Sitting for 5 Years what needs to be done?

acdc96

Chief Petty Officer
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Apr 23, 2013
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412
I have a Celebrity 210v with a 1986 MerCruiser 260HP V8 Alpha One engine, It's been sitting for 5 Years, but is currently running beautifully and has no problems at the moment, (knock Wood). what needs to be replaced or repaired? I'm a DIY guy and don't plan on taking it to a mechanic!
 

carribbean soul

Petty Officer 2nd Class
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Mar 19, 2012
Messages
176
Re: Sitting for 5 Years what needs to be done?

inspections. make sure the outdrive boots are serviceable, grease all the fittings, change the impeller out in the drive, what condition is the fuel in? refresh it, change the filters gas and oil. then run the **** out of it, you've got lost time to make up.
 

acdc96

Chief Petty Officer
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Apr 23, 2013
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412
Re: Sitting for 5 Years what needs to be done?

thanks.
I already changed the fluids and deciding whether to replace the impeller because it pumps water perfectly. currently draining the tank, 20-30 gallons of 5 year old gasoline and using it in small engines takes a long time with a hand pump and two 6 gallon tanks, at least it was stabilized when put away but still bad gas.
 

tazrig

Lieutenant Commander
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Dec 20, 2012
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1,752
Re: Sitting for 5 Years what needs to be done?

thanks.
I already changed the fluids and deciding whether to replace the impeller because it pumps water perfectly. currently draining the tank, 20-30 gallons of 5 year old gasoline and using it in small engines takes a long time with a hand pump and two 6 gallon tanks, at least it was stabilized when put away but still bad gas.

Your drive impeller needs to be changed now and every 2 years going forward regardless of how much you use the boat. As the rubber degrades you run the risk of pieces of it or the whole thing disintegrating causing a sudden overheat situation as well as pieces of it getting stuck up in the block and thermostat housing. (a pain in the a** to track down and clean out) Also, even though it appears to be
pumping fine now at idle it may not under load when the demand for water is at its highest. I would also replace the plugs, distributer cap and rotar. (should be replaced annually for best most reliable service) Check the plug wires and fan belts for dry rot and wear and replace if needed. How are the shift cables? Does the drive shift in and out of gear smoothly? If not adjust or replace the upper shift cable. If you find the boat stalls when shifting once you put it in the water and it is running under load you may need to replace the lower shift cable as well. Check the power steering ram. After 5 years of sitting it may well be gooked up and need to be cleaned. Off the top of my head thats where I'd start in addition to the drive stuff mentioned above.
 

acdc96

Chief Petty Officer
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Apr 23, 2013
Messages
412
Re: Sitting for 5 Years what needs to be done?

Thanks.
I ordered a Impeller for it.
Everything seems to check out fine goes into and out of gear smoothly. I replaced the Plugs and that's all I'm doing to the ignition because everything operates as it should. The power steering is clean and well lubricated. The belts are fine. The only thing wrong is the trim and tilt pump is not working at all. its getting power and is clean and has plenty of fluid but does nothing. The drive is fully down and the lines are free of air. I've heard people say its the solenoid. all i know is that when i hit the switch for up, down, or trailer it just clicks and does nothing. The Battery is brand new. I put a picture of the engine up. (this is not a picture off the internet this is my engine)
0707011604.jpg
 

tazrig

Lieutenant Commander
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Dec 20, 2012
Messages
1,752
Re: Sitting for 5 Years what needs to be done?

Trim pumps themselves rarely go bad. Sounds like there is power going from the battery to the switch and back to the pump. You might try checking the connections on the solenoid (disconnect the battery first!) to make sure they are all clean and the wires aren't corroded. If that isn't the problem try detaching the pump from the reservoir and seeing if you can manually spin the motors impeller. (sometimes little things can get in there and jam it. If it spins freely then try jumping it directly to the battery. If it works it's most likely the solenoid based on it clicking but not fully working. If the pump doesn't go off the battery directly then it's your pump or the wires going into the pump. Hopefully its just dirty terminals on the solenoid or the solenoid it self.
 

surferguy001

Seaman
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Feb 12, 2010
Messages
70
Re: Sitting for 5 Years what needs to be done?

thanks.
I already changed the fluids and deciding whether to replace the impeller because it pumps water perfectly. currently draining the tank, 20-30 gallons of 5 year old gasoline and using it in small engines takes a long time with a hand pump and two 6 gallon tanks, at least it was stabilized when put away but still bad gas.

