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  1. Lou C

    85 3.6 V6 OMC stringer poor or no throttle response/bog high altitude when in gear

    yep
  2. Lou C

    4.3 Mercruiser Spark knocking at high rpm

    PS both gas docks I use sell only 93 octane; I’m not saying the engines were designed for that but in all the years I’ve had this boat I have not had pinging or detonation. PPS if you have the one piece Merc manifolds on that V6 think about getting rid of them and converting over to the 2 piece...
  3. Lou C

    4.3 Mercruiser Spark knocking at high rpm

    It’s possible your fuel mix might be excessively lean; high running temps can also cause this. What do the center electrode insulators on the spark plugs look like? Before changing any parts I’d want to see what your total timing advance is at the specified rpm. Spark knock can also be due to...
  4. Lou C

    OMC 5.0 Part ID?

    It works well I have not removed that drain plug in years. Now if you pull the drive for the winter, that will naturally drain because as soon as you pull the drive away from the transom mount it drains. What I did with mine is to drill a small hole in the plastic water fitting in the pivot...
  5. Lou C

    Mercruiser 4.3 cracked intake manifold

    Glad to help out. The 35 ft lbs is for the pre-vortec that I have. I saw that bulletin as well, I'm not sure who made the mistake (GM or Merc) but yes there was confusion about that. Its because the composition of the gasket changed, the older ones were not as sensitive to overtorquing, the new...
  6. Lou C

    1992 Mercruiser 4.3 w/ balance shaft and 1 piece rear main seal swap to newer year Vortec.

    What’s the approx weight of the boat? Even a Vortec 4.3 & an Edelbrock performer intake would be good for about 240 hp. Most would go for the Vortec because it adds 20-25 hp. However the intake manifold gaskets were a bit more prone to leaks although this should be long past by now. Personally...
  7. Lou C

    4.3l omc dist. advance weight

    Yes they are different sizes
  8. Lou C

    85 3.6 V6 OMC stringer poor or no throttle response/bog high altitude when in gear

    Do you have a Rochester Quadrajet? If so I’d go over to Cliffs High Performance and ask on their forum. Not only will he know he also sells the parts you might need. Your problem may be the fact that the air density is so much less at altitude and your fuel mix which is calibrated for sea level...
  9. Lou C

    1992 Mercruiser 4.3 w/ balance shaft and 1 piece rear main seal swap to newer year Vortec.

    Standard 5.7 is about 270 or so hp so no prob with the Alpha
  10. Lou C

    1992 Mercruiser 4.3 w/ balance shaft and 1 piece rear main seal swap to newer year Vortec.

    If you have the room in front it can be done 3.5–>4” longer. You will have to use V8 manifolds, elbows are probably the same and rejet the carb to allow for the greater displacement so the engine doesn’t run too lean. Also your top speed won’t be as high as it could be due to the 4.3 gear ratio...
  11. Lou C

    1992 Mercruiser 4.3 w/ balance shaft and 1 piece rear main seal swap to newer year Vortec.

    Rick are there any other mods to be done if you are putting Vortec heads on a non balance shaft block (but with roller cam)? Pushrods rocker arms etc? Though of doing this when I did my top end overhaul but thought there was more to it so I just replaced the old heads with reman pre Vortec heads...
  12. Lou C

    1992 Mercruiser 4.3 w/ balance shaft and 1 piece rear main seal swap to newer year Vortec.

    Yes the exhaust manifolds will work and the carb should as well, you will need a Vortec intake manifold (8 bolts vs 12).
  13. Lou C

    Mercruiser 4.3 cracked intake manifold

    Those gaskets (Vortec style) have a plastic base and a rubber style sealing ring, they also have locator tabs that fit into holes in the cyl head so you don't need sealer for them, unless you have pitting/corrosion around the water ports on the cyl heads. I think yours looked pretty clean. On...
  14. Lou C

    4.3 GXI - 2007 blowing hoses off

    Here's a schematic of the OMC/Volvo thermostat housing design, if that bypass port clogs you can see how pressure delivered by the impeller can build up and put pressure on the hose from the impeller housing to the thermostat housing. Also if they have never been checked it may be time to check...
  15. Lou C

    Mercruiser 4.3 cracked intake manifold

    They do as does Center State engines and others. eBay can be good as well, I found a couple of spares for my old pre Vortec that way and they are a bit harder to find than the Vortec intakes since they haven’t been made in like 25 years! Meanwhile my original still hasn’t rotted out even with...
  16. Lou C

    Volvo Penta 3.0 I/O Overheating. Brand New Engine!

    Love the lines of the classic Four Winns. Glad you’re fixing it and not parting it out. If I can ever find one I’d love a 201 Liberator (same hull as my 88 200 Horizon) with a 383 stroker and thru hull exhaust.
  17. Lou C

    Aq271c Engine wont rev past 2000rpm

    Antisiphon valve on the fuel tank can cause this; had the same problem on my boat a long time ago....
  18. Lou C

    Mercruiser 4.3 cracked intake manifold

    These were marine specific manifolds, not used in auto applications (maybe only in trucks back in the '80s). You will find them on ebay and at places that sell new and reman engines.
  19. Lou C

    Mercruiser 4.3 cracked intake manifold

    Vortec has no exhaust cross over. That's why you have to use an electric choke if you are using a carb. My old pre-vortec has a well type divorced choke that is heated by the exhaust crossover.
  20. Lou C

    Mercruiser 4.3 cracked intake manifold

    Could be. I'm not sure why they changed from the exhaust crossover to the water heated passage but that's what they did. Come to think of it I had a Ford 5.0 V8 back in the '70s and it was the same, intake was heated under the carb by antifreeze. To prevent carb icing.
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