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  1. Lou C

    restoration of 1991 VIP and engine upgrade inc conversion from spitfire ignition

    The engines were always (till Merc started making their own) GM marine based on Chevrolet car & truck engines. Have the “engineers” done diagnostics to determine why it’s not starting? Lack of spark, fuel or other cause?
  2. Lou C

    Engine upgrade

    What I'd do is keep the points distributor, the electronic conversions can be more trouble than they are worth if the module fails and you have no spares, just learn how to set points, and lube the advance weights (there is a lubricating wick in the center of the distributor shaft, it just takes...
  3. Lou C

    Help with water in oil

    What I’ve seen: Every year at winterization I’ve filled it with AF, either the best -100 or mixed up a batch of Sierra no tox AF. At first start up in spring first AF comes out the exhaust then clear water no rust. That’s what makes me think it made a difference. And the fact the the water...
  4. Lou C

    Buying a used boat anxiety-talk me down.

    No way I'd put 9 people on a 20' boat, that's going to take something like a pontoon boat to be comfortable. My 20' is bigger than modern "20'ers" but more than 5 people is too many in my opinion. As far as condition, and potential problems, if the boat has a carpeted plywood deck forget it...
  5. Lou C

    Nightmare

    Great glad you had a good outcome, I was not surprised by the low compression test results because when I looked back at your vid of the engine running with the fuel pressure and vacuum gauges hooked up, your idle vacuum reading was really low, like 12-10 inches of mecury, should be close to 18...
  6. Lou C

    Help with water in oil

    I changed my thermostat yesterday and drained the motor down enough to dry out & check the water passage in the intake manifold. It is surprisingly solid and this is the original intake reused when I replaced the heads 4 years ago. Now used in salt close to 20 years and never flushed during the...
  7. Lou C

    Impeller housing overheating

    I don’t think that fuel is old enough to cause a backfire. Backfires (thru the carb) can be caused by a lean fuel mix and perhaps an intake valve hanging open. Keep in mind these engines came with a Prestolite points distributor and Rochester 2 or 4 bbl carbs and both require maintenance for...
  8. Lou C

    2000 Four Winns H170 with Volvo 3.0 - Engine removal necessary?

    What you’re dealing with is very common, unfortunately boat builders don’t give a damn about engine access and in my opinion it’s gotten worse with later designs not better. To deal with your starter issue the rear seat has to come out. Then you’d probably had adequate access to the starter...
  9. Lou C

    Trailer Tires

    Another option is the LT used on delivery vans, these are made by European manufacturers and might be better quality than typical ST trailer tires
  10. Lou C

    Help with water in oil

    All that rust, is why if I ever replace the engine in this one it has to have closed cooling. I just hate the idea of running raw water through a nice new cast iron engine! Plus, sticky thermostats and cold running are a more or less chronic problem I've had with raw water cooling.
  11. Lou C

    Help with water in oil

    You can tell better after you get the old gaskets off and really clean it up. Looks like it was used in salt water. Here's mine. At this point it was used in salt about 15 seasons worth.
  12. Lou C

    fuel pump frustration

    The extra bolt hole trick doesn't work for the 4.3s, so I used the big glob of grease trick on mine, Evinrude triple guard to be exact. While this is not a "fun" job, I still prefer a mechanical pump to electric pumps at least for carbs, for reliability. Another thing that helps is to rotate the...
  13. Lou C

    Trailer Tires

    Where did you get this from? Just curious because based on bias ply construction it seems unlikely
  14. Lou C

    Head gasket? Cracked head?

    If the water left in the intake froze & cracked the intake and then leaked out during a thaw that water would go right into the cam valley under the intake manifold not into the cyls. Some water would wind up in the motor oil because of this but not in the cyls. Water gets in the cyls from a...
  15. Lou C

    Head gasket? Cracked head?

    I agree with doing the air pressure test at least because that the way you will be able to find out how the water got in the cyls. And that looks like rusty water not antifreeze. Based on how you said you winterized (drain and back fill), the only ways I can imagine that water got in the cyls...
  16. Lou C

    Engine upgrade

    Agreed the 4.3 is perfect for an 18 foot boat. These boats came with a points distributor that works fine but needs to be maintained. This includes replacing & adjusting the points and cap & rotor and also lubing the mechanical advance weights so they don’t seize up. Then there’s the fuel...
  17. Lou C

    5.7 Volvo Penta Overheating at Idle

    You're welcome! hope you can get at it without too much struggling.
  18. Lou C

    Can someone PLEASE tell me which bellows are which? taking on some water...

    Kermit Weeks
  19. Lou C

    5.7 Volvo Penta Overheating at Idle

    Here's a pic of the back side of the engine, you can see the PS cooler there, the hose runs from there to the transom mount, its a very tight spot, depends on how your boat is set up, I can get at it on my boat but I have to remove an access panel above the rear of the engine. In the second pic...
  20. Lou C

    Help with water in oil

    Well while you never know, I think cracked blocks are rare except from improper winterization. My boat suffered a bad overheat in 2013, it ran fine nearly 3 more seasons then blew both head gaskets in August of 2016. When I took it apart, I had the heads checked, they found cracks in 2 cyls...
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