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  1. l008com

    New Winch or Winch Strap?

    The other night, in the middle of some crazy shenanigans, my winch strap snapped. It has been looking a little iffy lately but it snapped before I got around to addressing it. And no I didn't lose the boat on the highway :D I'm just wondering, is there any reason NOT to replace just the...
  2. l008com

    Boat Died on the Charles River (Massachusetts) - Had to Self Rescue!

    I wanted to tell all the details of this crazy night I just had, separate from trying to figure out what is actually wrong with the motor, and how to fix it. So I made a separate post for the actual repair. This post is just for the story! My boat is a 15' Thundercraft bowrider with a Mercury...
  3. l008com

    90hp outboard died suddenly, wouldn't restart

    Part 2 of my adventure, the actual problem . . . So I went for my first boat ride of the season today. I have a 1989 Mercury 90hp 3 cylinder, 2-stroke outboard. It can be a little tough to get started at first, but once its running, its very reliable. Thats my assessment going all the way back...
  4. l008com

    Surging Mercury (with audio)

    In a previous post, I figured out that my oil leak was coming from my carbs, not a leaky oil line. The consensus was that fuel was leaking in to the carb, evaporating, and slowly filling the bowls with oil. Since figuring this out, I've been disconnecting the fuel line when I'm done boating...
  5. l008com

    Water in my lenses

    Ok so 2 or 3 years ago, I bought new lights (2 brake lights, 2 amber markers) and a full wiring harness and I fully re-did my trailer. Including soldering all connections, greasing them, and heat shrinking. AND I did full ground wires, no grounding to body. I wanted to never have problems with...
  6. l008com

    Retractable Stern Light

    I installed this really nice retractable stern light on my boat some 14 or so years ago. It extends manually like a fat radio antenna, with a 2NM LED at the top. Its super handy because it's always there when you need it but its never in the way. So one thing lead to another (not really) and I...
  7. l008com

    Old 2-Cycle Mercury Oil Leak

    I had a post I started about this last year but I wanted to start fresh. The motor is a 1989 Mercury 90HP outboard, 2-cycle 3-cylinder For the last few years, it seems to have a slow oil leak. Slow enough that the tank isn't running low or anything, but fast enough that theres always oil...
  8. l008com

    Smokey Engine - Air/Fuel problem or Oil/Fuel problem?

    I've got a 1989 Mercury 90hp and these past few years, it's running a lot smokier than it ever used to. Looking in to it a bit, smoke can happen from a bad air fuel mix on a 2-cycle engine. It can also happen from a bad oil-fuel mix going in to a 2-cycle. My motor is oil injected, so it's...
  9. l008com

    Steering Slack and Stiff Steering

    I just put my boat in the water for the first time this year, today. Yeah, in September :( The steering is very tight. I suspect it just need a lot of fresh grease. Is there a specific type of grease you need to use for steering (like suspension grease) or is it just regular old thick marine...
  10. l008com

    Old Mercury Leaking 2-Cycle Oil

    I've got a problem. My motor leaks 2-cycle oil. It's not a big enough leak that it affects the operation of the boat. If you fill the tank, it will still take a very long time to run out. But it's getting everywhere. Every surface inside the cover is coated with oil. If I tip the motor up...
  11. l008com

    Dust Cap Woes

    I've been having nothing but trouble with my dust caps the past few years. I've gone through half a dozen of them. Either they refuse to go on and get absolutely destroyed while I try to hammer them on, even when using a PVC pipe like you're supposed to. Or I finally get them on nice and tight...
  12. l008com

    How do these spark plugs look to you?

    They look really good to me but I'm no mechanic. I don't remember when I replaced them last. Might have been a few years ago, might have been 10 years ago.
  13. l008com

    Overheating at idle, cool as a cucumber at speed

    Story time: To my knowledge, I was having no thermal problems before yesterday. So I went for my last ride of the year yesterday since it was about 30° above normal outside. I went up a small river which was just full of leaves. So after an hour or so, the engine starts smoking. It's a 2 cycle...
  14. l008com

    Draining Mystery Water

    I've noticed lately that when I get in from a boat ride, I have water in my bilge. These are typically about 3 hour boat rides. These are days when theres minimal waves and wind, and I'm mostly on rivers anyway so I am sure no spray is coming in. The plug is nice and tight. I use a wrench...
  15. l008com

    What is this leaking from my lower unit?

    I unwrapped my boat today for the first time all year. The first thing I did was change the lower unit oil. I drained the old stuff out and put some brand new stuff in. I barely used the boat the last few years so the oil that came out was super clean. I filled up the new stuff and I'm on my...
  16. l008com

    Lubricating Horn Air Compressor

    "Drip 4 drops of light machine oil into the compressor" What is light machine oil? I don't have any. I have plenty of WD 40 though, is that good enough?
  17. l008com

    Gear Oil Questions

    I usually head down to West Marine and pay top dollar for gear oil every season. But is there a gear oil I can get at an autoparts store that will work as good, or better, and cost less? Second, very related question. To change this gear oil, you have to remove two screws and these screws have...
  18. l008com

    Cannot Get Dust Cap On!!!

    One of the dust caps disappeared off my trailer. It's probably at the bottom of the Mystic River. So no problem, cheap and easy enough to replace. Or so I thought...... I bought a new set and try as I might, I cannot get them on. They have to be the right size, they're way too close to not fit...
  19. l008com

    Does my engine have a problem? Or is this normal behavior?

    I've got a 1989 Mercury 90hp outboard, 3 cylinder. It's been on the family boat since the mid 90s. The way I use the boat changed significantly around 2009 or so. When I went from using it to drive high speed around a small calm lake, to driving it at much slower speeds in and around larger...
  20. l008com

    Suggestions for a Phone Mount?

    Greetings! My boat is a 1984 model so as you may have thought, it does not have any smart phone holders :) I do have a radio i've aded that includes an iPhone input that plays music from the phone and also charges the phone. And Its also nice to use some of the charting apps as water-gps too...
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