All sorts of questions! 86 Merc 350 w/thunder bolt IV

NIKDS350

Banned
Joined
Jan 4, 2010
Messages
8
First off hello, and thanks for stopping in! I am a newbie on this forum, and to boating ingeneral. However I know how forums work so please bear with me. I have been on here for hours searching for answers and learing alot! but, I still have many questions for somethings I could not find using the search. Or maybe I did not look long enough but its getting late and im running out of time, and summer! anyway on to the questions.

1. Setting timing on my boat. It is an 86 four winns 210 santara (21' open bow) with a 350 in it with a rochester quadrajet and a thunder bolt IV igintion. How do I set the timing? I know how to time a 350 but this thunderbolt is making me nervous. Is it I just set base timing and it takes over? I read something about putting 12+ to some point on the distrubutor to set the timing? No idea. Any help would be great!:confused:

More about my project for curious minds. I bought the boat cheap as a winter project and, as im sure you all know it got expensive thus why I have still yet to get it on the water. The motor is all new, 350 bored .020 over etc etc the whole bottom end is brand new. Heads milled and rebuilt, and the carb cleaned and adjusted. Also, I did not cut corners on parts. Its all new plugs, cap, wires, rotor, distributor pickup (hall effect I believe, not points) coil the whole shabang. I did change the gimble bearing and properly aligned the motor. Changed bellows, water pump (boat has alpha one out drive), water pickup hose etc etc. The shift cable shifts fine (so I believe, have yet to fire this thing) along with the throttle cable. FYI this boat had not been ran for 2 years before I got it. Guy had water leak into #2 cylinder and he bent the rod. Thus why the whole short block is new.

2. Does any one have the wiring diagram for this specific year of style boat? would like to double check and make sure I have the whole thing wired correctly, atleast the top of the motor. distributor, safety switches etc.

3. How do I get the gear oil in the out drive? do I really have to pump it up through? and how much does it hold?Figured this out:rolleyes:

4. How exactly doea that water pump in the out drive work? I cannot seem to remember anything in there attached to that little rubber impeller that would make it turn? it just slid down over the shaft? (though about that one the other day while driving) Just curious on how it works.

5. My trim pump is not working. The solenoids click and put power across them but nothing. Where could I find a new pump for cheap? or is there a test or something I could do to salvage this pump? has SAE J1171 printed on it. Also figured this one out as well. Pump sat so long the four brushes inside corroded on the wheel and just did nothing. Cleaned up the wheel inside the motor and now it runs like a champ!

um.... thats all I can really think of right now.....Im sure there will be more. Thanks for looking! Any help would be most appreciated!!!
Thank you and good night.
 

FreeBeeTony

Captain
Joined
May 15, 2002
Messages
3,991
Re: All sorts of questions! 86 Merc 350 w/thunder bolt IV

1. On a TBIV ignition, all that is required is to set the base timing........

4. There should have been a key that slid between the shaft and the impeller.
 

Don S

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
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Aug 31, 2004
Messages
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Re: All sorts of questions! 86 Merc 350 w/thunder bolt IV

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swampy2646

Seaman
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Sep 19, 2009
Messages
67
Re: All sorts of questions! 86 Merc 350 w/thunder bolt IV

pretty sure timing is set @ 8 btdc,

EDIT: Please use Private Messages for buying and selling, it's not allowed on the forums.
 
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NIKDS350

Banned
Joined
Jan 4, 2010
Messages
8
Re: All sorts of questions! 86 Merc 350 w/thunder bolt IV

1. On a TBIV ignition, all that is required is to set the base timing........

4. There should have been a key that slid between the shaft and the impeller.

Thank you! that key I saw it fell out when I was working on it and of course I failed to put it back in, so thank you sir! you just saved me alot of coin for sure!!!
 
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