, as it was probably damage done by hitting something in the water. I am starting to second guess the information they gave me and am once again looking to the forum members for help. So I guess my question is this a serious dilemma or possibly a seal/gasket issue that I can repair when I go in to change the water pump and seals. I deploy 15 August and really want to get my boat in the water before I have to lay it up until I return next April. Thank you in advance for any help and advice that you can give me.
