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    How to put oil in outdrive with external reservoir?

    Last summer I put an external oil reservoir on my pre-alpha outdrive. It uses a fitting that goes into the vent hole on the top of the drive, and a hose that goes through the transom into the engine compartment. I drained the oil when I pulled the outdrive to grease the u-joints. I've...
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    Insurance Company Recommendations for '74 Glasply?

    I'm going to try to get full comprehensive insurance for my boat. I'd prefer something that covers mechanical breakage if possible. Progressive doesn't seem to have that as part of the policy. Any recommendations for a company that will include coverage of mechanical problems on a boat this old...
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    Pre-Alpha Water Intake Hose Replacement--Pull Bell Housing or No?

    '72 Mercruiser 140 with Pre-Alpha. Usually trailered, and run only in fresh water. I pulled the outdrive today in order to lube the u-joints, and found that the bellows are in very good shape. No leakage, and replaced around a year and a half ago. Unfortunately, the water intake hose has a...
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    What's different about marine circulation water pumps (Mercruiser 3.0)

    I got my boat out of storage today (Mercruiser 140 3.0) and when I turned the engine over by hand, there was a nasty grinding sound. It turned out to be the water pump bearings. I pulled it and it was riddled with rust. I know there's no antifreeze in these cooling systems so the pumps will...
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    Gluing carpet down--Does it go in the channels or on top of them??

    I have a '72 Glassply which had textured vinyl flooring, which I'm replacing with carpet. The flooring was no longer glued down and had shrunk a lot, so I don't know exactly how it was originally glued in. There are channels along the edges of the floor, which I assume are for excess water to...
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    Pylon for I/O--anything that mounts to transom?

    I have a '71 I/O with a 140 Merc. It has a very large engine cover with seats on both sides, leaving little room for supports. I'd like to install a higher mount for water skiing and wakeboarding, but I don't want to go all the way to a tower. I've seen pictures of pylons which mount to the top...
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    Pre-Alpha water inlet hose leaks. Advice on replacement/routing?

    This is regarding a '74 Mercruiser 140 with Pre-Alpha outdrive. I've got a slow drip coming out of the water inlet hose on the outdrive and I plan to replace it soon. I'm wondering what happened to it. It appears to be pierced in two places. I noticed that if I push the outdrive all the way to...
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    Thanks for the help!

    Great advice given here. It's even better when you actually listen to what's said, instead of trying to look for the answer you're after. So after replacing the head, JB welding the block, and putting on a brand new new manifold and riser, my 3.0 Mercruiser is running. I haven't put it in the...
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    Boat wrecking yards in Seattle area? Need a mainfold.

    The manifold on my '74 GM 3.0 has rusted through and needs to be replaced. I'm here in the middle of nowhere, but I'll be driving to Seattle this afternoon to take my wife to the airport. Are there any places in the Seattle area where a person might pick up a manifold and riser for this engine...
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    Block Crack JB Weld Repair Tips--What Worked For Me.

    I just finished filling a freeze crack on my GM 3.0 block. The crack was under the manifold, above the freeze plugs. Apparently, that's the usual place. I can offer the following tips: 1) Identify all cracks. Mark where they are located. Draw a picture of the cracks on a piece of paper so...
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    Hi-temp block sealant or standard? How hot does a block get?

    Fastenal carries a product called "Lab Metal" which they say adheres better than JB Weld and has better flexibility. I'm planning on trying it on my cracked 3.0 block. I'm wondering whether to use the high temp or the standard. The standard is rated to 350 degrees and needs no heat to cure. The...
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    Minor leak under front head freeze plug. Suggestions?

    '74 Mercruiser 140. I didn't winterize properly and the block froze. So far I've replaced the freeze plugs and the head, which had a crack in the intake. I've torqued the new head and pressurized the water jacket. I get some leakage from a crack in the usual place, under the manifold and above...
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    Rocker Adjust--Paranoid Questions

    '74 140HP Mercruiser. I'm installing a new head, and this is my first time adjusting the valves on this engine. I'm used to rockers with a bolt and a locknut which contact the valve stem, so this is strange to me. I've been looking at the Seloc manual and it's kind of confusing. What I've...
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    Anyone else have trouble with Sierra rocker cover gasket?

    I just tried to install a Sierra 18-0347 rocker cover gasket on my Mercruiser 140 and the curves around the head bolts are cut too sharp. I currently have it clamped with everything where it should be, but it was a major pain to get everything in place and I'm not sure it's going to stay there...
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    Putting on used head. Should I lap the valves in?

    I just received a used Ebay head for my 3.0 Mercruiser 140. The head came off of a running motor and the combustion chambers all look good. The seats and valve faces are in pretty good shape, but show some discoloration in places. I have the keepers and springs off so I can replace the stem...
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    Head interchangeability--what works on a '72 Mercruiser 140?

    Correction--a '74. I got the date wrong. I posted earlier about failing to winterize properly and freezing the water in the block. I've done the pressure test on the water jacket. Seems like the rear welch plugs are ok, because I can pressurize the block and there's decent back pressure...
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    Froze the block--what to check now?

    This is in reference to a Mercruiser 140, early '70s vintage. I'm new to this, and I'm learning. Learned a big one today. I thought I had drained the water from the entire system by pulling the water hoses on the outdrive, but it appears that I didn't drain the block. We had a two month hard...
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    Sierra replacement for Pre-Alpha water pump: base doesn't fit!!

    The impeller on my Pre-Alpha outdrive had two bent blades and some cracking, so I replaced it. I decided to replace the whole pump with a Sierra unit. Everything matched up, with one exception--the circular extension on the pump base is around 1mm wider in diameter than the original. I'm not...
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    Bleeding Pre-alpha rams.

    My pre-alpha outdrive blew a hose. I've replaced it and purged the system. Now, I'm wondering how to bleed it. The system has no limit switches, so I go by the sound the pump makes. The up circuit was easy to bleed, as the weight of the outdrive puts downward pressure on the extended rams. Is it...
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    '57 Lark has no reverse. Locks in, spins, doesn't go.

    I've been using a '57 Evinrude Lark outboard on a Glasspar G3. The linkages are fine, and it locks into reverse well, but when I throttle up I end up sitting in a cloud of exhaust gas and not going anywhere. Any idea what might cause this? thanks
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