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    Oil Analysis for high-hour 4.5L 250 HP

    I gave up on oil wonkery about ten years ago, but I still check in to BITOG every once in awhile. I don't know exactly which Merc 25w40 this was because the previous owner wasn't that specific. The 4.5L is a relatively new engine, and mine probably has more hours than 99% of them because of...
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    Oil Analysis for high-hour 4.5L 250 HP

    Good morning, everyone. I recently upgraded to a 2019 Monterey that I bought at an auction last spring. It was a fleet boat for a local boat club, so it had 1,100 hours on the clock at the start of the season. The club mechanics told me they changed the oil every 100 hours and use OEM...
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    Oil in bellows questions…

    This is helpful, thank you!
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    Oil in bellows questions…

    Thanks! I’ve ordered parts and tools. I will probably finish the season before digging into it, but the job looks relatively simple once I have everything I need.
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    Oil in bellows questions…

    I also forgot to ask whether I’ll need to re-shim the pack when I replace the yoke? Or can I reuse the existing shims? @achris Youtube videos have been really useful, and I’m about to bite the $150 bullet and order an in-lb torque meter for bearing preload. Kind of frustrating to buy an...
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    Oil in bellows questions…

    Thanks, everyone. Looks like I was wrong about the gasket because it’s still slowly leaking. Seems like time to get some tools and figure this thing out. Yup, it’s slowly dropping. I put things back together, and it dropped from full to the min line after about 8 hours of engine time. From...
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    Oil in bellows questions…

    Right, but that wouldn’t explain the pool of oil in the bellows. It was more than a single paper towel could absorb; I couldn’t believe how much was in there. I expected a trail of oil going downward from that hole because of spillage. The track going upward into the U-joint cavity is how I...
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    Oil in bellows questions…

    It looks like the driveshaft seal may not be the problem. After thinking about it more, I put together a pressure testing rig from an old fuel pressure gauge. I drained the oil yesterday afternoon and pumped it up to 11 PSI. I rotated the shaft last night before going to bed, and 15 hours...
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    Oil in bellows questions…

    Wait a minute… I was looking over my photos from yesterday, and it almost looks like a gasket problem. There’s oil extending upward from the passage and into the hole going into the U-joint bellows. Am I overthinking this, or is this a leakpath from a failed gasket? I can’t imagine how oil...
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    Oil in bellows questions…

    The boat isn’t even five years old, so I’m pretty sure the bellows are fine. They look great from what I can see, and the gimbal bearing is as smooth as glass. I just ordered a spanner wrench that will be delivered on Monday. My first glance yesterday of the service manual was kind of...
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    Oil in bellows questions…

    Now you’re giving me second thoughts. From what I gather, I’d need a spanner wrench, yoke, seal, and O-ring for parts. Maybe a dial indicator and good in-lb torque wrench as well? Do any of these steps require a press?
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    Oil in bellows questions…

    I appreciate the quick responses, everyone. I’ll call around on Monday to see what local shops tell me. It looks like an SEI replacement can be had for just over $1,000 after shipping, so if the quotes seem close to that, I might just replace it.
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    Oil in bellows questions…

    Good evening, everyone. I pulled the drive this evening to check over the U-joints and gimbal bearing. My new boat makes a bit more noise than I’m used to when turning under throttle, so I wanted to check it out. The good news is that the U-joints and gimbal bearing are smooth as glass, so...
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    4.5L Thermostat Replacement Pics

    Good evening, everyone. I haven’t seen many posts about 4.5L repairs, so I wanted to share the photos I took this morning of my thermostat replacement. This one started sticking open last week at 1,110 hours, so I wanted to replace before it thought about sticking shut. Points to Merc for...
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    EVA Teak Deck Pads

    Thanks, that’s good to know. I might take a chance with the kit from the eBay seller because it’s already pre-cut for the boat. I don’t think I have the attention to detail to do a decent job with SeaDek templates, and I’d rather not sink a ton of money into it.
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    EVA Teak Deck Pads

    Thanks, I will have to take a look at that. I’ve briefly thought about ordering a couple of sheets and cutting them myself, but I don’t think I could make it look very good.
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    EVA Teak Deck Pads

    Good evening, everyone. I have a Monterey 224 that does not have the optional faux teak pads over the swim platform and deck. Does anyone have experience with aftermarket pads? SeaDek seems to be a name brand, but they sell large pads that need to be cut to the appropriate size. I found a...
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    Quicksilver 5W30 for all sterndrives

    I’ve run Rotella 15w40 for years because it’s inexpensive and proven to perform well. I used to get into long oil discussions on BITOG and a couple of truck forums before realizing just how little it mattered. It’s pretty rare to hear of a lubrication-related failure. And when you do, it’s...
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    PDF Service manual for 4.5L

    Yup, it’s a 2019 with 1,100 hours. It was a fleet boat for a boat club here in Minnesota that I picked up at auction. They were selling 31 in this auction, and most of them were 2019s with 1,100-1,600 hours on them. The condition of all of them reflected their use; there are far more scuffs...
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    PDF Service manual for 4.5L

    Thanks, that give me more confidence. I found a few articles over the years suggesting rebuild may be needed at 1,500 hours, but that seemed absurdly low to me. At first glance of spec sheets, it looks like the 4.5L is a stroked 4.3L. How much of a different animal is it than my 4.3L?
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