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  1. tpenfield

    Bravo 3 Oil Leak - Oh No !!!

    Also, another note . . . I removed the outdrives, thinking that I may have some greasing of the U-Joints to do. Nope . . . 'perma-lube' type which means replacing, not greasing. So the only thing to grease was the coupler (which I can do from inside the engine compartment as there are 2...
  2. tpenfield

    Water in Engine

    A bit of a guessing game, but I'll share my thoughts. Probably not the exhaust shutters, as they never give a water tight seal anyway. More likely the exhaust manifolds are leaking (or possibly the intake manifold). Anyway, it would be best to determine the culprit and address accordingly.
  3. tpenfield

    I'm lost

    @Wphillips36 . . . Welcome to iBoats (and boat ownership in general it seems) The cooling system is the suspect at this point. Assuming that you have an Alpha drive the raw water pump (aka impeller) is in the outdrive. (Bravo drives use a raw water pump connected to the engine). It is...
  4. tpenfield

    Water in 4 cylinders

    When an engine hydrolocks (while running) often the connecting rods give way (i.e. bend) as a result. In the situation you described, I would remove all of the spark plugs and see if the engine can rotate freely without any sort of hard points or similar obstructions. If the rotation wants to...
  5. tpenfield

    Bravo 3 Oil Leak - Oh No !!!

    Also, when I removed the port outdrive the drive shaft housing was marked in paint with the PO's name and 'STBD', when I removed the starboard outdrive it was similarly marked, except 'PORT' . . . :unsure: :rolleyes: Not that it should make any difference, but it does speak to the shortage of...
  6. tpenfield

    Bravo 3 Oil Leak - Oh No !!!

    I hope youze guys are right about the oil tube. I'm going to take another look at it today, now that the outdrives are off, just to make sure the tube is on the barb fittings an appropriate amount. Yesterday, as I contorted my body in various ways to gain access to the engine mounts, I was...
  7. tpenfield

    Bravo 3 Oil Leak - Oh No !!!

    I pulled the outdrives today, and glad I did. The alignment was out on both engines, the port side being the worse. I'll see about getting a tywrap on the oil line.
  8. tpenfield

    Want to add additional rollers

    Greetings . . . Those rollers do not look like they will hold much weight, because of the design - cantilevering away from the cross bars. You could get 4 or 6 roller 'sets' (4 rollers each set) and associated mounting hardware, but be prepared to spend about $150 per set. Google your way to...
  9. tpenfield

    Water tank geyser

    Greetings . . . Burping tanks are usually an issue with the vent. So, the vent line from the tank may be clogged, or perhaps the fill line is pinched.
  10. tpenfield

    Year of Manufacture

    Greetings . . . If you can find a Hull ID number (HIN) on the transom or elsewhere, the last few digits would indicate the year built (if it was made in 1972 or later). If not, then a model/serial number tag may indicate such.
  11. tpenfield

    Propeller pitch

    I believe that Mercury has a prop 'calculator' that can determine (estimate) what prop size/pitch you would need. I'd be thinking the Mirage @ 17-19" pitch, since you have a 5.0 on a 24 foot boat. If you had a 5.7 or a 7.4, then you'd be in the 21" pitch range,
  12. tpenfield

    How to test for spark?

    I use an alligator clip wire from the plug to the engine block as the ground. It can be a bit hard to see the spark in direct sunlight. So a shaded area is best.
  13. tpenfield

    Bravo 3 Oil Leak - Oh No !!!

    I spent some time yesterday evening looking at the outdrives . . . It appears that the oil tube does not have clamps on either end, which would explain the leakage. There are clamps called out in the parts list, so I will have to see about installing some.
  14. tpenfield

    Downsides of buying an IO Saltwater boat in the north east?

    Owning and having sold salt water boats in the north east, I see nothing wrong with them. :LOL: As with any boat, you really need to see the boat and determine its actual condition. Salt water does require more maintenance, mostly the engines and outdrives (for I/O powered). If you do end up...
  15. tpenfield

    Quit My Job . . .

    Money would be the only factor that would prompt me to go back to into the 'working world'. My plan was to continue working for a few more years, as the Admiral is not quite up to retirement age, and the extra $$$ is a nice-to-have.
  16. tpenfield

    Need Assistance to Diagnose Bravo 3 - 5.0L MPI Vibration

    I think you have gotten some good advice so far. . . being on my 3rd boat with Bravo outdrives, I'd offer the following: U-joints can seem good to the touch, but actually be bad under load. So, you could replace the U-joints. Alignment at 90˚ rotations of the engine as mentioned. Not sure...
  17. tpenfield

    Quit My Job . . .

    A guy that works on my Team (that's the PC way of saying 'works for me' :ROFLMAO:) experiments with 3D printing at home. He has brought some of the creations in to the office and they look awesome. I plan on fixing up my house, as it has lacked some attention the past few years. That should...
  18. tpenfield

    Quit My Job . . .

    I did tell myself, that when I retire, I'd sit by the town dock/ramp and watch 'the show' of ramp launch, retrieval, and associated fails.
  19. tpenfield

    Quit My Job . . .

    That would be a 'fun' occupation. Not sure it would pay much. :unsure: Additionally, I'd need to get some practice myself (now that I have the mother of all trailers 🤪 ) It has been a while since I've trailered my boats, having used a 'boat hauler' on my Formula 330.
  20. tpenfield

    Understanding Moisture Readings on a Marine Survey?

    Readings above 35-40% are high, but the information provided (by the surveyor) is so general to the point of not being useful. It seems like a 'wet' boat, but without specifics, you don't know if it is isolated or wide-spread.
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