4.3 Merc I/O on a Bayline 185....how difficult is normal maintenance?

[Whiskey31]

[FONT=&quot]How hard is maintenance on the 4.3 L Mercruiser in the Bayliner 185?

Is it anymore so than any other I/O?[/FONT]

 

[JoLin]

You need to be a little more specific. What are you comparing it to? For normal maintenance/repair, an engine is an engine. Difficulty on any of them depends mostly on how tight the engine bay is. You just have to get on the boat and see how hard it is to reach stuff.

The major complaint I had on any of the GM-based V-engines was access to the oil filter, waayyyy down on the port side of the engine. Royal PITA. Current boat has remotely mounted filters that are easy to get at, thank goodness.

 

[poconojoe]

I have the same setup. Mine is a 2003 bayliner 185 with a 4.3 and alpha 1 gen 2. What specifically do you want to know?

 

[Whiskey31]

I have the same setup. Mine is a 2003 bayliner 185 with a 4.3 and alpha 1 gen 2. What specifically do you want to know?

PoconoJoe....What I'm curious about are things like is there an special items that you find you have to do with the engine, special tools, adjustments, etc other than say a 3.0 Merc...are things stuffed in too tight, can you get to items like filters, plugs and such without having to remove a lot...is it easy to drain and winterize, etc

Also in the 185 do you see a benefit to it over the standard engine.

I have a 3.0 Merc I/O in an old boat now, I'm looking around for a new boat and believe I want an outboard, but I really like the layout of the I/O 185, especially the swim platform. So I was just curious to see what the bigger engine may entail...

 

[poconojoe]

I have the "sport" seating which is the rear bench seat and full padded sun platform as verses a doghouse type setup. No problem changing spark plugs, filters and other normal maintenance.

 

[Starcraft5834]

"I have a 3.0 Merc I/O in an old boat now, I'm looking around for a new boat and believe I want an outboard, but I really like the layout of the I/O 185, especially the swim platform. So I was just curious to see what the bigger engine may entail... "

you answered your own ?.. maintenance of an outboard is simpler than an inboard/outboard.. period, end of story....more things can go wrong with an inboard/outboard, ie- if your bilge stops working or is clogged, can result in swamping your engine.. obviously with an outboard that wont happen ever... unless you sink the boat... stick with your instincts here,, get an outboard motor, you might end up spending a bit more for it, but worth it

 

[thumpar]

The ease of access to the motor will depend on the boat. I have the sundeck on mine and can get into the sides to reach each side of the motor. The supports have the middle open with a buttoned on cover that just pop off. You will have to look at the boat you are interested in and see how much room there is.

 

[keith2k455]

Back to back seating with a dog house will have great access. Sport seating should be good as well. I have a walk through transom and it can be a pita. Everything is reachable, but I get a little limited on the one side for space. Battery is also over there, thats a total pita

 

[airshot]

When I decided to go bigger and bought my first I/O I looked at engine access, on many the engine was tucked away so tight no one is going to want to work on them. I did buy a 22' Islander and have all kinds of room to work on the engine, batteries, trim pump or anything else that needs work. When I had smaller boats then an OB was the way to go but when looking at bigger boats the I/O should be given consideration unless cost is not an object. Having been in boating for more than 50 yrs I can easily say the cost of maintaining an I/O is more work, much more but not hard to do with easy access, OB are very expensive to buy and replacement parts are also more expensive than repairing the I/O, but yes the OB has less maintaince but harder to work on. Not sure if this answers your question but that is my two cents worth anyway.

 

[H20Rat]

One other thing to consider... I/O's are MUCH cheaper to re-power... A brand new 5.7 can be had for <$2000. If you have been shopping for new outboard powerhead prices lately, make sure you are sitting down. Same goes for drives, especially if you are talking alpha's. (yes, the labor to install an I/O is more, but certainly no where close to make up for the difference.)

 

[thumpar]

One other thing to consider... I/O's are MUCH cheaper to re-power... A brand new 5.7 can be had for <$2000. If you have been shopping for new outboard powerhead prices lately, make sure you are sitting down. Same goes for drives, especially if you are talking alpha's. (yes, the labor to install an I/O is more, but certainly no where close to make up for the difference.)

The labor to install in I/O drive is about 10 minutes and $10 in gaskets if it is an alpha. I used to pull mine all the time.

 

[Rick Stephens]

Since Whiskey31 is originally asking what the difference between his old 3.0L maintenance needs and a larger 4.3L V6, I'd have to say about double the number of plugs and hoses need undoing to drain the block. Everything else is pretty much identical labor requirement and he already knows what those are like.

Some newer units may have single point drains on them, but generally, a 3.0L owner can pull a couple plugs and remove a couple hoses and the block is dry. On a 4.3L you have to pull the same but on both sides of the engine. And many or most also have a power steering oil cooler that needs draining and they can be fun to reach. Say it adds 10 minutes to winterizing? No big deal if you like twice the HP in your boat

 

[JoLin]

On a 4.3L you have to pull the same but on both sides of the engine. And many or most also have a power steering oil cooler that needs draining and they can be fun to reach. Say it adds 10 minutes to winterizing? No big deal if you like twice the HP in your boat

I got tired of killing myself to drain the PS cooler. It's the one place I use antifreeze. I have a 5-point drain system and I drain all the water from the engines. Then I pull the I/O => PS Cooler hose off at the t-stat housing and pour 1/2 - 3/4 gallon of AF into the hose. That displaces any water left in that line.

My .02