Search results

  1. ratdude747

    HOA rules say, no boats visible from the street,....

    Why I refuse to live in a HOA neighborhood. Dealing with nonsense city rules is bad enough... Thankfully, no issues with having a boat in the front yard (it has to go there at the moment for muff water access reasons)
  2. ratdude747

    Mercruiser 69729 Alternator (888, etc.) Rebuild notes and info

    Been rebuilding the alternator out of my 1976 Mercruiser 888 (302) and wanted to note some findings and info that don't seem to be on the forum already. Also, I noticed that another member with the same engine may be having an alternator issue, so I figured I better get the info out there. This...
  3. ratdude747

    Mercruiser MC-1: is this play acceptable?

    While putting my outdrive back together (impeller replacement) I noticed some steering/trim play: It's a 1976 Mercruiser 888 (MC-1). This is a project boat that I haven't had on the water yet, so I can't comment on steering performance (it's a standard cable setup, no power assist or...
  4. ratdude747

    1976 888 Fuel Questions

    Parts came in! Good news: I was able to rebuild the impeller (blades aren't facing the same way, but I read that will correct itself on first start as long as I get it on muffs and started soon ;)). After a lot of fighting and cursing (shaft rotation issues) my wife and I were able to get the...
  5. ratdude747

    Newbie question: how do boating fees work at IN state parks?

    To answer the question, turns out I do still have boating coworkers... just need to pay admission and have the lake permit. Not sure if season passes work, but that's a later problem. Beyond initial boat testing I don't know where I'll be boating (river, lake, both???).
  6. ratdude747

    1976 888 Fuel Questions

    To put a close on the alternator tangent: Rebuild hit a snag, which lead down a rabbit hole that ultimatly has me convinced that it was actually working fine. As it turns out, the voltage regulator is a custom part. It has an extra stud drilled and epoxied which works with a jumper on the...
  7. ratdude747

    1976 888 Fuel Questions

    Which is what I figured. West Marine doesn't sell the lower piece, so had I talked it all apart first I would have known to stay home and order both online. But, I also wouldn't have made it to North Indy by 5, hence my haste in going up there ASAP. Good story and excuse to get Skyline Chili...
  8. ratdude747

    1976 888 Fuel Questions

    Will look. Yes, there is a plastic water pocket upon review of the best exploded views I can find. In the mean time, I did ebay an NOS OEM lower impeller housing. Wasn't worth today's drive since I'll have to cover up the exposed outdrive areas anyway... Edit- water pocket looks fine.
  9. ratdude747

    1976 888 Fuel Questions

    Game over. After a 5 hour round trip I made it back with the mercruiser kit... Only to find the shaft and lower housing are also trashed. Had to do a lot of filling on the shaft die to impeller can material being friction welded to the shaft: And the lower housing is melted... The shaft...
  10. ratdude747

    1976 888 Fuel Questions

    Outer tube not looking too good. Inner tube still in upper outdrive and looks ok. Edit: should have bought another housing kit. Housing is melted. So much so the impeller is stuck on the shaft.
  11. ratdude747

    1976 888 Fuel Questions

    FYI: Removed and tore down the alternator... some signs of corrosion in the rectifier and bearings have seen better days. Rebuilding it, as it's a Delco Remy 10si with some marine additions, none of which affect the rebuild parts (other than a jumper on the 2-wire plug, which I can remake if I...
  12. ratdude747

    1976 888 Fuel Questions

    Well, let's give that a try. Smashed the bar down in the vice... Here's what the results is at full hose: Splash out is a lot more "vigorous"... It wasn't dripping down the prop like that before (when not running). That said, running it (no video, my wife was busy gaming), it didn't...
  13. ratdude747

    1976 888 Fuel Questions

    The muffs were a gift from a friend. No debris, they just don't seal very well. I had the hose on full blast. I thought if the impeller neded help from hose pressure that that that meant a bad impeller? Or is such needed to offset the lack of ambient water pressure one would have in a body of...
  14. ratdude747

    1976 888 Fuel Questions

    Per my wife, the portion in blue is what was coming out the prop: The part in red is the muff blowby. Can confirm the blue portion is only present when running. Hoses are (and were) connected as shown in the diagram. No sings of burning on the exhaust boots either.
  15. ratdude747

    1976 888 Fuel Questions

    Installed the thermostat today. Dealing with old Shellac (not a gasket ) was "fun"... Anyway, I retested... 10 minutes later, I hit 175 on the gauge and killed the test. Here's the water flow at 900-1000rpm: That water by the prop was confirmed by my wife (who shot the video) to be all...
  16. ratdude747

    Newbie question: how do boating fees work at IN state parks?

    What I'm thinking as well. But in IN, one can't assume logic. Heck, we once tried to legally redefine pi once: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana_pi_bill Joking aside, I'll ask my local contacts to confirm.
  17. ratdude747

    Newbie question: how do boating fees work at IN state parks?

    Understood on both. I have all the USCG/Federal-specific things safety wise. Maybe I'm being dumb, but I'm still not sure if I need the slip permit if I'm not leaving the boat in the slip. But if there is no actual dock for boarding, then it is needed if I want to board passengers??? I may...
  18. ratdude747

    Newbie question: how do boating fees work at IN state parks?

    Idiot newbie question: how do fees work at Indiana state parks? I know about the $25 a year DNR lake permit. But as a first time boater, I'm confused on the other fees. I know there's entry to the park ($7 per vehicle per day, or $50 a year). But I also see annual boat slip fees ($60). Are...
  19. ratdude747

    1976 888 Fuel Questions

    Finally had the time (and weather) to do some more work. Hose tested the risers... other than the hose/riser combo acting like a plumbing trap (which makes sense, duh), flowed fine. Per my wife, the starboard riser is discharging as one would expect (most flow out of starboard gimbal bypass...
  20. ratdude747

    1976 888 Fuel Questions

    What I was going to ask about. Will try.
View older results
Top