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  1. tpenfield

    Repair or Replace a Ritchie Compass

    Last time I used my boat, I noticed that the compass was no longer filled with oil. So, I'm assuming a seal or something let go. I searched for similar threads here and there was one about 6 months ago. I think my options are (1) to try a DIY repair and refill, or (2) just replace the...
  2. tpenfield

    First time boat purchase, please advise

    Generally a 18-19' boat will not readily fit in 20' of garage. A swing-away tongue on the trailer is a definite, but with the outdrive, etc. you typically need about 3+ feet more than the boat. Also keep in mind the width, if you have single wide door(s) on the garage. If you do not have a...
  3. tpenfield

    Photobucket (outrageous charges)....

    I use the paper clip icon to 'upload attachments' and then click the 'Upload from URL' button, and paste in the URL. The image file then becomes local to iBoats.
  4. tpenfield

    First Time Navigating at Night . . .

    FWIW - I took a look at the chart covering the route that we took. The only thing I can see on the chart that we would have come near is a Green #1 buoy with Green flashing light (4 seconds) . . . the only thing is that there was no light flashing . . . just a basic green can. The red dotted...
  5. tpenfield

    First Time Navigating at Night . . .

    We took a crew of people on my brother's (new-to-him) Grady-White 305 to the Fireworks display in Falmouth, MA last night. They have a barge anchored off of Falmouth Heights and hundreds of boats go out to see the show. Previously, we had always watched the fireworks from shore. ​This, of...
  6. tpenfield

    Fuel pressure drops to zero on anything past idle...help!

    30 psi is a bit low, but most likely not the source of the issue. The spec on the 805227A1 regulator is 32-36 psi. So, when you turn on the ignition, but not start the engine, you should see the fuel rail pressure go to about 40 psi for a second and then drop down to the spec range of 32-36...
  7. tpenfield

    7.4 Merc motor mount stringer bolts won't back out

    If the lag bolts spin freely, but won't back out, I am wondering about the condition of the motor mount stringers. :noidea: Maybe you will be taking the engine out . . . As for the motor mounts themselves, with rusted bolts, etc. I have been there, done that and ended up supporting the...
  8. tpenfield

    Fuel Pumps Getting tired ???

    Yes, and I think the engines were saying to each other this past week . . . "we better shape up . . . remember what he did to us all last summer " Anyway, we had a good outing today. My brother picked up a new (to him) boat in Chatham today and met up with us out in the bay for some...
  9. tpenfield

    Fuel Pumps Getting tired ???

    This season I have noticed that my twin 7.4 MPI engines are requiring a bit more cranking when they are first started. In the past years it was typically 5-10 seconds of cranking with the starter and then they would fire right up. This year it is more like 10-15 seconds until they fire and...
  10. tpenfield

    Mercruiser 7.4 MPI Idle Speed Very High

    Looks like I solved the problem . . . Plenum gaskets. I had the plenum on my list of things to check today, and when I loosened it I could see that a couple of the gaskets had become broken/dislodged leaving an air gap. I had loosened the plenum earlier in my prep work to check a few things...
  11. tpenfield

    Mercruiser 7.4 MPI Idle Speed Very High

    I swapped the ECM's and the port engine ran fine with the ECM from the stbd engine. Here are the stats of the port engine running on the ECM from the starboard engine. I have not run the starboard engine with the port ECM yet. Probably won't do that until tomorrow. Anyway, The problem did not...
  12. tpenfield

    Mercruiser 7.4 MPI Idle Speed Very High

    BOAT FOR SALE . . . BOAT FOR SALE :rolleyes: :facepalm: I put the new MAP sensor in (ACDelco 12569240) and brought the engine up to temperature. I had to clear the 33 code from before, but no codes returned during the run of the engine. However, the idle is still high and will not come down...
  13. tpenfield

    Volvo-Penta 5.7 Gi idles at 1800-2000 RPM

    Sort of looks like the GM MAP sensor . . . but not attached to the intake manifold/plenum . . .
  14. tpenfield

    Long Term Effects of Retarded Timing

    + 1 ^^^ Here is a graph that I found a while ago, showing how the power (peak cylinder pressure) goes down and exhaust temperature goes up in an engine as the timing is retarded. As far as long term effect of not running at the desired timing . . . it may take a toll on the exhaust valves.
  15. tpenfield

    Mercruiser 7.4 MPI Idle Speed Very High

    I took out the MAP sensor As best as I can tell, this is an automotive part. that is original to the engine. A '039' type (1 Bar) MAP sensor. Mercruiser 's price (P/N 864856A1) is about $175-190. The same part through the automotive suppliers is about $40. Seems like a rip-off . . ...
  16. tpenfield

    Mercruiser 7.4 MPI Idle Speed Very High

    During the prep of my twin Mercruiser 7.4 LX MPI engines (serial #'s in my sig) the starboard engine started idling very high, like in the 1200-1500 RPM range, even though the throttle was closed. A week ago, when I first started the engines after the winter lay-up it ran fine. Today, not so...
  17. tpenfield

    Formula 330SS Bulkhead Replacement

    Stringer Grid Bonding Update: Just another update on the structural aspects of the boat. I had planned on doing a bit more bonding of the stringer grid to the cockpit sole, which basically joins the two 'halves' of the boat in more places, making it more structurally rigid. Today, as I did my...
  18. tpenfield

    Stereo Receiver Replacement Fail . . .

    Update: SOLVED . . . I did some probing around the wiring with my multi-meter and tested the Receiver for pre-amp output at the RCA jacks. Those were fine. I did find that there was a bad connection in the house wiring of the Blue/White wire. That wire is connected at a butt connector to two...
  19. tpenfield

    Mercruiser stainless risers

    The single Mercruiser blocking gasket does have a metal foil that is sandwiched in between the gasket material. . . but I find that the pressure of a closed cooling system tends to deform the thin metal layer a bit. The bigger problem seems to be deterioration of the gasket material itself...
  20. tpenfield

    Stereo Receiver Replacement Fail . . .

    Here are a couple of pictures/diagrams of the installation that I did, as best as I can tell the original OEM installation Then the new installation. . . . I did a 1-for-1 change-out on the wiring at the main connector, since the new connector was slightly different that the original...
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