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  1. Lou C

    Aq 151a winterize first time. No water came out

    Ok your heat exchanger has 2 sections a closed side that circulates antifreeze to the block and an open side that uses seawater to cool the antifreeze. If you remove the cap that looks like a radiator cap on top of the red housing which is the heat exchanger (let engine cool off!!) there should...
  2. Lou C

    Aq 151a winterize first time. No water came out

    Might be a combination of muffs not fitting right & that caused impeller wear. The Volvo with the pump up on the engine in particular needs good muffs. That water has to go up thru the drive about 1’ then forward 3 or so feet. There is also a water fitting in these on the drive that corrodes &...
  3. Lou C

    MerCruiser 4.3lx shortblock compatibility?

    Once you figure that out it’s likely your problem will be solved. On my 4.3 4bbl QJet I pull the OMC control out to disengage the shift system that allows me to pump the throttle & set the fast idle. I let it warm up at 1200 rpm, while I’m taking off the canvas putting up the Bimini and getting...
  4. Lou C

    MerCruiser 4.3lx shortblock compatibility?

    I would never advise anyone to do EFI in an old boat. The parts cost and complexity of wiring & added failure points are a deal breaker for me. Simple 4 bbl carb feeds a Chevrolet just as well now as it did 50+ years ago. Parts for a Holley, Edelbrock or even a Quadrajet are available and...
  5. Lou C

    . . . and I Thought Hi-tech Boat Engines Were Bad . . .

    Interesting... I don't have much data on the trans in my '07 Jeep 5.7 (Chrysler 545RFE) they are the same as what was used in the RAM trucks until they switched to the ZF design 8 speed. So far so good, but it has only covered 123,000 miles. They seem better than the old RE series (based on the...
  6. Lou C

    MerCruiser 4.3lx shortblock compatibility?

    I have thought the same thing 4.3 to 5.7 swap while it’s more money for certain things I have a heavy 20’ boat approx 4200 lbs. My Cobra drive ratio is 1.68:1. Currently using a 15x17 prop I wonder if I could do the V8 swap with the same drive and a 21 pitch prop? This boat definitely came with...
  7. Lou C

    Temperature Gauge Fluctuating

    Sticky thermostat prob has nothing to do with the fact that you changed the carb, unless you may have bumped the wiring for the sending unit in the intake manifold. Sometimes you get a flake of rust or sand that keeps the stat from closing and then the engine runs cold. Sometimes they clear out...
  8. Lou C

    . . . and I Thought Hi-tech Boat Engines Were Bad . . .

    And this is why I kept the old boat!!! simple DC wiring, anybody can figure it out with a meter and a test light! My brother's 2021 Chapparal is CANBUS no thanks!
  9. Lou C

    . . . and I Thought Hi-tech Boat Engines Were Bad . . .

    PS All this suggests with modern vehicles you need an advanced scanner that can read ALL the modules and sometimes, expert help…
  10. Lou C

    . . . and I Thought Hi-tech Boat Engines Were Bad . . .

    I came across something on this topic with my 2007 Grand Cherokee that I’ll pass along. So first oddity I notice is blinker on pass side flashing very fast but only when headlights/parking lights were on. Blinker bulbs were fine. Both pass side headlights were out. Bulbs fine fuses fine. Pulled...
  11. Lou C

    Lower unit

    I believe they are, the differences are in the gearing for the upper gear housing…
  12. Lou C

    I freeze my block so you don't have to!

    If you have a Vortec 4.3 V6 (1996 and later) there is a drain plug in the front of the intake manifold you can remove to fully drain it....
  13. Lou C

    Winterization

    Yep I have always done it this way & I think it’s safer & uses up less AF in the process… 1) you know for sure the engine is totally drained 2) no risk of burning up the impeller if it won’t pull in the AF…..
  14. Lou C

    Winterization

    Been doing it this way for 20+ years & never a problem. And, you don’t have to pull out the stat BTW…All that’s needed after disconnecting the bottom end of the J hose up front & draining the block is to reconnect the bottom end of the J hose & disconnect the top end. Replace the block drain...
  15. Lou C

    Winterization of my Commodore 272

    I put a bit of gasket sealer on the threads of the metal drain plugs and some grease where the hoses fit onto the stat housing, impeller housing, manifolds & circulating pump. This helps to prevent corrosion that will make the hoses hard to remove
  16. Lou C

    Winterization

    For those temps the ONLY thing I'd use is -100, not the -50 or -60, if you want to use AF. The -100 stays liquid to approx -55*F, last time I checked. If you have -50 or -60 in there drain it out. The other options: drain and leave dry mix up your own batch of PG antifreeze (Sierra) use a...
  17. Lou C

    1987 2.3 OMC Cobra out drive gear lube...

    I used the OMC stuff the first couple years I had my Cobra then my mechanic suggested to me to use the Merc High Performance Gear Lube (greenish blue stuff) because the drives he serviced seemed to last longer with it. Not saying the Mobil 1 or Valvoline syn isn’t as good. The main thing with...
  18. Lou C

    1987 2.3 OMC Cobra out drive gear lube...

    Yep those took OMC Hi Vis gear lube. I have used the Merc High Performance Gear Lube in mine for about 20 years. Seems to like it!
  19. Lou C

    Mercruiser 5.7 EFI Water in Oil

    Ah, I see what you were getting at then. I have the old carb engine so I just fog it thru the carb, and I change the fuel filter in spring.
  20. Lou C

    Mercruiser 5.7 260 EFI - Water Temp Fluctuations

    The stats can get sticky after some time esp with raw water cooling. When you have one that takes forever to warm up till you run it on plane that’s usually a piece of rust or sand that’s keeping the stat from closing. I seem to have to change them every 3 seasons or so…
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