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  1. Lou C

    Volvo AQ 260A lost compression, water in valve cover

    Did you get water out of the cyls when doing your compression test? Only other diagnostic you can do is a leak down test.
  2. Lou C

    Have you cleaned and resurfaced exhaust manifolds?

    The bigger issue is that the internal walls of the manifold, where the gasket will sit, are just too thin for it to seal. Meaning that the water that should stay in the cooling passage is going to leak down into the center exhaust passage and into the cylinders via an open exhaust valve and...
  3. Lou C

    OMC 4.3 Electronic Ignition Swap

    The other thing that you need is a good advance timing light. OTC sells a nice one. That tells you if your spark advance is working as it should (centrifugal, with weights and springs). That part of the distributor needs to be lubed once a season, there is a wick inside the distributor shaft...
  4. Lou C

    Showing my Tri-axle Trailer some TLC . . .

    Being that you have OBs you can extend your season, don't have to worry about freeze ups like with inboards even with closed cooling it's still a concern. Should be able to stay in at least until early Nov, most of my friends who fish and have OB powered boats are in until December.
  5. Lou C

    OMC 4.3 Electronic Ignition Swap

    Yep I left the points, as long as they don't leave me stranded, I'll keep em, now I have spares so I keep a point plate with the points and condenser already installed so if I have to change em on the water, it's not hard, yes I have a tach/dwell meter on the boat too with feeler gauges lol...
  6. Lou C

    Have you cleaned and resurfaced exhaust manifolds?

    When I take mine apart, I will be very interested to see what they look like. back when I still had the OEM OMC one piece batwing V6 exhaust, I could see the wall thickness getting thinner when I took them off. So what's the point of saving old manifolds, failure of them, is more or less...
  7. Lou C

    Have you cleaned and resurfaced exhaust manifolds?

    https://www.marineengine.com/newparts/part_details.php?pnum=BAROMC-1-3852347
  8. Lou C

    Ratcheting Into Reverse - Mercruiser Alpha One Gen 2

    If your shift cable is starting to get worn and sticky it will delay the movement of the clutch dog which is the same as shifting too slowly. And you get ratcheting.
  9. Lou C

    Have you cleaned and resurfaced exhaust manifolds?

    Bondo is 100% right You can resurface ones that have very light surface rust but yours are way past that. Trust us on this. A new set for mine is about a grand. It is what it is. here's what it should look like!
  10. Lou C

    What are the symptoms of cracks in an Exhaust Manifold?

    Here's a new one, see the difference? When the time comes I will replace both on mine as well. They aren't leaking now but what is the point of putting new elbows and gaskets on an old manifold that might start leaking in the next season? You might not see it leak on the outside but then, you'll...
  11. Lou C

    What are the symptoms of cracks in an Exhaust Manifold?

    There is just not enough straight cast iron left in the sealing surfaces of the manifold for the gasket to seal. You need to look at a new one to see how it should look. The wet joint design is very prone to leaking there unless the sealing surfaces are perfect.
  12. Lou C

    Replacing Risers/Elbows and Exhaust Manifolds on a Ford/OMC Cobra 5.8 Ltr

    here's an old pic of mine from 2011 the 2nd time I changed the manifolds, I got it good enough with a razor blade, also Permatex (IIRC) makes a gasket remover spray that helps. I didn't remove the studs and the gasket sealed fine. My later model style system uses bolts only, so no more studs...
  13. Lou C

    Replacing Risers/Elbows and Exhaust Manifolds on a Ford/OMC Cobra 5.8 Ltr

    You might do OK with a one of those straight razor scrapers, brand new sharp blade, but used at a very shallow angle so as to not gouge the cast iron. Put some paper towel balled up in the exhaust ports to keep out bits of debris.
  14. Lou C

    Replacing Risers/Elbows and Exhaust Manifolds on a Ford/OMC Cobra 5.8 Ltr

    Yep the .003" variation is what I saw, and used when I did mine. The studs OMC used make it a pain to clean the exhaust ports but on the other hand the quality of the fasteners was good, so I never had a problem removing the manifolds for replacement, no broken/rusted/rounded off bolts etc. The...
  15. Lou C

    96 4.3 Merc no start

    Backfire when starting can be from a sticking intake valve, which can be caused by water in a cyl, that rusted the stem of the valve. I had that on mine when the head gaskets started leaking. When it got bad it was very reluctant to start but would eventually start. Then it ran but with an...
  16. Lou C

    non alcoholic beer

    Athletic low carb is very good
  17. Lou C

    96 4.3 Merc no start

    It could be that or exhaust leaks. Investigate exhaust leaks first.
  18. Lou C

    96 4.3 Merc no start

    spray from the spark plug hole and the high comp test results suggest water in the cyls. Might be one or more than one.
  19. Lou C

    Showing my Tri-axle Trailer some TLC . . .

    I have been using coated rotors on my vehicles now for a while and they do last longer, you don't get that rust around the inner and outer edges that tears up brake pads like with the uncoated ones. I seem to remember they sold a rotary attachment that was made just for sanding rotors free of...
  20. Lou C

    Showing my Tri-axle Trailer some TLC . . .

    more of my Luddite tendencies drum brakes and bias ply tires but they work! Loadstar K550 tires used for over 20 years (changed every 6-8 years when starting to crack) no failures not even a flat! I don't tow at high speeds so the heat build up issue of bias tires is a non issue for me and I...
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