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  1. Lou C

    4.3L Mercruiser Milkshake

    What size boat are you putting the new engine in? If its a 17-19 footer then why not just get a late model Vortec 4.3 with a 4bbl carb? That will make the whole thing simpler and cheaper, you will need to use an electric fuel pump and a Vortec intake manifold but other than that it should be an...
  2. Lou C

    Risers and manifolds at the same time?

    top pic is batwings....look at the wall thickness of the cast iron between the water passage and the exhaust gas passage, left side is new right side is after 5.5 seasons in salt water... now look at the wall thickness of the 2 piece manifolds in the bottom pic....
  3. Lou C

    4.3L Mercruiser Milkshake

    One thing you need to find out is if both are one piece main seal engines. The flywheels are different and a coupler for the 2 piece main seal won’t fit the flywheel for the one piece & vice versa. So find out about that… Agreed those perimeter bolt valve covers are a clue. Later engines have...
  4. Lou C

    Risers and manifolds at the same time?

    After 10 years in salt even with flushing I’d want to at least inspect those & do the acetone test. Bad manifolds are the #1 inboard engine killer because they look fine on the outside but… It’s REALLY a shame to lose an other wise good engine over that. On the batwings the cast iron between...
  5. Lou C

    Risers and manifolds at the same time?

    If those 1988 batwings are original even with flushing you’re on borrowed time. If your keeping the boat consider the upgrade I did 5 years ago, Barr 2 piece layer style exhaust
  6. Lou C

    Intake manifold

    That seems to be a difference between the GLM and Barr exhaust because the Barr set up runs about the same temp as the batwings did. Both idled at approx 95-100*F depending on where you measured it, and the hottest they ever get is about 125-135*F after coming off plane. The starboard side being...
  7. Lou C

    5.7L MerCruiser Bravo III under water...repairable?

    It certainly could be if it leaked oil and gasoline into the water. Was the boat insured? If not that's a situation you want to stay away from. Once you become the owner you could be reponsible. remember no good deed goes unpunished lol. I would not get involved. Oil and gas leaking from an old...
  8. Lou C

    Volvo 5.0 gxi Stalls at idle. Hard start.

    What I wish was certified for marine use was the old GM points distributor with the window in the cap. The points and condenser were mounted on one plate, simple to replace, and you set the dwell with the engine running via an allen tool. Elegantly simple and worked great. Even on my old...
  9. Lou C

    Volvo 5.0 gxi Stalls at idle. Hard start.

    It is also well documented by people who owned GM trucks that used the same system. Sometimes these "improvements" are anything but. In the old days GM HEI caps lasted a long time as do the Prestolite design caps I have used on my old points distributor. I replace 'when I see corrosion on the...
  10. Lou C

    Intake manifold

    updated 2 piece exhaust on 1988 OMC 4.3
  11. Lou C

    OMC 5.0L Wiring Diagram

    When replacing engines you can’t mix years that are not part of the same basic series with the exception of changing a one piece main pre Vortec with a Vortec (all of which were one piece main seal engines). This is a change GM made has nothing to to with OMC or Merc they just had to change...
  12. Lou C

    Drive oil

    That’s the Premium Gear Lube. Different product. You want the High Performance Gear Lube. I’ve used it in my OMC Cobra for 15+ years at the advice of my now retired mechanic. It runs quiet and shifts like new.
  13. Lou C

    OMC 5.0L Wiring Diagram

    That explains it then. The 1984 engine is a 2 piece main seal engine and the 1997 is a 1 piece main seal engine. The flywheels are different & that’s why the Merc coupler won’t fit the OMC flywheel. Not sure how to work around this….
  14. Lou C

    Risers and manifolds at the same time?

    And in either system the elbows deteriorate faster because they are partly full of water but not fully like the manifolds. The air gets at damp surfaces at the end of the elbow and corrosion there is usually the worst. As noted the sealing surfaces especially on wet joint systems often gets rust...
  15. Lou C

    Intake manifold

    That part # is for the exhaust manifold. Once in a while you can find those units on eBay but they are all used & old, might be ok for a few years but who knows. The better plan if you’re going to keep the boat is to convert it to the later style exhaust. You can buy a conversion kit from GLM...
  16. Lou C

    4.3L Mercruiser Milkshake

    Interesting. Does look like rust thru rather than freeze damage because the cast iron there looks very thin. My original short block has 20 seasons in salt water on it maybe more but I have been filling the engine with AF with corrosion inhibitors since I’ve owned it for winterization. Wonder...
  17. Lou C

    2012 VP 300 C-A Exhaust manifolds getting too hot - DTC 441 & 442

    Hard to say but check if the fitting is loose or the clamp is loose. Might be necessary to just carefully tighten…
  18. Lou C

    5.7L MerCruiser Bravo III under water...repairable?

    That's really a shame all the owner would have had to do is pay someone to pull the boat for him when they could no longer use it, winterize it and pull out the plug, cover it appropriately for the elements.
  19. Lou C

    Merc 5.7 Keeps Shearing starter bolts

    Yep that has to be dealt with fast. If you don't have much time just remove the plugs, spin it over, and drain both the manifolds and engine, then oil up the cyls to prevent rust. Check for water in the oil as well, not just on the dipstick but also under the valve covers where it tends to show...
  20. Lou C

    1989 mercruiser 5.7 carb exchange

    I'm sure that Crusader used a Marine Q-Jet as OEM, but after all those years (they stopped building Q-Jets in about 1990 or so) and people's reluctance to properly rebuild an original (which I don't understand, they are just not that hard to do, at all) who knows what happened! The only new...
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