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  1. J

    Dielectric grease--everywhere?

    I would not have used dielectric grease on a zero turn (or any mower) just for the reasons stated above. Well, maybe on the spark plug boots. An environment can’t get much dirtier. I do use the stuff quite a bit but I am careful about only getting it where I want it and clean up any excess...
  2. J

    G3 Boat

    Is the middle livewell just doing its own thing at random or is it operating at the same time as another livewell? Does it cycle on every few minutes (aerate)? Can you post a picture of your switch panel and maybe a couple of the middle livewell? Basically, I am wondering if it is on its own...
  3. J

    G3 Boat

    I own a G3 sightly smaller and a few years newer. Throw the questions out here. Someone will know the answer.
  4. J

    rodent infestation

    Don’t know about .22 long birdshot but the .22 WMR is reasonably effective on snakes and rabbits. Rabbit population has exploded and we can’t hardly keep them out of the garden or the wife’s flowers. I picked up a cheap Daisy 10 pump air rifle a few years back. It is reasonably effective as...
  5. J

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

    Different shops. Turds long gone before the $1k winterization. I would be doing winterizations if I thought I could get $1K per boat.
  6. J

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

    Here is one that just came to light for me. A boat put on consignment last year just came back because it hadn’t sold and some other boats are having issues (ripped out ski tows and the like). The shop that was supposed to clean it up and put it on consignment charged $1,000 to winterize it...
  7. 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...
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. 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...
  11. 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...
  12. 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...
  13. 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.
  14. 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.
  15. 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...
  16. 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.
  17. 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...
  18. 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...
  19. 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.
  20. 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.
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