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  1. Lou C

    Mercruiser 4.3…Milky oil coming from timing cover.

    I recall our discussion, yep, the only thing I can say is that I found an OMC Cobra service bulletin that said that under certain conditions freeze damage can occur if you don't drain it. Having never had one, I can't say and for sure on the older pre Vortecs as soon as you pull the bottom of...
  2. Lou C

    Newer era Mercury 4 stroke cooling temperatures

    I think on some Suzuki motors they had the option of a higher temp thermostat for people in very cold regions like northern Canada & Alaska, that was set for about 140*F. I just find it interesting how many times I read that 140* was the magic number to not exceed in salt water, yet I ran a 160...
  3. Lou C

    Mercruiser 4.3…Milky oil coming from timing cover.

    this one.... the Pre-Vortec engines did not have this, I'm not sure what they changed to make that a necessity on the Vortec...
  4. Lou C

    Newer era Mercury 4 stroke cooling temperatures

    Could be, it also maybe that the salt/calcium doesn't bond to cast iron in the same way as it might to aluminum, since when cast iron corrodes it constantly flakes off small bits of iron, perhaps limiting deposits.
  5. Lou C

    Mercruiser 4.3…Milky oil coming from timing cover.

    The main thing about draining is are you sure that the drain plug opening was not blocked by rust? You should always poke the hole with a stiff wire, thin screwdriver or pick. It is common for rust flakes to clog those drain holes, on both blocks and exhaust manifolds. What to do? Well, you can...
  6. Lou C

    Mercruiser 4.3…Milky oil coming from timing cover.

    If you're lucky it might be a leaky intake gasket since that will put water right into the cam valley, if not it could be a rotted out thermostat passage in the intake, blown head gaskets or a cracked head. Was the engine drained for winter storage?
  7. Lou C

    Trim ram maxium extension

    Might want to see if measurements are given in a Volvo Penta shop manual for the standard lift height.
  8. Lou C

    New style volvo bellows

    Sounds like the SX series (1994-2005 or so). I have had the original OMC bellows last as long as11 years before small cracks started forming in the folds which means it’s time to replace BEFORE it leaks. However I recall reading that Volvo changed the design to improve durability so maybe there...
  9. Lou C

    4.3 merc water in #5 cylinder

    #6 is the rear one on the starboard (drivers) side. do you have wet joint or dry joint exhaust? if wet joint what do the sealing surfaces of the manifolds/elbows look like? salt or fresh water? the best thing to do would have been to air pressure test the cooling system passages before...
  10. Lou C

    What's a Typical Idle Mixture Setting On A Marine Holley?

    I have a Holley 4160 that was set up specifically for the OMC/Volvo 4.3 V6 these had a metering block on the primary side (with no power valve incidentally) and a metering plate on the secondary side (no mixture screws). The primary side jets were increased in size to compensate for no power...
  11. Lou C

    Exhaust Manifold bolts

    If the comp test is good and it runs well you don't have to do a valve job till needed. Just monitor the exhaust for leaks. it is one of the most common causes of inboard engine problems. My 1988 OMC had the one piece bat wing manifolds, these had no joint to leak and I never had leaks into the...
  12. Lou C

    New style volvo bellows

    IIRC, the old style bellows for the OMC Cobra and the Volvo SX were the same part, so if its an SX you have, it might be possible to use the OMC part. However, I have not heard of that new style bellows failing on this forum or others that I frequent.
  13. Lou C

    Newer era Mercury 4 stroke cooling temperatures

    We are all a bit obsessed with details aren't we lol. When I tried the 140*F stat on mine because I had heard for "years and years" that a higher temp stat was guaranteed more or less to cause clogged up cooling passages and resultant overheating, I was obsessed with the fact that it ran at 120*...
  14. Lou C

    Engine Overheating

    Well most of these Cobras will have a P/S cooler on the back of the engine, bits from the old impeller can be in there, or lodged in the thermostat housing. I have always used OE housings and impellers and usually do not have overheating problems, normal temps are 160-175 with the 160 stat...
  15. Lou C

    Newer era Mercury 4 stroke cooling temperatures

    There is that issue (people think it’s salt dropping out of suspension but I think it’s actually calcium), and the fact that open or raw water cooling is not pressurized. Pressurizing your cooling system to 15 psi with 50/50 water/antifreeze keeps the coolant from boiling till approx 265* F. In...
  16. Lou C

    4.3 merc water in #5 cylinder

    In the pix it’s hard to say where the water could be coming in but when I had the same problem it was the 2 front cyls, #s 1&2. The Head gaskets looked ok when I took the heads off but when I removed the gaskets the fire rings on those cyls were slit around the circumference. My thought was this...
  17. Lou C

    No power under load

    Without checking fuel pressure/fuel delivery you are putting the cart before the horse.... gas tank vent anti siphon valve fuel pressure fuel volume I've been driving fuel injected cars since 1987 and haven't had to clean injectors yet.
  18. Lou C

    Wonder if I should go IO again or go OB?

    OBs have several safety advantages over I/Os that is just one….here’s others: No risk of fuel vapors in the bilge A cooling system hose failure won’t flood the bilge with seawater AND overheat the engine (this happened to me back in 2013). The issue of the bellows letting in water is actually...
  19. Lou C

    Overheat on 5.0 with SX outdrive

    Great to hear that it’s fixed and you’re back on the water! Old school American engines are easy to take apart, easy to put back together and parts are reasonably priced. Great for old school DIY guys…
  20. Lou C

    EXHAUST

    Well then you can! You now have to decide If you have enough cooling water flow to be able to install a full system (including the exhaust manifolds) or only a half system (block only).
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