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    water on spark plugs

    1984 5.7L Mercruiser. I have no.5 and no.7 plugs with water on them when I pull them right after running the engine on the muffs. I pulled the risers and manifolds in the Spring. I replaced the risers as they were badly rusted. The manifolds looked good and I leak tested them over night with...
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    question about replacing floor in front part of boat

    I have a 19' open bow with the typical walk thru wind sheild configuration and the floor from the front seats forward needs to be replaced. My question is, how do I get the floor out from under the dash and front seat area? Likewise, how to get the new floor in.. Thanks for any suggestions.
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    adding STP to full syntheitc oil?

    I made the switch this year to full synthetic oil after being pleased with results in my cars. I have a 1984 260HP Mercruiser with 5.7L V8 and QuadraJet carb. Since switching to synthetic I have noticed for the first time considerable oil vapor from the pcv hoses coming into the carb. Bad enough...
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    inboard VS I/O ski boats and fuel economy

    All other things being equal, such as boat length, engine size, driving and use, etc. which gets better fuel economy a full inboard or stern drive? Or are they roughly equal? Specifically I'm refering to ski boats and run abouts in the 19' range.
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    boat cover ventilation

    I came up with a cheap easy way to ventilate your boat cover that I wanted to share. I have to store our boat outdoors, and I've been frustrated with the amount of moisture that developes in the boat due to condensate. It doesn't matter if I use a cover or a tarp. I started using some black...
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    Ethanol blend fuels

    Is there a "sticky" or some other good source where I can find information on ethanol blend fuel? I want to learn the facts concerning this issue and avoid the "he said she said" stuff. Thank you.
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    un-informed question about ethanol enriched fuel

    I've heard a lot of fuss about ethanol in gas and don't completely understand the issue. The vast majority of fuel available is 10% E, and we all run it all the time in our cars. What is the difference concerning boats? I guess I can understand the long term Winter lay up concern of ethanol...
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    5.7L risers, one running cool the other pretty hot

    I installed new risers this spring and a new impeller kit in the alpha 1 drive over the weekend. Temp gauge reads normal all the time now, however I noticed by touch that the port riser runs cool and the starboard is hot. I can only keep my hand on that one for about 2 or 3 seconds. The...
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    need help finding correct water pump / impeller kit for alpha one drive

    I have a 1984 5.7L mercruiser, but I know my outdrive is not original. It has a 2:1 gear ratio so I believe it came from a 3.0L boat. My temp runs fine while under way, but gets hot quickly while idleing or motoring at no wake speed. I want to replace the entire water pump / impeller kit but...
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    what sealant to use on fuel sending unit gasket?

    New fuel tank, everything fits like a glove. Except when they drilled and tapped the five holes for the sending unit, one hole is off center a good bit. This required me to "slot" the screw hole in the sending unit as well as the gasket. I'm concerned out fuel leakage. I'd like to seal it well...
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    new aluminum gas tank, should I paint before installing?

    I'm getting ready to install a new aluminum "belly" tank under the deck of our ski boat. The original had lots of pitting from moisture contact and corosion. I was thinking it might be a good idea to coat it for protection. I happen to have a couple of cans of rubberized undercoating that is...
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    removeing bearing buddies in order to change bearings and seals

    I'm slinging grease all over the inside of my rims. I'm told that my rear seals are gone and need replaced, and while I'm at it I may as well replace the bearings since I'm already there. My problem is my bearing buddies. I remember how difficult they were to install. Extremely tight. I have no...
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    5.7L re-installing exhaust manifolds, not enough hands, how to do this alone??

    OK, 5.7L mercruiser, engine in the boat, I'm trying to put the exhaust manifolds back on while holding the four bolts in place while holding the gasket in place, while trying not to get a hernia. It would be a little easier if I could glue the gaskets in place first with gasket sealer, but I...
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    what thread sealant to use on fuel tank connection

    I just got a new aluminum fuel tank fabricated. The shop used my old one as a pattern, and they re-used the barb fitting hose connections, and the threaded flared fitting that the fuel line connects to. The flared fitting is screwed into a pipe nipple on the tank. My questions is, what type...
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    convert thru hull exhaust to thru prop

    So I'm really over the whole "loud exhaust" thing now on our 1984 5.7L Alpha One. I'd really like to convert to through the prop exhaust. I'm sure my fellow boaters would appreciate it as well. But I really don't want to pull the engine to install the Y pipe. I was wondering if it could be done...
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    5.7L timing chain slack, issue or not?

    1984 5.7L Mercruiser with about 850 hours. It's been well maintained and still runs pretty good. I've determined by moving the crank pulley while watching the distributor rotor, that I have 6 degrees of "slack" in the timing chain. My question is: what impact does this have? If it would make a...
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    installing new fuel tank, how best to support

    New belly tank going in under deck. The original tank simply rested on the V-shaped floor joist and then was surrounded by foam. But the tank actually was only supported on the few tiny spots that the tank touched that V shaped joist. There was much ware on the original tank at those points. I'd...
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    replacing fuel tank vent hose

    I seem to remember reading somewhere that a loop should be put into the vent hose when being replaced. I did a search but couldn't find it. Is this correct, and if so, why? Thanks
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    aluminum gas tank repair

    I pulled the belly tank out of our 1984 ski boat today. I had already planned on replacing the filler hose and vent hose. Since I had the deck up to access the hose connections on the tank, I decided to pull the tank out for inspection. What I found are a few spots, mostly on the bottom, that...
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    MCM260 5.7L rust on spark plug

    While changing my spark plugs this weekend I noticed that I have rust on my no.5 plug. Not a lot of rust, but rust none the less. What does this mean?
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