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  1. J

    Dissolve SS Bolt With Electrolysis?

    Opened up the raw water pump on the front of my VP engine to check the impeller condition after an overheat event and accidentally dropped a stainless steel machine screw during the process. Of course, the screw bounced between the stringer and the plastic gas tank and is now rolling around...
  2. J

    DIY Fresh Water Cooling??

    I have been kicking around the idea of putting a freshwater cooling system on the Volvo Penta 5.7 gxi-d engine in my boat. This is a lake boat so I would be happy enough with a 1/2 system (block only) for now. Kits for the "d" version of this engine seem harder to find than some of the other...
  3. J

    Volvo Prop to Solas

    Looking for guidance from anyone that has moved from a Volvo Penta (Aluminum) prop to a Solas Amita 4 (Aluminum) prop. Want to hit the nail on the head first try if I can after an experience in my previous boat buying several props (and losing $$) before I got it all dialed in. My current setup...
  4. J

    Wear Sleeve for Input Shaft Seal - SX-M

    Input shaft seal is leaking and the shop told me the input shaft is worn and needs to be replaced. I retrieved the drive from the shop (they quoted me a low price for the repair to get the drive into the shop and then told me it would cost 2.5X the initial quote to finish the repair even though...
  5. J

    Self-Healing Bellows

    Put new Volvo Penta bellows on my boat in Spring 2015 and found water in the bellows when I winterized the boat today. Are bellows only supposed to last two seasons? What are the chances something weird happened and I will be fine if I check everything closely and make sure it is clean before...
  6. J

    Sand in Exhaust Manifold - What to Do?

    Pulled the risers on my 15 year old 243-hour 4.3 GL yesterday to get a baseline on their condition. Good news is, they looked great! Bad news is, I have a little bit of sand in the exhaust manifold now. I had to use a real fine grit sandpaper (felt almost like emery board, but it was sandpaper)...
  7. J

    Sudden Onset of Oil Consumption

    This is not necessarily a Volvo issue, but I didn't see any other forums to put it in so giving it a go here. I have a 2003 4.3GL-C with around 250 hours on it. I have put about 70 hours on it over the past couple of years. The first season I owned it the engine did not seem to lose any oil...
  8. J

    Data Logging in Boats

    I am looking at boats with fuel injected VP power plants from the middle 2000's model years. Thinking about what I might want to ask specifically for a marine mechanic to check when I find one I am interested in and I am wondering what data might be available from the boat systems. What data...
  9. J

    Volvo Penta Fuel Pumps

    I have read here and there about VP owners with fuel injected boats from the first decade of the 2000 model years having problems with their fuel pumps going bad. In some cases, the pumps had some paint on them inside that would flake off when exposed to fuel and the paint would cause the pump...
  10. J

    Bass Pro XPS Water Skis

    A pair of combo XPS water skis were thrown into the deal when we bought our boat. Looks like they were about $130 new. Anyone use these before? I'm in my late 30's and have got into boating the past few years through my wife's family. I have been up on my FIL's skis a couple times a few...
  11. J

    Alternator and PS Belts for 4.3 GL

    I have read somewhere on the internet (so I know that it's true!) that "marine" belts are made from special stuff and I should use those instead of automotive belts. I am putting some basic spare parts together in advance of a vacation trip this summer and want to include the "marine" grade...
  12. J

    Anode Hardware

    My VP SX outdrive leg was missing the anode when I bought our boat (the transom plate has an anode) a couple years ago and I am now getting far enough down the list of repairs to think about the anode. For background, this boat sees about 2-3 weeks of day use only per year and is put on the...
  13. J

    4.3 GL Spark Plug Gap

    Those of you with the 4.3GL in your boat that also do your own maintenance what gap have you set on your spark plugs? I have an original 4.3GL in my 2003 Four Winns and while checking the gap in the plugs and doing some other spring maintenance I discovered the VP Operator's Manual that I have...
  14. J

    Recommendations for Ladder Screw Hole Repair Below Waterline - Wet Plywood

    My boat has a factory boarding ladder that fastens to the hull below the water line with two good-sized stainless wood screws. The ladder frame wraps over the top of the integrated swim platform and fastens with screws up top also so that the swim platform bears most of the weight; however, the...
  15. J

    Viper Prop Info??

    Today I purchased on CL a very nice three blade stainless steel "Viper" prop in what I was told is a 14-3/4"x21 configuration but I did not measure it to be sure. The seller claimed he bought it from someone who had it on a Volvo Penta outdrive but the seller never ended up using it so he...
  16. J

    First Time Repairing Hull with Epoxy

    I am planning to fill three screw holes in my transom this weekend where a transducer has been mounted. The transducer will not be remounted in this location. The boat in question is a 2003 Four Winns with a FG hull. This will be my first time doing any hull repair or using an epoxy product...
  17. J

    Stern Saver and Trailer Straps?

    I have a Four Winns runabout that has a transducer on the transom a few inches over from the speedo sensor. Prior owner mounted the transducer directly to the transom and used "sillycone" to seal the mounting screws, which are now, of course, leaking. I would like to fix this by filling the...
  18. J

    Winterization - Bilge Pump/Tube?

    Was reading another thread here involving bilge issues and started thinking about winterization procedures. Does anyone drain their bilge pump tubing to prevent freezing of the tube and/or bilge pump in the winter? Don't know if water stays in the tubing on the outbound side of the bilge pump...
  19. J

    Water in Outdrive - What to Check?

    First off, please excuse my long post, but want to get all the facts across so I hopefully get good feedback. Ok, please read on... Just bought a used boat in August and only took it out once before the birth of my third child and some other stuff going on this year so had to winterize it...
  20. J

    Replacing Prop - 3-blade or 4?

    Picked up a 2003 Four Winns Freedom 170 late summer this year. With the original VP 4.3 GL and three-blade 23p prop on this #2k boat it will get up and run nicely, gets up on plane quickly and has a nice cruising speed at 3k RPM (~30 mph); however, a little more low-end grunt may be nice in...
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