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  1. Lou C

    PSA for inboard gas owners.....

    Gas fumes are a significant hazard for gas inboard owners. In addition to sniffing before starting up, proper fueling practices and use of the blower, it's a good idea to have a gas vapor detector installed on your boat. I went one step further, I got a hand held combustible gas detector...
  2. Lou C

    was thinking of changing over to a Delco EST system from points....

    And I saw Michigan Motorz selling the complete kit described as https://michiganmotorz.com/4-3l-delco-voyager-est-marine-electronic-distributor-kit/ I asked them is this genuine GM or aftermarket, they did respond quickly and said it is Sierra aftermarket....so....seeing as how some aftermarket...
  3. Lou C

    For Cobra guys who have water in the gear oil….

    One of the main causes of this is the water pump seal in the water pump adapter which is what the impeller housing bolts onto. There is a you tube video by Micheal Roemer that explains an easier way to do this than what’s in the shop manual. To change that seal the water pump adapter has to come...
  4. Lou C

    Fuel starvation conundrum

    Ok so all season had a performance problem where the engine was reluctant to plane the boat and max rpm was way low 3800-4000. First I went thru the ignition system & verified total timing advance, then rebuild the Qjet (but no real problems found). Next ran it on the remote tank with fresh fuel...
  5. Lou C

    How much water pressure is too much, for running on the hose?

    This is something I have wondered about for years, when running your I/O on the water hose, some say use full water pressure, some say it's too much, use 1/2 open, so I got curious and bought a water pressure gauge. I found that my household water pressure is 90 psi, and it doesn't matter if...
  6. Lou C

    Winterizing, use E-0 stabilized gas or install shut off valve and run carb out of fuel?

    I’ve been thinking about this, here we are stuck with E10 at most marinas & gas stations, but there is one station that sells E-0 94 octane gas (started using it in my small engines). Would it be better to hook up my outboard tank & run it on that, then fog it, or, install a shut off, run it on...
  7. Lou C

    Ok Merc guys can you shed light on this....

    I was responding to someone who posted up on the hull truth about water in cyls on a Merc 5.0, the owner found that his intake was leaking apparently from a fitting that has a copper tube that connects the intake to the exhaust elbow. Leaking from the inside of the intake, into the cyls on that...
  8. Lou C

    thinking of a Delco EST ignition system conversion but have a few concerns....

    One thing, is how available are the Delco D1965A modules? I searched around for these just to see how easy they'd be to find, and am not seeing that they are that easily available. For a $575 cost (from Michigan Motorz) I'm not buying something that is useless if you can't get a module, yes I...
  9. Lou C

    Need some info on adapting a Sierra A1 marine fuel line to a Carter mechanical fuel pump

    OK got a question about using a Sierra A1 flex fuel line (this is if I wind up converting from my Quadrajet to an Edelbrock in the future), this Sierra line has brass fittings that appear to be 5/8ths" but the threads in the fuel pump are 1/2". At the carb end the Sierra threads right into the...
  10. Lou C

    If you're wondering if your anti siphon valve is stuck, or clogged, here's a test....

    I had mine replaced years ago, always wondered if there was a way to test it to make sure it's not starting to stick again. I have a pressure and vacuum tester for the outdrive, so I rigged up a way to put a vacuum on a new un-installed anti siphon valve and see at what point it opens, about -2"...
  11. Lou C

    Suzuki DF 2.5 misfiring at higher RPM

    2021 Suzuki DF 2.5 nearly new, very low hrs. This isn't mine but it is a relative's that I am trying to fix for him. First it was left with fuel in it and wasn't starting, so I cleaned the carb as well as I could and tried it again and it starts and idles fine, will pick up RPM but at higher RPM...
  12. Lou C

    End of season maintenance checks…

    Since I did my top end overhaul back in 2017 I’ve been doing oil analyses and compression tests just to see if there are problems developing. Oil analyses have improved over time and this years compression test was the same as last years, 160-165 in all 6 cyls. I think it’s a good habit because...
  13. Lou C

    A real useful tool….

    I got one of those endoscope camera and esp for I/Os used in salt water they are real time savers. Today I used it to scope the water intakes of the Cobra drive where I have had an issue with barnacles growing there in the past. Found a little growth easily removed with a coat hanger wire. I’m...
  14. Lou C

    PSA for those with the MerCruiser quick drain system, EVEN in fresh water!

    https://www.marineengine.com/boat-forum/threads/engine-drain-ports-clogged.482165/ as has been posted many times here, and I'll add, this is a fresh water boat, so it doesn't happen only in the salt pond where I spend my time....
  15. Lou C

    installing a remote oil filter set up, got a question....

    OK I bought this remote oil filter set up from Michigan Motorz that will work on my 4.3 with Volvo style exhaust. They sent a roll of teflon tape to seal the threads of the connections but I have read not to use teflon tape on oil or gas threads. So then what to use if anything? Permatex thread...
  16. Lou C

    2 stroke oil discussion

    This is in response to the closed thread about 2 stroke oils; just what I learned doing a bit of research& talking to a Toro (2 stroke snow blower) factory rep. I have 3 Echo machines & 1 Husqvarna they all get 2 stroke for air cooled engines (Echo Power Blend) the one exception is the Toro 2...
  17. Lou C

    What to use to prevent oxidation on fuse box terminals?

    I’ve had this happen a few times with the old fuse box under the dash of my ‘88 Four Winns; something will quit working & I remove the old glass style fuse clean off the terminals & it works again. Should I use dielectric grease, conductive grease or NoAlox to prevent the oxidation? Eventually...
  18. Lou C

    If you have a roller trailer used in salt water....check this....

    So I was replacing the aluminum roller bar mounts on my old Load Rite with lower ones to get the boat a bit lower on the trailer. I found that the 1/2" diameter bolts were getting pretty rusted and deteriorated so I replaced all 4 of them (easy to get parts right from LR, order on their website...
  19. Lou C

    Standard Horizon 890 charger makes interference in Standard Horizon 1400 Eclipse hard mount when charging.

    As it says in the title I have a Standard Horizon 1400 Eclipse hard mount VHF & a Standard Horizon 890 mounted in the charger cradle. When I plug that into the 12v power outlet on the dashboard it makes interference in the hard mount radio. It is noticeable at first but in a few seconds it...
  20. Lou C

    battery charger question....

    Question, I have an older Schumacher "smart" charger that I have had, about 10 years. Today I was using it to charge one of batteries on the boat, the other battery I was charging with a newer NOCO 10 amp charger. Just out of curiosity I checked the charging voltage of both batteries, the one on...
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