Don't mean to hijack but I am kind of in the same situation. My boat has not ran in 5 years, but unlike you I do not know if the previous owner used stabilizer. Would I need to take extra steps because of that? Sorry for interjecting!
 

acdc96

Chief Petty Officer
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Apr 23, 2013
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Re: Sitting for 5 Years what needs to be done?

You need two things...
1. A Hand Pump or Electric fuel Pump
2. A lot of Gas Cans
Depending on the size of the tank and how full it is you need to get the fuel out because the fuel has separated and now is fuel and water due to the ethanol is the gas. Fuel Stabilizer only last's about Two years (at least the one i use) and adding fuel stabilizer now is a waste of money because it cant be returned to regular gas. The gas in your tank you can use in a lawn mower, snow blower, weed wacker, etc. I strongly advise you not to use it in a car it will cost you a lot of money.
My boat was neglected due to medical Issues and a bad starter.
 

surferguy001

Seaman
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Feb 12, 2010
Messages
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Re: Sitting for 5 Years what needs to be done?

You need two things...
1. A Hand Pump or Electric fuel Pump
2. A lot of Gas Cans
Depending on the size of the tank and how full it is you need to get the fuel out because the fuel has separated and now is fuel and water due to the ethanol is the gas. Fuel Stabilizer only last's about Two years (at least the one i use) and adding fuel stabilizer now is a waste of money because it cant be returned to regular gas. The gas in your tank you can use in a lawn mower, snow blower, weed wacker, etc. I strongly advise you not to use it in a car it will cost you a lot of money.
My boat was neglected due to medical Issues and a bad starter.

Its big, just under 100 gallons. I haven't opened it up but it sounds pretty low. Any need to worry about corrosion? Thanks!
 

littlebookworm

Chief Petty Officer
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Nov 30, 2007
Messages
574
Re: Sitting for 5 Years what needs to be done?

I suggest you disconnect the lift arms from the drive by removing the two lock nuts and the center shaft. Then, put a long screwdriver through the end of each piston and try rotating each sideways. The pistons may be frozen in the cylinders. If they now turn, try working the switches to raise and lower the pistons. if they now work, reconnect everything and go from there. Keep an eye on the fluid over the next few weeks for any leakage in or out of the pistons. That would require either a rebuild or replacement of the pistons. If the pistons still don't work after you've freed them, the relays may be stuck or burnt. They're simple to replace. Hy
 

acdc96

Chief Petty Officer
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Apr 23, 2013
Messages
412
Re: Sitting for 5 Years what needs to be done?

surferguy001 it's a guessing game.
Depends on where you live. I live right on the coast so I'm prone to corrosion. Check the fuel gauge on your boat and see what it says wont hurt depending on where the needle is you can calculate how much gas you got. Does your engine turn over? When i replaced the starter i made sure the engine turn over and their was no serious flaws with it. when the stater was put in I hooked up the water and turned the key and with a few pump's of the throttle it started and smoke out the neighborhood b/c of the fogging oil. It ran great on 5 year old gas. plus, my has a Fuel-Water Separator and a Fuel Filter after that so the gas was some what cleaner. Check the tank fittings their probably brass and they are good indicators of corrosion. I doubt you have to worry to much about corrosion but it's the sediment build up in the tank.

pump some fuel out of the tank and put in a glass and look at the quality of it.
look for...
Milky color: water in gas
chunks floating around
little fine particles: dirt/contaminants

Sound's like you have a decent sized boat.
Mine's a 21ft cuddy cabin. And my tank is 40 gallon's
 

Speakrdude

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Joined
Feb 25, 2004
Messages
942
Re: Sitting for 5 Years what needs to be done?

