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  1. harringtondav

    Battery discharge. ...normal?

    Thanks. My sensor is a separate, small device wired to the pump. But .25A/day (10mA) is probably in the ball park. Per above I'm seeing 3A constant draw to drain a 1000A battery in 14 days. I'll measure actual draw from the radio and bilge sensor once the boat is out of storage.
  2. harringtondav

    Shimming Bearing Cover DP-SM / SX-M

    I converted from Merc Alpha II to VP SX-D recently. I haven't had the hood up yet, but have a good idea of VP's shimming/preload intent. I assume items #2 below are what you need to dial in to get correct preload/clearance between the upper shaft and cover. (?) ...guessing it is a slight...
  3. harringtondav

    Battery discharge. ...normal?

    I contacted Regal service. He didn't know the amount of standby voltage draw, but sent me a copy of a service bulletin about the Fusion radio malfunctioning during main power disconnect. He said this issue had been associated to excess voltage draw. Easy fix if I can get the dealer to do it...
  4. harringtondav

    Polishing or paint

    Apparently. I see several here are good at 1500 grit and go for the compounds. You get as much out of the process as you put into it. I always gave my boat an annual gel coat a spruce up. By looking down the finish at a very shallow angle I could see the difference between just polishing...
  5. harringtondav

    Polishing or paint

    Yes. Get a dual action/random orbit 6" sander. Use wet discs. You can find fine grit discs. For your boat I'd start at 1500 grit and work your way up about 300 grit/pass to around 2500. Finish hand sand with Meguiars Unigrit 3000 wet. Then put a foam polishing head on the sander and finish with...
  6. harringtondav

    Thoughts on Sierra carb rebuild kits

    ...afterthought once I slept on it. My 4.3LX carb was a Weber/Edelbrock 4BBL. Merc OEM wasn't OEM, but much pricier. I rebuilt my pal's 350 mag carb and mine with the same Sierra kit. Merc doesn't make seals and bearings either. They just put their label and price tag on them. Bearings are...
  7. harringtondav

    Thoughts on Sierra carb rebuild kits

    I like Sierra. ....sounds like heresy as a past Merc disciple. I've never had a problem with their Merc parts, including carb kits. I've used their Alpha II lower unit seal kits, shim kits, prop shaft pinion needle bearings and gimbal bearings (same Torrington and Link Belt parts). Also Sierra...
  8. harringtondav

    Removing caliper bolts

    It gets worse than that. Japanese bikes are build to JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard). Metric is metric. But their Phillips head screws aren't Phillips. They're JIS. I learned this after gumming out some with a Phillips driver. After drilling these out I replaced the first bike's and current...
  9. harringtondav

    Removing caliper bolts

    Also, assuming your disc brakes are similar to automotive, don't over tighten the caliper bolts. The caliper mounting bracket takes the brake load from the pads. The bolts are more like guide pins for the caliper. About 35 ft/lb is all that's needed. Tight, but not too tight. It might be a good...
  10. harringtondav

    Removing caliper bolts

    The best way to find out is to get a set of Allen wrenches and see which fits. Likely inch. These are inexpensive and handy to have around. Also I'd go with the PB Blaster, Liquid Wrench or some other penetrant before trying to loosen them. I have a set of 3/8 drive Allen. Good when you need...
  11. harringtondav

    Removing caliper bolts

    A picture of the bolts will be helpful in getting advice.
  12. harringtondav

    Gimbal Bearing Science

    Agree. I've inspected new OEM 'Permalube' U joints before installation. They had a dab of grease in each race/cup. Easy enough to swap the pipe plug with a zerk and finish the job. Having said this, I kinda follow Bondo's grease theory. It doesn't take that much grease to keep the needed film...
  13. harringtondav

    Growling noise when steering.

    Not all U joints are the same, even if they fit the yokes. The needle bearing journals on automotive Unis are smaller diameter than marine U joints. ...but I don't think this is your problem this soon after replacement. The scuffing on the inside of the drive shaft bellows may indicate the large...
  14. harringtondav

    water in cabin bilge

    A shower bilge has the same enemy as your shower drain at home: hair. The shower bilges I know have their own pump/float, and lift the waste up and overboard ... unless prohibited. If so, it goes into the poop tank. Hair can foul up the system. If you're have sitting water after a heavy rain you...
  15. harringtondav

    Growling noise when steering.

    I second @tpenfield and @Bondo . You should pull your out drive. It's fairly simple and should be done regularly to inspect the U joints, gimbal bearing and drive shaft bellows. I suspect your gimbal bearing, especially at that age. It's greasable, and if this has been neglected, or water has...
  16. harringtondav

    Battery discharge. ...normal?

    I checked amp draw between the B- post and cable before storage. I can't remember the meter's current limit, but it seemed to be over that limit flashing '333'. I was in a hurry and just satisfied that I saw some draw. ...something else for next spring.
  17. harringtondav

    Battery discharge. ...normal?

    I think I have an auto bilge pump. ...separate sensor from the pump. So this could be another suspect. The sensor wasn't as large as a float switch, so it could be as you mention. My quarter turn main battery disconnect has four cables/wires attached to it. Two heavy gage entering from aft, and...
  18. harringtondav

    Battery discharge. ...normal?

    Thanks. The boat is in winter storage. ...first thing when I pull it out.
  19. harringtondav

    Battery discharge. ...normal?

    A Blue Tooth radio is the only extra device. I'm pretty sure I shut it off. ...modern gizmos aren't intuitive. Battery is at home in the basement. We are at the river house. I'll check AH tomorrow. We got the boat late Aug last year. Frequent use, no issues. I don't remember the time interval...
  20. harringtondav

    Battery discharge. ...normal?

    Thanks. I did the math and figured something is wrong. Assuming my 1000 CCA battery is good (not verified), and depletes w/in 14 days, there is an approx 3A/hr draw with the main battery switch open. Not enough to cause a melt down, but not what I'd call "normal". I'll call Regal. Not hopeful...
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