1997 4.3lx questions

[jcoelho]

Recently purchased 1997 Chaparral 1935 with 4.3lx merc.

1. Has 250 hours on motor - boat is clean inside and out. Well cared for.
2. Has one piece manifold/risers - been a freshwater boat. Starboard manifold runs just warm to the touch; port manifold is noticeably cooler/cold even - is this normal?
3. Previous owner bypassed the oil pressure switch which controls the fuel pump (bad switch). Is this a common issue? Is the switch expensive and it this a DIY project?

This is my 3rd boat. Had a 2.3 omc, then an older 4.3 merc; now the '97 4.3. Wasn't aware of the discontinued one piece manifold before purchase. Boat is in otherwise great condition. Understand there is a 2 piece manifold conversion kit. Not that I need manifolds yet but just want to know what to expect in the future. So, any information about the manifold issue and oil pressure/fuel pump issue would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[jcoelho]

Re: 1997 4.3lx questions

any responses out there...

 

[Hiliner222]

Re: 1997 4.3lx questions

I have a 98 4.3 LH with the one piece risers- batwings. (salt water). One side is warm to the touch as well. The other is cold. Has never been issue. I have a 162 degree thermostat in it and it never goes above that amount. so short answer from me is, you don't have a problem.
Search the forum, I forget the reason but there is one as to why one side is cooler than the other- again it is nothing to worry about.
I need to change over to 2 piece manifolds and am saving my pennies to do so, did not even run the boat this year because of it .

 

[searay3]

Re: 1997 4.3lx questions

The oil pressure switch is not a big job. Nor expensive. Check the adults only sticky at the top of the forum for a manual. There are two switches. One for the oil pressure guage, the other for the fuel pump. Depending on how the boat is layed out, it may be tough to reach, which could explain the po's not changing it. You do need to change it it is a safety issue...

 

[jcoelho]

Re: 1997 4.3lx questions

thanks for the replies! Hiliner222, where will you get the manifold conversion kits - have you found a good price. They are more expensive than the other replacement manifolds out there.

Searay3 - thanks for the advice.

 

[Hiliner222]

Re: 1997 4.3lx questions

No- I have not found the best price yet. have been seeing a few offered on the internet but need to look a little more closely at it. I wont be doing that until I actually pull the batwings off this Fall -- I want to see the condition of the Y pipe before I start ordering things. Have found prices on the conversion kits to be anywhere from $1100- 1500 depending on how much of each respective kit is all inclusive- some dont come with bolts, gaskets etc. I plan on asking questions before actual purchase to see what comes in the box.
I was going to try to run the boat this year but did not want to tempt fate as have no idea how well the previous owner cared for it. 11 yrs on those one piece manifolds in 6 yrs too many

 

[Bondo]

Re: 1997 4.3lx questions

11 yrs on those one piece manifolds in 6 yrs too many

Ayuh,.... More like 10 years too many....