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  1. Lou C

    Oil 4 stroke Mercury 115hp

    I have used the expensive Mercury/Quicksilver oil and gotten excellent oil analysis results on my old 4.3 that still has the original 38 year old short block. Here's a bit of info that pertains to inboards more than outboards, for others who might be interested: The 25/40 syn blend, is approved...
  2. Lou C

    Exhaust manifold discovery?

    Low maintenance boat = outboard Raw water cooled I/O = unforgiving of even 1 mistake Closed cooled I/O is better but there'd still be damage I love Chevy small blocks but at 70 years old doing this over 20 years there's no way I'd have another raw water cooled I/O here. They are just an enormous...
  3. Lou C

    454 mag mpi chuggles/stalls

    If a guy can't operate a carbed boat with an electric auto choke, new carbs, etc, then maybe he should not be in command of a twin engined boat! Having been inside all 3 I think the Edelbrock, while not as tunable, is the easiest/least trouble to keep going, reliably. 15-20 year old marine EFI...
  4. Lou C

    454 mag mpi chuggles/stalls

    2 four-barrel carb manifolds 2 Edelbrock 4bbl carbs 2 simple low pressure electric fuel pumps from Michigan Motorz that would be my solution, no more sensors that can have intermittent problems, you will have the simplest set up that worked 65 years ago (when they were Carters lol) still works...
  5. Lou C

    How do I safely remove anti-siphon and intake line?

    It will always be right where the fuel hose from the pump hooks up to the fuel pick up tube. Excuse the dirty fuel tank my boat is 38 years old and the tank is original. On this boat the whole fuel tank compartment hatch just comes up. Be careful with this valve, it is either brass or aluminum...
  6. Lou C

    Starter stays running.

    You can check for voltage at the yellow red wire for the starter either at the ignition switch or at the solenoid itself (switch will be easier) if there is no voltage on the yellow/red wire after you release the key, then I'd suspect a solenoid or starter drive problem. If there is, more likely...
  7. Lou C

    buying a new boat, this is broken on the trailer. what is it?

    That's what it looks like. I have the same thing.....flush system for drum brakes that trailer looks like it might need some work, springs are very rusty.
  8. Lou C

    99 Volvo 5.0GL

    thanks for the follow up! Just filled up my boat with Sunoco 94 octane for its trial run next week....
  9. Lou C

    Rear main seal on 5.7 GXI

    Hard to say, the front and rear seals on my old 4.3 which has to have at least 1500 if not more hrs on it, don't leak, but on the other hand, I just had to have the rear main done on my 2007 Grand Cherokee 5.7 which has only 135,000 miles on it. When this one went, it was leaking like a sieve...
  10. Lou C

    99 Volvo 5.0GL

    The gas that gave me fits last season, was only 8/9 months old, stabilized E10 (all we can get at the gas docks here) and looked totally clear. It didn't BURN right though and other than smelling like varnish, or having obvious debris or water in it, there is no way you can tell that. In fact I...
  11. Lou C

    Mercruiser 5 L mpi cooling system

    It's impossible to generalize because every boat is different, some have more than enough static water line height, some are marginal, if the driver is prone to rapid slowdowns, if a heavy swim platform is added, etc. all those are factors. If you REALLY want to know, learn how to measure the...
  12. Lou C

    99 Volvo 5.0GL

    How old is the fuel in the tank, straight gas or E10? Reason why I ask is that last season, for the first time I had gas go bad on me. It was maybe 8 months old, stabilized 89 octane E10 which is what I have always used. Never had this before. BUT.....the only way I figured this out was to run...
  13. Lou C

    Mercruiser 5 L mpi cooling system

    I had to pull the outdrive to get the rest of the burned up flappers out they were in the exhaust passage, lucky the pins stayed where they are supposed to be. Not sure if this applies to the Alpha or Bravo drives but on OMC Cobras and Volvo SXs there are water tube grommets that will also get...
  14. Lou C

    Mercruiser 5 L mpi cooling system

    Well, it's hard to say, but if the static water line is just high enough with no safety margin it is possible to get water up the exhaust if you slow down quickly. They are there for a reason.... The pix I posted above are to show what happens during an overheat, vs a good flapper.
  15. Lou C

    Mercruiser 5 L mpi cooling system

  16. Lou C

    Power steering fluid in bilge?

    That job (actuator replacement) is one of those jobs that is such a pain on some boats, that the only saving grace of it, is that you solved a problem and the skills learned make you a better backyard mechanic. "you gotta suffer if you want to sing the blues" On my brother's 2020 Chapparal with...
  17. Lou C

    Power steering fluid in bilge?

    sometimes yah get lucky! for the P/S cooler, it will be in line with the raw water intake hose from the transom mount. Older Volvos and OMCs had it in the back side of the engine right behind the starboard side exhaust elbow, not sure where it is on one as new as yours. But it will be somewhere...
  18. Lou C

    Power steering fluid in bilge?

    Have you owned the boat since new? It's possible that someone mixed different fluids. I always used Dexron in mine. I know Volvo loves their proprietary fluids $$$. Only one fluid path in the system, follow the hoses from the pump on the engine to the actuator which will be behind the starboard...
  19. Lou C

    why is there oil in my bellows but pressure test holds 15psi overnight

    boat's a 2009, did they start using sealed bearings that far back? Agree with turning the shafts when the pressure and vacuum tests are done. I just had to replace the water pump seal on my OMC Cobra (these have the impeller driven by the end of the driveshaft and there's a seal that keeps...
  20. Lou C

    Does This Sound Right? Bravo Install

    Agree with those above, does not sound right, run it with the drive off. Does it change when you tilt up or down, or steer left or right? Might be a clue if it's ujoints vs gimble bearing. I have a mechanic's stethoscope and it is great for finding noise sources.
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