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  1. Rick Stephens

    SEI vs. Quicksilver Transom Assembly

    Get a used one. I don't think I would go with SEI anyway. Their paint is really fragile. Not so big a deal with a removable component, but a transom is anything but easy to remove and repaint.
  2. Rick Stephens

    Milky oil Mercruier 3.0 / how to pressure test engine ?

    You can also pull the elbow and make a block off plate to cover the surface on the manifold and test it at the same time. Use a piece of rubber and some sealant.
  3. Rick Stephens

    Ran motor (in driveway) without oil in lower unit?

    Cutting the head off should do it. Being a welder, my first thought when having a broken bolt or having cut a bolt off is to weld a nut to the stub then hit it with an impact. The weld process expands the frozen bolt crushing and usually freeing up the corrosion that is making it stick. Also...
  4. Rick Stephens

    Mercruiser 5.7l

    http://outdriveshop.com/mercruisermanuals.html
  5. Rick Stephens

    One click and lose power

    Sounds like a dirty connection to me. If in doubt, pull them apart and wire brush until shiny.
  6. Rick Stephens

    Engine dies going R to N

    Something is wrong, most likely with lower shift cable. One great test is to pull the lower cable connection off the linkage at the motor and shift it by hand. It should be butter smooth and take almost no pressure to move.
  7. Rick Stephens

    Ran motor (in driveway) without oil in lower unit?

    I would recommend always take the entire drive off and split them on your bench. Easy to make a holder that the drive slips into with a couple boards or a slot in a piece of plywood - the drive sitting on the cavitation plates. Hard part is putting the drive back on when lifting it and getting...
  8. Rick Stephens

    Water when pulling stern drive

    You need the correct Mercruiser manual to service your own drive. This screenshot is for a Gen2 Alpha. Here's a screenshot.
  9. Rick Stephens

    Water when pulling stern drive

    Usually when the bellows are running with a bunch of water in it, the grease around the u-joints and gimbal bearing get mixed thoroughly with the water turning into a nasty slurry. If all you saw was a bit of water, then yeah, you probably had a little leak in the shifter pocket, from shift...
  10. Rick Stephens

    Water when pulling stern drive

    That big o-ring does nothing unless there is also a leak from the bellhousing gasket, shift shaft seals or water passage oring. It prevents water from those sources from getting into the bellows. When you say water immediately poured out, was the bellows full of water?
  11. Rick Stephens

    Bad 1970 Mercruiser Engine, Please tell me there is still hope.

    I bought a relatively old boat that had pretty good wood underneath the fiberglass and was powered with an I4. I got the bug and went looking for a rotted out hulk with a V6 and newer outdrive. Ended up way out ahead and had a blast learning and doing the work. I own a sh!tload of tools since I...
  12. Rick Stephens

    what went wrong with my outdrive?

    All that aluminum oxide has to come off. If you have access to a big enough air compressor, an inexpensive sand blaster would be about the only way I can think of to get into the pits and porosities of the metal and get it clean.
  13. Rick Stephens

    Bravo 3 gear lube change gone wrong

    Highly unlikely that you damaged seals.
  14. Rick Stephens

    Air Don't Freeze Winterization

    That's it. Everyone has to go with closed cooling NOW. No more messing around.
  15. Rick Stephens

    Only 4400 rpms on V6 4.3 2005 19P 3blades

    Used to pull a lot of boards around. I prop'd down a couple inches and stuck a Solas 4 blade on. I have a 1:81 drive, and my boat is smaller, so numbers aren't matchable. I'd recommend similar, drop 2 inches and go with a 4 blade for pulling toys. Never notice a difference at cruise other than...
  16. Rick Stephens

    Winterizing time

    On a merc, once you have pulled the drive - which I do every winter and place on a stand - you can blow any water out the bellhousing end by using a rag and an air hose at the the thermostat end of the inlet hose connection.
  17. Rick Stephens

    Winterizing time

    I'd like to see a better picture of the engine compartment. Actually see what you are describing. Rick
  18. Rick Stephens

    Winterizing time

    The block drains are always directly opposed and identical location, port and starboard sides. They are tucked up in there, that's for sure. I cut my 'in' water line right at the oil cooler and added a plastic drain so I wouldn't have to pull line off the cooler. It is a tough reach even in a...
  19. Rick Stephens

    Fluid Changes for Winterizing, Do I Need to?

    I had the same horrid boating year as you. I am not changing motor or drive fluids.
  20. Rick Stephens

    Wrong New Prop Or What?

    I will give this one last shot. If you are interested in learning how a motor works, ask questions. However, blurting out conclusions that are not based on reality, like how carburetors work, makes everyone believe you just want to hear yourself talk. The level of ignorance right there is just...
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