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  1. Lou C

    Is this a reasonable quote?

    One point to keep in mind on the Volvo SX & SX-A drives….there is no gasket between the drive & the pivot housing. This is in contrast to the OMC Cobra (which is what the SX was developed from) and all the Merc drives. So for salt water brackish water and even high mineral fresh water these...
  2. Lou C

    350 mag mpi manifold/elbow temp

    So then can they tell you at what temp an alarm is set? Sounds like a silly guessing game here. Certainly that info must be in their shop manual!
  3. Lou C

    Is this a reasonable quote?

    When they said that they had to pry the drive off the pivot housing that suggests that the drive & pivot housing were corroded together and the pivot was damaged in the removal. This can happen if the drive is not removed for a long time because there is no gasket between them to prevent metal...
  4. Lou C

    350 mag mpi manifold/elbow temp

    Since for cats to work they can’t be too cold it might be that these manifolds are designed to maintain a higher temp.
  5. Lou C

    First time winterizing 4.3 mercruiser, alpha one.

    I leave it in. If you’re going to drain the AF out save your money. I leave it in for corrosion protection which is exactly what Merc advises in their manuals. If you use the RIGHT AF (-100 or do as I do mix up a batch of Sierra No Tox PG AF) you will NOT have a problem. 20 years worth of...
  6. Lou C

    5.7 Merc coolant check?

    yep overheats can blow head gaskets, & and can crack cylinder heads, leading to a pretty extensive repair... people new to boats don't realize its not like a car, with a closed low-maintenance system, in a boat you need a constant supply of cool water in and out, for it to stay at proper temps...
  7. Lou C

    350 mag mpi manifold/elbow temp

    If you're starting out with everything new that may be what it's going to be.
  8. Lou C

    350 mag mpi manifold/elbow temp

    Yep if you have cats at least in a vehicle they routinely run 400* and even hotter. So we can’t really use non cat exhaust temps as a guide here…
  9. Lou C

    First time winterizing 4.3 mercruiser, alpha one.

    You can't go wrong, by draining everything and verifying that it actually drained first. Then if you want to add AF, pick one that will stay liquid down to the lowest temp you anticipate. And just pour in via the hoses. Easy, no risk of burning impellers etc.
  10. Lou C

    2015 Dodge Grand caravan SE trailer wires installation failed

    One thing I always worried about with my Jeeps is Chrysler's electrical systems. I was concerned about adding aftermarket electronics so in 2000 I installed the Mopar hitch and Mopar factory 7 way trailer wiring (that allows you to connect an electric brake controller) in our '98 Jeep. Just...
  11. Lou C

    mercruiser 4.3 Slow acceleration at WOT

    If you have a 21' boat with a 4.3 its not going to have a high top speed, mine is at most 40 mph. Your max wide open throttle rpm should be at least 4600, you can go as high as 4800 for better acceleration. What carb, is it a 4bbl, are the secondaries opening up as they should?
  12. Lou C

    350 mag mpi manifold/elbow temp

    Use an IR temp gun I keep one on the boat for testing. If it’s the Merc warm manifolds system the manifolds don’t get water circulation till the engine thermostat opens so they should be as warm as the engine block. The elbows get cool water continuously so they should be cooler. The idea behind...
  13. Lou C

    5.7 Merc coolant check?

    Also keep in mind that these are high volume low pressure cooling systems; they depend on a large quantity of incoming cooling water to carry away the heat from the engine & exhaust system. The impeller in the outdrive or on the engine pulls water in and then the thermostat housing directs it to...
  14. Lou C

    Time to chuck the 470

    And you can still buy one brand new, at least here in the USA. Yep they are simple as can be, like the cast iron inline 6s we had on our American cars when I was growing up: GM: 250 Cu in inline six was available in a 292 cu in version for trucks, Mercruiser used these in boats as well. Ford...
  15. Lou C

    Time to chuck the 470

    Ahh well if its that easy, then I see the point. A lot less work than a conversion, and less unknowns for sure. Perhaps use a 2" lower pitch prop to get a bit more response out of the hole making sure it doesn't over-rev the 3.0. The only negative thing about those engines I've heard is they are...
  16. Lou C

    2015 Dodge Grand caravan SE trailer wires installation failed

    I switched to LED Lights in 2015 and haven't had to fiddle with them every time I use the trailer, like before with the incandescent ones. Tec Nic I think is the brand name, very good quality made in USA
  17. Lou C

    2015 Dodge Grand caravan SE trailer wires installation failed

    Using the hitch remember you are depending on a hitch, that slides into a bolted on receiver mount that is bolted to the frame, etc. The white wire on the other hand goes to one of the actual vehicle grounds. For the same reason some people wire up seperate grounds for each light on the trailer...
  18. Lou C

    Time to chuck the 470

    Don’t think the 3.0 has the torque for a 19’. 4.3 swap a lot more work but worth it. Ideal engine for a 19’.
  19. Lou C

    2015 Dodge Grand caravan SE trailer wires installation failed

    The white wire in the harness for the trailer is the ground, this goes back to the electric ground for the vehicle, that is a better ground than depending on the hitch....
  20. Lou C

    Time to chuck the 470

    True. Most of the time water conditions here aren’t smooth enough for WOT!
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