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  1. Lou C

    First time winterizing 4.3 mercruiser, alpha one.

    I answered that question above, post #5. You have to learn how raw water cooling works.
  2. Lou C

    305 V8 - Rusty spot on intake manifold, with ports that nothing is connected to

    That area gets pretty hot and was used for the heat tube for the choke on the old 2bbl Rochesters and the divorced choke spring for the 4bbl Quadrajets. The way the hot air chokes worked was that there was vacuum in the choke housing, and it sucked fresh air through that tube which was actually...
  3. Lou C

    Water when pulling stern drive

    I think I'd replace both.
  4. Lou C

    350 mag mpi manifold/elbow temp

    that's what I was referring to...the flow test...volume of water in x amount of time.
  5. Lou C

    Is this a reasonable quote?

    The last time I did both the bellows on the Cobra it took about 2 hrs after removing the drive. This varies with the drive system of course, but what I do is get a rope, and tie the pivot housing to it, and tie the other end to the ski hook on the transom to hold it up so it doesn't weigh on the...
  6. Lou C

    350 mag mpi manifold/elbow temp

    One last thing, the thermostat housing is basically a distribution valve, that takes in cool water & feeds the exhaust system, make sure the nipples that the manifold & elbow hoses connect to are clean and open. Have you ever tested the output of the impeller with the boat in the water? Might...
  7. Lou C

    Is this a reasonable quote?

    One point to keep in mind on the Volvo SX & SX-A drives….there is no gasket between the drive & the pivot housing. This is in contrast to the OMC Cobra (which is what the SX was developed from) and all the Merc drives. So for salt water brackish water and even high mineral fresh water these...
  8. Lou C

    350 mag mpi manifold/elbow temp

    So then can they tell you at what temp an alarm is set? Sounds like a silly guessing game here. Certainly that info must be in their shop manual!
  9. Lou C

    Is this a reasonable quote?

    When they said that they had to pry the drive off the pivot housing that suggests that the drive & pivot housing were corroded together and the pivot was damaged in the removal. This can happen if the drive is not removed for a long time because there is no gasket between them to prevent metal...
  10. Lou C

    350 mag mpi manifold/elbow temp

    Since for cats to work they can’t be too cold it might be that these manifolds are designed to maintain a higher temp.
  11. Lou C

    First time winterizing 4.3 mercruiser, alpha one.

    I leave it in. If you’re going to drain the AF out save your money. I leave it in for corrosion protection which is exactly what Merc advises in their manuals. If you use the RIGHT AF (-100 or do as I do mix up a batch of Sierra No Tox PG AF) you will NOT have a problem. 20 years worth of...
  12. Lou C

    5.7 Merc coolant check?

    yep overheats can blow head gaskets, & and can crack cylinder heads, leading to a pretty extensive repair... people new to boats don't realize its not like a car, with a closed low-maintenance system, in a boat you need a constant supply of cool water in and out, for it to stay at proper temps...
  13. Lou C

    350 mag mpi manifold/elbow temp

    If you're starting out with everything new that may be what it's going to be.
  14. Lou C

    350 mag mpi manifold/elbow temp

    Yep if you have cats at least in a vehicle they routinely run 400* and even hotter. So we can’t really use non cat exhaust temps as a guide here…
  15. Lou C

    First time winterizing 4.3 mercruiser, alpha one.

    You can't go wrong, by draining everything and verifying that it actually drained first. Then if you want to add AF, pick one that will stay liquid down to the lowest temp you anticipate. And just pour in via the hoses. Easy, no risk of burning impellers etc.
  16. Lou C

    2015 Dodge Grand caravan SE trailer wires installation failed

    One thing I always worried about with my Jeeps is Chrysler's electrical systems. I was concerned about adding aftermarket electronics so in 2000 I installed the Mopar hitch and Mopar factory 7 way trailer wiring (that allows you to connect an electric brake controller) in our '98 Jeep. Just...
  17. Lou C

    mercruiser 4.3 Slow acceleration at WOT

    If you have a 21' boat with a 4.3 its not going to have a high top speed, mine is at most 40 mph. Your max wide open throttle rpm should be at least 4600, you can go as high as 4800 for better acceleration. What carb, is it a 4bbl, are the secondaries opening up as they should?
  18. Lou C

    350 mag mpi manifold/elbow temp

    Use an IR temp gun I keep one on the boat for testing. If it’s the Merc warm manifolds system the manifolds don’t get water circulation till the engine thermostat opens so they should be as warm as the engine block. The elbows get cool water continuously so they should be cooler. The idea behind...
  19. Lou C

    5.7 Merc coolant check?

    Also keep in mind that these are high volume low pressure cooling systems; they depend on a large quantity of incoming cooling water to carry away the heat from the engine & exhaust system. The impeller in the outdrive or on the engine pulls water in and then the thermostat housing directs it to...
  20. Lou C

    Time to chuck the 470

    And you can still buy one brand new, at least here in the USA. Yep they are simple as can be, like the cast iron inline 6s we had on our American cars when I was growing up: GM: 250 Cu in inline six was available in a 292 cu in version for trucks, Mercruiser used these in boats as well. Ford...
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