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  1. J

    Malfunction indicator Light constant on

    We had a reman installed in a 2012 Cobalt here last year. No alarms when the shop give it back. They only replaced the core. All of the accessories (fuel, ignition computer…) are original to the boat. No lights on the Cobalts. One display will read “check engine” if an alarm goes off then go...
  2. J

    2 stroke longevity?

    Parts are getting scarce for some of those old motors. I had to improvise on the last early seventies Mercury I worked on because of a lack of ignition parts. It ran great once I got spark to the cylinders but it wasn’t pretty.
  3. J

    New Stuff on Vehicles likes/dislikes

    I quit carrying my key fob because the horn on my truck was always going off and the doors were unlocked when I returned to my vehicle. Neither has happened since I started leaving the fob at home. The last thing I want is a key with fob functions built in.
  4. J

    Trouble launch and loading boat

    Just adding longer bunks or rollers isn’t going to do much. They need structure to hold them and there simply is not any under the heaviest, most critical part of the boat. The best solution is a trailer that fits the boat. The proper trailer would also correct the balance problem and get the...
  5. J

    If you're wondering if your anti siphon valve is stuck, or clogged, here's a test....

    I am not a very experienced boat mechanic but I have seen some truly bad maintenance come out of some of the local dealerships. Sometimes the level of stupidity coming out of a “professional shop” is mind boggling. One boat had a battery disconnect switch installed next to the battery with a hot...
  6. J

    LOWER END OIL CHANGE

    I just did that with a slotted pan head screw on a Volvo Penta. Threads were stripped and the helicoil took out the sealing surface for the o-ring. Switched to a wide head screw and a gasket. The screw head had to ground down to fit inside the lip around the hole. Easy, straight access so torque...
  7. J

    SX-A thread repair

    It looks like the helicoil and pan head screw with a gasket from a big Suzuki will be a good fix. I do not have a way to properly pressure test a lower unit but I did put some air to it and checked the plug with some soapy water.
  8. J

    LOWER END OIL CHANGE

    I use the hand impact to loosen stuff all the time. I may have to try it for tightening but beating steel threads into something with aluminum threads makes me nervous.
  9. J

    LOWER END OIL CHANGE

    I was just thinking about this. I have yet to see a screwdriver or bit that properly fits a lower unit pan head style drain plug. The manufacturers give us torque data but not many can turn a screwdriver that hard and the angles the work is being done is not very stable for using a narrow bit...
  10. J

    Best Outboard Motor Brands for Reliability and Long-Term Use

    I guess if you’re a “prepper” worried about what may still run after the aliens drop a big EMP on us, it may affect the decision whether having a computer controlled engine is good or not. Won’t matter though. The money to buy and the ability to make fuel will be largely gone anyway.
  11. J

    Best Outboard Motor Brands for Reliability and Long-Term Use

    Saying a 2-Stroke is better than a 4-stroke like saying the Go Devil in my ‘47 Willys is a better engine than the 4.6L in my Ford F150. Both require upkeep. That old Willys engine with far less than 100,000 miles takes considerably more effort than the modern EFI engine with 240,000 miles to...
  12. J

    Epic launch

    I used to launch a boat with a 69 Bronco I owned at the time. I kept the rear brakes serviced and adjusted because I wanted that parking brake to work. I do it sometimes but relying on engine compression alone is not a good idea. Even less so when it’s more than just the weight of the vehicle...
  13. J

    LOWER END OIL CHANGE

    It might be a generic torque table item for the thread diameter and pitch if the plug isn’t specifically called out.
  14. J

    2005 4.3 liter Mercruiser ignition trouble

    Should be good then. I can’t think of a better way to check it without a dedicated tester.
  15. J

    2005 4.3 liter Mercruiser ignition trouble

    Have you load tested the battery to make sure the voltage drop doesn’t start there?
  16. J

    2005 4.3 liter Mercruiser ignition trouble

    Is the 2005 fuel injected? We had a newer one do exactly like you described out on the lake. The fuel pump was failing. It was only providing 30-35 PSI to the rail. I could pump it up with a primer bulb I added for troubleshooting and it would run fine for a few minutes and could be kept running...
  17. J

    Tell tale not peeing

    I grease the heck out of the impeller, cup and base plate. Anywhere rubber is going to rub gets marine grease just like the prop shaft, driveshaft spines and shifter spines.
  18. J

    Tell tale not peeing

    The bigger Yamahas can do that. I burned up a water pump housing on an F150 after installing a full impeller kit then tried to check it on the muffs. It didn’t take very long. It was on a pontoon boat so I had to start the motor and walk to the back of the boat to check it. By the time I got...
  19. J

    SX-A thread repair

    No real pressure in this application so I would be willing to try a threadsert but I do not see how one would change the problem. There still would not be a good mating surface for the o-ring. Not on the inserts I have seen anyway so a gasket would still be required.
  20. J

    SX-A thread repair

    Not sure I want to risk digging the helicoil out at this point. I never had one leak like this (not the first time I put a helicoil in a wet location). I’m still not convinced the plug isn’t metric. It fits the new threads pretty loose while a 3/8” bolt sits a little tighter. I drilled out the...
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