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  1. jmarty10

    4.3 l merc operating temp

    Last night I noticed my temp gauge was creeping close to 180 on my 4.3l merc, alpha one. Thats the highest Ive seen. The gauge increments from 150-180. Most of the time its between 150-180 but when opening the throttle to about 3500 rpm it slightly crept to close to 180. The boat is two...
  2. jmarty10

    small runabouts and big wakes

    I'm curious to find out how boaters with 17-19 foot runabouts handle wakes. Yesterday on an extremely crowded river my 18' larson i/o was tossed around pretty good. The smack of that bow coming back down makes your jaw rattle! I try to keep my boat on plane and hit the waves at an angle, but...
  3. jmarty10

    water seperator/gas question

    Ok - after practically tearing my shoulder off, I took my old water seperator off my 4.3 merc. When I was unscrewing it all the way off it slipped and gas poured out about half of the old seperator and down into bilge. (1 problem solved, another created) I ragged up the gas going down into the...
  4. jmarty10

    ugh! mid 30's in Northern IL?

    Hello all. I started up my boat this weekend to get it ready and now I see lows today and tommorow will be in the mid 30's. 33 degrees tommorow night?? I'm thinking about putting it in my garage for a couple of nights with a space heater? What does everyone else do when the temp slips?
  5. jmarty10

    First Start got white smoke?

    Hello all - I have a mercruiser 4.3 alpha one 2008 larson. I just started it up for the first time and it worked. Checked oil level, gear lube monitor, put charged battery in, checked all gauges, put muffs and water on. Cranked boat for about 10 seconds - no go. Let it sit for a couple of...
  6. jmarty10

    merc fuel filter/water seperator

    I just purchased a quicksilver fuel filter/water seperator for my mercruiser i/o 4.3. I am going to change the filter this weekend before I start the boat for the season. I saw on another thread when researching the timing of when to replace filter that some are adding gas to the filter before...
  7. jmarty10

    flame arrestor removal

    Trying to start doing some basic maintenance this spring and one of them will be to clean the flame arrestor. I have seen many posts on how to clean but not a lot on the proper removal. I have a 2008 mercruiser 190 hp i/o with an alpha 1 drive. It has a carb (not fuel injected) and is called...
  8. jmarty10

    Winterization Question

    I have a mercrusier 4.3l Alpha one i/o. Took my boat in to get winterized to a local mechanic. Checked him out, talked with him, looked at shop and he is a certified mercury/mercruiser mechanic on website. He also says he been in business for 25+ years. So he did the works for me, oil...
  9. jmarty10

    lower unit thrust

    Heres a dumb question. If you have youre drive set at trailer up position, would there be enough of thrust to power up onto the trailer? The water was so shallow on Sunday that I literally had to start raising the unit to trailer up. I was trolling at idle speed. I hit the trailer but am...
  10. jmarty10

    My boat storage dilema?

    Looking for advice on where to keep my boat during the boating season. I cant make up my mind. Currently - I keep my boat on trailer at a marina 20 minutes away. Its kept inside. When I want to use it I make a call, he pulls it out, I prep it and he drops me in water. When I'm done boating...
  11. jmarty10

    Winching up to bow stop

    I have an 2008 18 foot larson fiberglass bowrider with an EZ loader bunk trailer. I am having difficulty getting the boat to sit tight on the bow stop roller. I kept the top of the bunks, maybe a quarter of them, out of the water. The boat actually came up to the bow stop, It seemed to have...
  12. jmarty10

    How many times per year do you go out?

    I live in Northwest Chicago and I'm wondering how many times per year you take you boat out? I'm at 13 year to date and with good weather at the end I'm probably going to get out about 18 times.
  13. jmarty10

    Vault System Bearings

    Has anyone ever heard of the Vault system for trailer bearings. I have a 2008 EZ loader trailer and the bearings use a hybrid oil. EZ loader said there is no maintenance for 5 years to these bearings. Has anyone ahd experience with them. The companys name is UFP out of Santa Monica. Sounds...
  14. jmarty10

    Prop Nut

    Merc, Alpha one 4.3. Well I dont change my props out often but I dinged mine up quite a bit today. The prop is off but I forgot which side of the nut gets screwed down toward the shaft. Is it the thinner/beveled side of the nut or the full size?
  15. jmarty10

    Throttle/Screw Issue

    I think I have a minor problem that has been fixed. On Wednesday I noticed two screws popping out that hold the throttle control box/plate to the boat on my larson 180. When i got home I tried to tighten screws but they were just spinning. I took two thicker screws (not longer) and fastened...
  16. jmarty10

    Bilge Blower died

    I have a 2008 larson 180 sport I/O. When I was out yesterday my blower was working but by the end of the day when I re-started the boat it was out. The kids were jumping around the back of the boat wet where the air inlets are. The switch works fine and all other gauges and radio work. Is...
  17. jmarty10

    gear lube level

    I have a 2008 larson 180, mercruiser sterndrive 190 hp. The boat currently has 22 hours approx on the engine, so techinically its "broken in" I noticed that while checking fluids the gear lube monitor was a little above the add line? When checking before, it was at the full line. Is it...
  18. jmarty10

    Boat is short of bow stop

    I had a little trouble on Saturday loading my 18 foot bowrider back on to trailer from launch. I came up about an inch and a half short of hitting the bow stop. The winch is extremely tight now and I cant crank it anymore. I dont want to snap the strap. My safety chain is connected and the...
  19. jmarty10

    Antifoulding Painting Q's

    Hello all - I have been considering keeping my 18' fiberglass bowrider on the water. I understand that I have to use an antifouling paint. What are the procedures to apply the paint? Also, the boat is on a trailer, I'm a little confused on painting where the bunks are? What about painting...
  20. jmarty10

    aluminum or stainless steel

    I currently have a 3 blade aluminum prop for my sterndrive 190 hp boat. I'm thinking about purchasing a stainless steel prop. I boat on the fox river and some areas are pretty shallow. Each year I tear up at least one prop and ding another pretty good. I'm thinking stainless steel will not...
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