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  1. Lou C

    Mercury 4.3 running rough - ideas?

    PS many years ago my wife had a 1988 Toyota Camry. When it was about 3 years old it started running like a 2 stroke engine! Now I had 2 different Toyota twin cam 4 cyl engines in the family but did not really know much about them past doing oil changes and tune ups. First thing I did was ohm out...
  2. Lou C

    Mercury 4.3 running rough - ideas?

    Double check the firing order & distributor cap, get an ohm meter and measure the resistance of each plug wire. You may find one with very high resistance that isn’t firing the plug
  3. Lou C

    Mercury 4.3 running rough - ideas?

    Well if they were very oily and not corroded you may not have a water problem but an oil burning problem. Might need new valve seals and/or rings. I’d do a compression test first. How long have you had it and for how long did it run well?
  4. Lou C

    Major two stroke screw up Force 120

    I’m not sure about this either but the theory I heard on power equipment discussion boards was that adding more oil to the same quantity of fuel makes less fuel available and in turn leans the mixture which makes it run hotter. I have five 2 stroke machines, one is 23 years old two are 15 years...
  5. Lou C

    Mercury 4.3 running rough - ideas?

    Possible but when you changed plugs did any of them look oil fouled or were the electrodes slightly rusty? First could be valve seals/piston rings second might be leaky exhaust manifolds/elbows. Based on your description it is possible that the engine sucked in water. Was the boat more heavily...
  6. Lou C

    Mercury 4.3 running rough - ideas?

    Was it running rough before? If not go back to the last thing that was changed lol.
  7. Lou C

    Oil change question

    I have used it to: change oil in the inboard make auto trans fluid changes less messy if there is no drain plug on the pan make 4x4 differential oil changes less messy same thing (we have 3 Jeeps in the family) I like the Topsider because it all metal and no plastic to break really. definitely...
  8. Lou C

    Oil change question

    This is a Topsider vacuum pump & I rigged up this garden hose adapter that threads onto the dipstick tube. It works much faster than sliding the thin tube down the dipstick tube. Just make sure that there is a gasket in the garden hose adapter just like for a water hose. That helps maintain the...
  9. Lou C

    First time boat owner with questions about 1998 Starcraft 1810 LX

    well you can build your own, I did that for my first one. Used some left over wood and casters for the bottom to make it roll. Not hard to make one. This is an old pic like 15 years ago. Still running the same OMC Cobra drive....I still have that old stand I use it to store my spare Cobra drive...
  10. Lou C

    First time boat owner with questions about 1998 Starcraft 1810 LX

    keep in mind there is video editing, they don't always show you everything. Without the right tools, removing the gimble bearing can be a horror show, and without the right installation tool, you will damage the new bearing and then in a few weeks it starts howling and you are back to where you...
  11. Lou C

    First time boat owner with questions about 1998 Starcraft 1810 LX

    Not to beat a dead horse but don't dilly dally on those bad manifolds. It could REALLY cost you. There is a reason why Merc discontinued them. Due to the casting method used they could not get consistent wall thickness. That means that in some areas they could be very thin and can rust though...
  12. Lou C

    First time boat owner with questions about 1998 Starcraft 1810 LX

    tools? well do you have a bad back? If so the drive jack I posted a pic of is the best money you will ever spend. Getting it off, is one thing, getting it back on, well sometimes it goes right on, other times the last 1" will fight you to the point of utter frustration. What I learned in 15...
  13. Lou C

    First time boat owner with questions about 1998 Starcraft 1810 LX

    I'm not a Merc guy so I'll let them respond, but I can tell you that for my OMC Cobra just the 2 bellows & gasket alone is approx $120. Keep in mind though once this is replaced, they are good for at least 5 years, and the only thing you replace once a year is the gasket between the drive and...
  14. Lou C

    Mercruiser 165 distributor breaker plate

    The Prestolite usually had a wick in the top of the distributor shaft, just a few drops of oil each year would keep the weights/springs from corroding. I'm still running mine, I don't find the points to be a problem really, I usually get 4-5 seasons out of them, but always check for pitting at...
  15. Lou C

    First time boat owner with questions about 1998 Starcraft 1810 LX

    If you have any doubts I would consider even paying a mechanic to remove the drive to check the things we are discussing here, because negelected I/Os have a potential for costing a lot of money to put right. I've been able to make mine last as long as it has with regular maintenance, drive pull...
  16. Lou C

    First time boat owner with questions about 1998 Starcraft 1810 LX

    I always use OEM for things like driveshaft bellows and raw water impellers, these are parts that you want to fit right and work right. If not expensive problems happen and you get to fix it twice.
  17. Lou C

    First time boat owner with questions about 1998 Starcraft 1810 LX

    Agreed and don't forget transom leaks on I/Os (which is one of the several reasons why I won't own another) can be the proverbial rabbit hole. Causes: 1)bellows (easy to rectify, not expensive) 2)steering arm (not easy to rectify, expensive) 3)rotted transom (deal breaker, very expensive to...
  18. Lou C

    First time boat owner with questions about 1998 Starcraft 1810 LX

    https://www.marineengineparts.com/barr-conversion-kit-for-mercruiser-v-6-gm-4-3-liter-from-one-piece-to-two-piece there are other kits but this is likely to be the best quality in aftermarket.
  19. Lou C

    First time boat owner with questions about 1998 Starcraft 1810 LX

    In the pix I could not really see the u joint bellows, only the shift cable and exhaust bellows. You really want to see if cracks are developing in the folds of the u joint and shift cable bellows. A good replacement interval is 5 seasons, they will last longer if the drive is kept down. I've...
  20. Lou C

    Cobra overheating after new lower unit

    Did they replace the water tube gaskets and use the plastic guide to line up the water tube? That’s the one thing that can go wrong with putting the 2 drive units back together
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