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  1. Lou C

    Sx outdrive water pump

    It should have a 160 stat in it. That style is held in place by a rubber ring that you have to pry out with a very thin screwdriver or a pick. You can probably clean up that housing. The manifolds and elbows should run about 90-100* at idle and about 130-140 after running on plane. Make sure...
  2. Lou C

    Engine swap, OMC to mercruiser

    The coupler used for the OMC Stringer drives which preceded the Cobras. Up to model year 1985.
  3. Lou C

    Mercruiser 5.0 Oil Pan Replacement Tips

    Keep in mind that the pan has to come down a fair amount to clear the oil pump pick up. So the engine has to come up higher than it looks. If doing this job I'd get a can of Rustolium black, scuff the original paint with a scotchbrite pad and then brush on 3 coats of Rustolium. Yes to...
  4. Lou C

    Bowriders that handle waves well?

    My '88 FW has pretty high gunnels and a 21* deadrise so it handles rough water well BUT, it is still a bow rider. So I keep that cover on, any time it gets rough. I do not understand the fascination with bow riders, dual consoles and center consoles. This appears to be all the boat companies...
  5. Lou C

    Glastron GT 185 —replacing a radio unit and depth finder advice.

    I would install a depth finder myself & you can add a Bluetooth receiver to the accessory terminal of your present radio to play Spodify etc. My sound system is connected to Sirius & I added the Bluetooth receiver. Easy job. I installed a Garmin 441S which is a combo GPS/Depth finder; which is...
  6. Lou C

    Bad News from a Family Member Today

    Very sad story! The biggest thing is the wiring & gas tank. However the value of the boat is probably high enough to make repairs worthwhile. This reminds me of the day the raw water hose popped off the p/s cooler on my 4.3 Cobra. Overheated the engine and filled the bilge with sea water in...
  7. Lou C

    Starter Wiring, 4.3L Mercruiser

    I believe the 3.8 liter was the predecessor to the 4.3 GM had a number of these 90* V6s years ago.... They were all cut down 90* V8s, starting with Buick's 3.8 from the mid 60s which was used for a few years....then sold the tooling to AMC....who used it in Jeeps...then GM bought it back during...
  8. Lou C

    Starter Wiring, 4.3L Mercruiser

    But since Merc uses the oil pressure switch as a safety shut off for the electric fuel pump they would still use the 4 terminal solenoid (terminal R) to power the pump till oil pressure builds...
  9. Lou C

    Engine swap, OMC to mercruiser

    You could go with a 5.7 even if you originally had a 5.0 in it. The exhaust manifold pattern is the same on all small block Chevrolets the OMC exhaust will bolt up to any 5.0 or 5.7. The main differences: If your original engine has a one piece rear main seal & flywheel the new engine has to...
  10. Lou C

    Engine swap, OMC to mercruiser

    First you need to evaluate what shape your OMC drive system stuff is in before using it with a new to you engine. If it’s a Cobra keep in mind while these were good when maintained by someone who knows OMCs (like me, owned this one about 20 years) but I also have the manuals and LOTS of spare...
  11. Lou C

    Starter Wiring, 4.3L Mercruiser

    Now I'm just guessing here but with the 3 terminal vs 4 terminal solenoids... you need a 4 terminal if you have a points ignition, and/or electric fuel pump you can use a 3 terminal if you have electronic ignition and a mechanical fuel pump.... S terminal = start, yellow/red wire from ignition...
  12. Lou C

    Engine swap, OMC to mercruiser

    A well maintained Cobra is fine but if you really don’t know if what you have is any good best to go with all Mercruiser. Sell off the OMC stuff and start over.
  13. Lou C

    Starter Wiring, 4.3L Mercruiser

    You need the 4 terminal solenoid.
  14. Lou C

    Bowriders that handle waves well?

    On my bow rider I keep the bow cover on anytime it gets rough and have a reinforced support for the bow cover just in case. I also have a spare emergency 2000 gph bilge pump. The salt water DCs have several advantages: Self bailing deck Greater bow flare Some have fully foamed construction so...
  15. Lou C

    Bowriders that handle waves well?

    A salt water DC like Key West
  16. Lou C

    Keeping boat interior (carpeting / fabric) "nice"

    I am probably the worst for cosmetic maintenance but very good on the mechanical...so... carpet belongs in your house, in a boat you should have nonskid gel coat. On boats with wood cored decks (95% of boats more than 20 years old) carpet causes rot because it holds moisture. When I redid the...
  17. Lou C

    Has anyone seen or heard of a trailer tire doing this?

    I think it may be more important to put the axle under jacks for long term storage so all the weight is not in one place. I got two divots in my asphalt driveway from the trailer always being parked in one spot! After realizing that those tires have about 2200 lbs on them, each, it made sense...
  18. Lou C

    Alpha 1 gen 2 5.7L overheating

    I recall thinking of this when I I stalled the temp sending unit in the intake (had to clean up all the rust & paint) so what I did was thread it in to see about how deep it threads in. Then I just used a bit of Evinrude gasket sealer on the threads at the very end of where it threads in to...
  19. Lou C

    Alpha 1 gen 2 5.7L overheating

    The reason why the raw water flow test should be done in the water is that the hose water pressure can mask a weak impeller.
  20. Lou C

    Exhaust manifolds

    I installed Barr Marine (made in USA) on my 4.3 five years ago and so far so good. Just give ‘em atop coat of Rustolium becaus if you’re in a damp climate they will get surface rust a a season or 2. Remove any paint from the sealing surfaces for the manifolds & elbows and check flatness with a...
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