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  1. Rick Stephens

    engine stalls when shifting back on forth a lot

    The cable wears a slot into the housing. This requires periodic replacement.
  2. Rick Stephens

    Rattling/Knocking noise on Mercruiser 3.0 L... Help!!

    If you have a knock you can't use it till you fix it. If you cannot locate it with a stick held against your ear, or a stethoscope, then pulling the drive to remove that moving part is next in line.
  3. Rick Stephens

    Rattling/Knocking noise on Mercruiser 3.0 L... Help!!

    Use a stick or a mechanics stethoscope to isolate where the noise is coming from. Pull the drive, stuff a cutoff hose in the water port on the bellhousing and see if the noise goes away.
  4. Rick Stephens

    1985 Chris Craft Scorpion 168 I/O

    First thing is standard maintenance. Check fuel quality is especially important - do you know how old the fuel in the tank is? Filters, points, condenser change. Set dwell. With the age, getting a baseline condition by checking compression is important. Personally, I'd kit the carb. No, it...
  5. Rick Stephens

    Knowing when to say when on outdrive

    I'd weld that up in an hour.
  6. Rick Stephens

    Carb Recommendations for 5.7L Vortec?

    How about Speedway?
  7. Rick Stephens

    Mercruiser Alpha One Gen II not pumping water

    When I test an impeller I pull the line from the transom off the thermostat housing and fire up the boat on muffs. You should get a good flow within 20 seconds. If the bilge plug is out, just let it run into the bilge and out.
  8. Rick Stephens

    Edelbrock 1409 question...

    Pull it out of the boat and pull it apart on the bench. Get is clean. You filled it with brack.
  9. Rick Stephens

    Engine temp question

    My 4.3 with a 140ƒ thermostat stays nailed to the 150ƒ on my gauge - that said I never calibrated the gauge so it probably is off a little. I always suspect impeller damage when sucking up sand and rocks.
  10. Rick Stephens

    Edelbrock 1409 question...

    Get a gasket and pull it apart. The gasket should be available at your local NAPA. Also, if you read the literature from Edelbrock, they recommend soaking only in Simple Green to preserve the coatings on the carb. If you flush with carb cleaner you will find that nice gold coating washed off.
  11. Rick Stephens

    Carb Recommendations for 5.7L Vortec?

    Once you pick a carb, to get the OEM fuel line you just need to find a year engine using that carburetor that used an electric pump as well. For the 1409 that would include the Weber version of the same carb. That's how I plumbed my V6 and it came out really clean.
  12. Rick Stephens

    new carb new issue

    Unfortunately, when you buy a new carburetor you also need to become an expert in calibrating said carburetor. They are typically far from the mark when they come out of the box. Luckily the 1409 is about the easiest to set up, but you will need to read the entire manual from Edelbrock and...
  13. Rick Stephens

    Impeller Badly Damaged...

    Doesn't look like any pieces large enough to get lodged came off. You might check the oil cooler if it has power steering and the thermostat housing for hung up pieces. Glad you are going through things. Any used boat needs all the maintenance done before trusting it on the water. Unless your...
  14. Rick Stephens

    My boat sank, part II

    Safeco. Of note, I keep the value down, lower than replacement cost now, but at the time I first purchased the policy it was what I had in it. I think it was $115 then. I kept the amounts the same and it went up to $125 this year. Rick
  15. Rick Stephens

    My boat sank, part II

    I was surprised at what full insurance on my '89 cost - around $125 a year with a $500 deductible. I was even able to up the value when I swapped in the V6 and added GPS electric motor to bow.
  16. Rick Stephens

    Knowing when to say when on outdrive

    Get the Merc Service Manual for the drive. And do what Mike said.
  17. Rick Stephens

    Alpha one gen one on gen 2 gimbal housing

    Internal transom plate is the same - so you can keep your power steering.
  18. Rick Stephens

    Mercruiser 470 Coolant Loss and Milkshake Oil

    The inner seal goes on the water pump - where does the coolant go?
  19. Rick Stephens

    1992 Mercruiser 4.3 w/ balance shaft and 1 piece rear main seal swap to newer year Vortec.

    Scott's right over the target. Absolutely no gain swapping to a different block.
  20. Rick Stephens

    mercruiser 898, won't run (or will barely run), at wit's end

    Need baseline compression test.
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