Just a quick note about gas disposal.
Here in the US, we like to dispose of old gas properly and safely.
If you will contact your county waste management dept, they (almost always) offer a hazardous chemical drop off. (Free!)
I visit my county agents so much, they trade me blue 55 gallon drums when I come to drop one off.

Put an empty 55 gallon drum on a pallet in the back of your pickup. Start filling with 5 gallon gas cans or pumping straight in.
Deliver to fuel depot. They will lift out with a fork lift. Done!
 

achris

More fish than mountain goat
Joined
May 19, 2004
Messages
27,468
Re: Sitting for 5 Years what needs to be done?

If fuel is more than 12 months old, get rid of it... Old/stale fuel can destroy an engine in very short order. The lighter elements evaporate off and reduce the octane rating of the fuel, leading to detonation. You should also clean all the fuel lines, replace the filters and strip and clean the carburetor and fuel pump....

Chris......
 

britisher

Petty Officer 1st Class
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Feb 23, 2012
Messages
369
Re: Sitting for 5 Years what needs to be done?

On the trim issue, I'm with Little book worm. I refurb'd my SR180BR last year and that hadn't gone anywhere for 2yrs+. My boat guy had to do a lot of jiggling with the screwdriver to free up the pistons in the rams. They now work OK, but as my fluid is milky I guess they are leaking a little. As they are the original rams, I'll buy new SEI ones as it's cheaper than repairing. I'd also check the bellows on the transom. As has been said earlier, rubber does go hard and disintegrate. How has the boat been stored (indoors/outdoors?)
 

tazrig

Lieutenant Commander
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Dec 20, 2012
Messages
1,752
Re: Sitting for 5 Years what needs to be done?

On the trim issue, I'm with Little book worm. I refurb'd my SR180BR last year and that hadn't gone anywhere for 2yrs+. My boat guy had to do a lot of jiggling with the screwdriver to free up the pistons in the rams. They now work OK, but as my fluid is milky I guess they are leaking a little. As they are the original rams, I'll buy new SEI ones as it's cheaper than repairing. I'd also check the bellows on the transom. As has been said earlier, rubber does go hard and disintegrate. How has the boat been stored (indoors/outdoors?)


Before you go through the expense of replacing the pistons are you sure they are the leak. It could be coming from a hose with a leak in the hose or where it connects to the piston or it could be coming from a bad connection where the motor sits on the reservoir. You can suction out the milky oil from the reservoir and replace it with new oil, run the drive up and down a few times to mix the good oil with the bad. Repeat this step a few times until the oil is all or mostly good then check for leaks in the places I mentioned.
 

acdc96

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Apr 23, 2013
Messages
412
Re: Sitting for 5 Years what needs to be done?

How would I hook the battery directly to the trim pump?(bypassing the solenoids)
And how should I take off the the rams if the pump works but the rams don't move?
 

achris

More fish than mountain goat
Joined
May 19, 2004
Messages
27,468
Re: Sitting for 5 Years what needs to be done?

Pump has 3 big wires. A black one (connect to battery negative). A blue one (if you connect this one to the battery positive, the pump will run in the UP direction). A green one (if you connect this one to the battery positive, the pump will run in the DOWN direction). NEVER connect both the blue and the green at the same time....

To remove the rams, disconnect the 2 hoses going to each. Then undo the nuts on the anchor pins for and aft. Slide the rams off sideways....

Chris......
 

slag

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Jul 17, 2009
Messages
471
Re: Sitting for 5 Years what needs to be done?

I wouldn't suggest putting old boat fuel in your weedwacker or lawn mower. Those small carbs are easier to goober up with stale fuel that potentially has water in it. Just dispose of it according to your local laws. And I go by the 4 year rotation on the water pump impeller but then again, my boating season is generally May through September and I don't remove the outdrive every year, only every other year.
 
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