Recent content by sec56

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    2011 15hp HO Evinrude

    So I had a water issue in my gas causing both my 200hp Optimax and the above Evinrude to have problems. I've drained my forward gas tank (32-gallons) and put fresh gas in it with fuel stabilizer. The Optimax ran fine. The 15hp Evinrude ran fine too, until it got warmed up, at which time it...
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    2005 200hp Mercury Optimax Water in Gas

    6-gallon tank was just for test running here in the driveway. Forward 32-gallon tank has fresh gas a stabilizer in it. Ran it today in Lake St. Clair. No alarms or issues with the 200hp Optimax. But the Evinrude was giving me a problem shortly after it got warmed up. But that's a new post...
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    2005 200hp Mercury Optimax Water in Gas

    Update, my Evinrude/Johnson 6-gallon tank leaks fuel at the connection point, with or without a hose attached. At this time, since parts for this tank (fuel gauge) are no longer available, it's junk. So I bought a used plastic outboard 6.6-gallon fuel tank. Although it was dry inside, I had...
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    2005 200hp Mercury Optimax Water in Gas

    Dingbat, as stated above, I had added isopropanol alcohol (ISO-HEET) to my gas. There is no visible sign of water in the bottom of the bowl on my water separator, no cloudiness either. No sign of water when I drain gas into a glass container. The filter is 10 microns. Should the WIF sensor...
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    2005 200hp Mercury Optimax Water in Gas

    I found today that even though water mixed in isopropanol alcohol, Mercury's WIF sensor can still sense the water in the mixture even though it's not visible in the bowl of my fuel/water separator. So, it looks like an upcoming tank drain (2 tanks) of approximately 80 gallons. I'll run it...
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    2005 200hp Mercury Optimax Water in Gas

    MUC, my Optimax is direct fuel injection, so except for blow by past the rings, I don't know if there is any effect to internal moving lubricated parts from the chemical additives. I don't normally use additional chemicals other than what Mercury Marine recommends. I may use Stabil Marine fuel...
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    2005 200hp Mercury Optimax Water in Gas

    I did install 10-micron separator with a site bowl. No signs of water in the bowl and the gas is not cloudy either. The fuel I've drained is running fine in my other gas engines with no problems. This is my first Mercury and I'm not sure how much fussier the Optimax is. I did drain the vapor...
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    2005 200hp Mercury Optimax Water in Gas

    I've been boating for 40+ years. All the outboards I've had were either Johnson or Evinrude. My last outboard was 1999 175hp Evinrude (fitch version). After several years the Evinrude quit and after a long discussion with different dealers, I decided on Mercury Outboards. The biggest problem...
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    Propeller Interchangeability

    If needed, my boat is aluminum, weighs in empty at 2300lbs, carries a maximum of 83 gallons of gas (2 tanks), approximately 600lbs for passengers, and probably another 500 to 600lbs in gear. Boat length is recorded as 23' 4" and has 102" beam. The Mirage prop is 15 1/4 x 19.
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    Propeller Interchangeability

    In an article I read, the Tempest Plus props are cupped. Although my Mirage prop looks like it may be slightly cupped too, but I'm not totally sure. I ran into the cupped problem with the Evinrude that used to be on my boat. The cupping cost me rpms and was aluminum. I bought a used...
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    Propeller Interchangeability

    I had to replace my 1999 175hp Evinrude with a 2005 200hp (3.0l) Mercury Optimax. The company which rebuilt the Optimax sold me a 15 x 19 prop with the Flo-Torq hub. They also told me my 15 spline prop from my Evinrude would fit the Optimax, so I kept the prop from my Evinrude for a spare. The...
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    Installing new VHF Marine Radio

    Thanks for your response. Since my original radio seemed to work good, I figured the new one would probably be fine. I just didn't know if due to other added features in the new radio compared to the old radio if this distance was critical or not.
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    What to do here...

    I don't know if you've looked at Amazon, but you can buy both male and female wire connectors and the plastic housings in numerous pin configurations. I have to get both male and female connectors for my 200hp Mercury Opti-Max due to corrosion on these connectors/terminals. Female terminals...
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    Installing new VHF Marine Radio

    In the installation directions, it states that there should be at least 3 feet between the transceiver and the antenna. What happens if the distance between the transceiver and antenna is about 18 inches, which is the approximate distance between the old VHF radio and the existing antenna. It...
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    200hp Mercury Opti-max

    I generally look at the bad reviews to see what kind of problems have been experienced by others although some of those are not wholly truthful. So far, the engine ran great last season, and hopefully will continue to do so.
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