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  1. Lou C

    4.3L horsepower

    2bb carb was 175 hp, 4bbl carb was 205, my '88 FW H-200 (20'9") was specified from FW to use a 15x17 prop, for more hole shot you could drop the pitch down to 15, although that limits top speed. The goal is to get your wide open throttle maximum RPM where it should be according to the...
  2. Lou C

    Winterizing 89 Mercruiser 4.3 Alpha 1 Gen 1

    Do a search, yes it has been discussed, and they also sell testers to make sure it holds pressure, but do NOT over do it.!
  3. Lou C

    Winterizing 89 Mercruiser 4.3 Alpha 1 Gen 1

    I would pressure test and reseal the drive now, so you don't have water in the gear oil over the winter and you're ready to go in the spring. And it also prevents wasting gear oil if you find a problem over next summer. Impeller, I usually do every 3 years. But if you only do 10 hrs a season...
  4. Lou C

    I have a leak.

    They actually improved that by making the bellows just a bit bigger, so I don't have an issue getting it on and have been doing all my outdrive maintenance for a long time now. Not sure but maybe the aftermarket bellows aren't made the same as OEM. Honestly, I have had very little trouble with...
  5. Lou C

    I have a leak.

    Looks like you got the culprits! I have learned a lot about Merc drives reading these threads not having ever owned one. Only the OMC Cobra, which in terms of transom design is very similar to a Volvo SX (Volvo simply adapted OMC's transom design).
  6. Lou C

    Help with bow roller setup

    I agree I don't think you can get it any better than it is given the bracket you have but as it is, it looks fine to me...
  7. Lou C

    Another Winterization Thread!

    https://www.volvopenta.com/shop/0/part-sections/54158468 Here's what it looks like, the hose that goes up to the impeller housing should be attached to the left side of part #14, the hose that goes to the transom mount will be attached to the other side. It doesn't look as if this has a drain...
  8. Lou C

    Another Winterization Thread!

    These coolers are mounted on the rear of the engine right above the bell housing so they can be tough to see & get at. Follow the raw water intake hose all the way back from the impeller housing & you’ll find it. Often they are mounted at an angle to make them self draining if you disconnect the...
  9. Lou C

    Tie down caliper mounting bracket

    BTW trailerpartdeopt And trailerpartsdepot Are 2 different sites I’ve used www.trailerpartsdepot.com
  10. Lou C

    Tie down caliper mounting bracket

    Did you ever hear back from that other “website” altopiani.com?
  11. Lou C

    Careful what ya wish for…

    It’s a huge job; I’m past the age where I can do these but even the partial re hab I did on my ‘88 FW back in 2006/7 has held up well still solid (I think partly because I ditched the moisture holding carpet & had the deck gel coated in non skid gel coat). So even without a total refit I got 17...
  12. Lou C

    5.0 oil weight and amount

    Also with the 4.3s that use the standard on the block filter, the Merc & Sierra filters which used to be larger are now quite small, the Wix, AC Delco & Purolator are all larger like the Merc & Sierra used to be. Not sure if it really makes a big difference because marine engines aren’t exposed...
  13. Lou C

    5.0 oil weight and amount

    https://www.practical-sailor.com/systems-propulsion/marine-oil-filter-comparison-test
  14. Lou C

    5.0 oil weight and amount

    Ther have been a few tests or examinations of oil filters one was done by Practical Sailor and they cut open a bunch of filters to examine them. They found that the end caps on about half the Sierra oil filters they checked leaked allowing unfiltered oil to pass. They also found problems with...
  15. Lou C

    What oil should I use?

    That’s there because the oil cap is put there by GM for automotive applications but that’s not good for marine use running at 3500-4000 rpm all day…. Merc says 25/40 and you can use 15/40 or 20/50.
  16. Lou C

    Careful what ya wish for…

    Don’t scrimp on the PPE you do not want to inhale ANY fiberglass dust nor do you want resin on your skin!
  17. Lou C

    Does the antifreeze you use really matter?

    Here’s what I would say to people trying to decide; if you remove the stat housing & drain the block down you can see how much corrosion is actually forming in the engine since both the intake & block/heads are the same cast iron. Mine still looks pretty good despite the salt water use..I do...
  18. Lou C

    Does the antifreeze you use really matter?

    Wait a minute…when you say neat antifreeze to you mean full strength not mixed with water? Better check that. If it’s a marine or RV antifreeze you can just use it those are premixed with water. But if it’s like full strength automotive antifreeze, they will actually solidify at a higher temp...
  19. Lou C

    Does the antifreeze you use really matter?

    In fresh water probably not, here the only trailers that last are either hot dip galvanized or aluminum. Although some fresh water can be pretty corrosive…
  20. Lou C

    Does the antifreeze you use really matter?

    If you’re in fresh water you may not need antifreeze but us salt water people have a whole different view on it…just like coating your trailer springs with grease & corrosion X. Like I said I never get rusty water out the exhaust during spring start up. 22+ years on the same short block in the salt…
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