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    Winterizing

    Lots of po' (poor) folks here in the forums who make their dollars & cents count by doing it the right way in not cutting corners from learning from the right people on this forum. Also by not taking youtube tutorial videos as gospel when they might contain dangerous mistakes. The only thing a...
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    1997 Mercury 150XL - compression.

    That piston crown around the edges looks more like heat damage around it than piston & ring material compacted. Unless there is some other factors identified in fully disassembling the motor, that looks like pre-ignition/detonation damage by the amount of cratering on top of the piston crown...
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    1997 Mercury 150XL - compression.

    Do not throw away anything damaged or attempt to clean up the cylinder until a complete evaluation of the cause of the piston failure has occurred. Post pictures of the damaged piston and damaged cylinder when powerhead is disassembled. People will also want to see pictures of the connecting...
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    convert a cuddy from sterndrive to outboard?

    For a lot of time and money you could but why? Unless boats in sea worthy shape of the type you prefer are few on the market that are affordable, I would say no thanks and cut your losses. Cost of materials in the last two years for fiberglass repair have made it even less desirable to fix up...
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    Best method for tilt tube removal, VJ90TLASB

    Yeah, I'm aware of that video. My question is what is the best tool to use to drive out the tube without destroying it. The problem about that video, at 4:58 he is not re-using his tilt tube so he has no issue damaging the end of the threads as long as it doesn't get stuck. That's a $200...
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    Best method for tilt tube removal, VJ90TLASB

    For 1990 VJ90TLASB What is the best method for pulling the tilt tube out that houses the steering cable so I can replace the bushings? The factory service manual doesn't cover what techniques are best to pull it out. Is there an OEM or aftermarket puller/tool that is best? I've thought about...
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    Low Ignition Voltage

    Leak down test would be in order likely. That's going to tell you for sure how much power is escaping at TDC when combustion occurs. Compression gives you an idea, leak down gives you the cold hard facts. I'm going to guess you have 20% or more leakage on the gauge in at least one cylinder...
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    1992 Evinrude 150 Oceanpro

    Really should buy a decent quality one if you plan on working engines especially outboard often. $50 from most places in the US will get you a decent one. Compression and spark gap tester are two key tools even weekend DIYrs need to have.
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    Winterizing my enclosed 3.0L merc in my 192 discovery

    AF test is anti-freeze test (the toxic type) to determine the quality of the coolant to resist freezing on boats using a closed cooling system. If it fails that test and is not resolved before the first hard freeze, you will be replacing that engine due to freeze damage.
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    First time winterizing my boat myself.

    It very likely has power steering cooler in line on the intake raw water cooling hose. Make 100% sure the water hose with the lowest point on the cooler is disconnected and drained the water. Make a paper checklist and check each item off so you don't miss a step on the draining process.
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    1993 Wellcraft Eclipse196S Rebuild

    I think you got that backwards, what is all that gap at the back at the bilge. If possible, always leave some wiggle room for the tank. Not a lot but least 1/2" or more. On the positive side, your tank has 2x4 support grooves on the top, that will make re-installation super easy. When you...
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    alpha 1 Gen 2 sterndrive broken lower drive shaft

    There must be some activity being done that is abruptly increasing or slowing RPM against the prop shaft load. Do you aggressively shift from forward into reverse or vice versa while still in motion too quickly in no wake areas and goose the engine to correct maneuvering mistakes? On a heavy...
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    where to junk a boat in SoCal

    Brandon's Garage covers this in depth for the state of California. In short, California makes it a nightmare to dispose of boats. Do your own homework disclaimer. Here is the Youtube link, was G rated at the time of viewing a few weeks ago.
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    Broken head bolt. Evinrude 150 E150EXERV.

    If it's an aluminum block you can weld a nut on the bolt and see if you can work it out. Otherwise if that fails after several tries, then drilling it out to the correct depth and putting in a time-sert to repair threads.
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    Carburetor tuning on muffs

    Remember, in water testing means verifying in gear and boat is not restrained/tied down.
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    115 mercury carb problems

    Yeah, that's never a good sign. Boats in storage for longer than 1 year is hard on equipment. Life happens but so does bug invasions. If it doesn't move it must be part of the land and thus an invitation for them to move in. Try starting any modern automobile with +2 year old E10 gas in the...
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    Yamaha to Mercruiser 3.0 engine components swap

    Go for the Gen 2 version unless the only donor boats around are Gen 1. Especially if its the 1990 or newer one piece rear main seal 3.0 Transom assembly Bell housing assembly. Coupler if not present/bad Front motor mount Wiring Harness for engine and to boat wiring harness. Intake/Exhaust...
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    '67 Holiday 18' - Make it Usable

    That's how sales and marketing stay employed. Make what they offer now appear to be the best and that you would be crazy to not buy now but instead keep your old version. Never mind that worry about being enslaved to 5 years of debt. Apple iPhones I would say are the best common example of...
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    Engine sneezes on start, runs for a few on idle, then shuts off

    A two stroke carb'd outboard motor is much like a multi-seat bicycle. If one person goes without enough water and food and the others get what they need, the motor may run for a while but eventually the person collaspes and the whole thing grinds to a halt. It doesn't matter if 3 out of 4...
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    Merc 4.3

    I'm curious where the reason behind that question came from? Friends, family, Youtube, Facebook, Twitter? Was it someone who attempted to work on them but didn't know what they were doing or someone just frustrated because they got a bad hand dealt to them on a lemon boat. I think iBoats...
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