1989 sea Ray 280

Bubbawhite

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May 2, 2015
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Hi im new to this forum my wife just bought me a 1989 sea Ray 280 I paid 10 grand for it. It came with 4.3L engine the owner just installed 5.7L engines in it he said it needed exhaust bellows installed my question is does it need them to run in the water my second question is it has a marine ac unit in it does the boat have to be in the water for it to operate or can I run it while it's on the trailer I've owned serval boats in the past but never one this size so any info anybody can give me would be greatly appreciated thanks
 

Bubbawhite

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May 2, 2015
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Also I can't find any specs or where everything is like vales to open and close and how everything works
 

smokeonthewater

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Exhaust bellows are totally unneeded except for noise control

Marine a/c needs a constant supply of water to operate.... You can use a garden hose and half of a motor flusher pressed over the intake to test it.

Valves and such could be about anywhere depending on who installed the systems. You will have to figure it out.... Pull up any snap in carpets and remove any hatches.... Look and feel around till you find em.

I highly suggest that you enlist the help of someone experienced to check it out and for the first launch.

The seller would likely be a good choice IF he/she is willing.

Otherwise you may need to hire someone for a few hours....maybe a mechanic from your local boat shop.
 

Bubbawhite

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May 2, 2015
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Thanks for the comment i checked the others out they seemed to be new and I'm gonna check the ac today I have another question the engines have a self contain cooling system so can they be ran out of the water? If so what is the normal operating temp. For the 5.7L this boat has been in storage for 5yrs and has not been touch the owners son cranked them briefly so I could here them run
 

smokeonthewater

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you MUST have water supplied to the engines AT ALL TIMES to run them...

Even a few seconds of running them without either being in the water or having a flusher hooked up can damage the impeller and then the rubber exhaust components including internal flappers and the boots

the thermostat should open at 140 deg

Go ahead and change the impellers before you do anything else and it would be a VERY good idea to change the ujoint and shift bellows... at that time check and adjust the engine allignment and inspect the gimbal bearings n ujoints... grease and or replace them as needed.

Change the oil in the lower units.... make sure there is no water and the oil is not milky
 
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Bubbawhite

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May 2, 2015
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Ok that's what I thought but wasn't sure I never owned an inboard so don't know much about them well the big question is was 10grand a good deal for a boat this old was told the engines have less than 100hrs on them and so far the only thing that don't work is the radar system
 

smokeonthewater

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could be a good deal and could be bad depending on what you find..

I wouldn't sell my 28'er for 10k
 

Bubbawhite

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May 2, 2015
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Well so far the radar is the only thing but don't really need it everything else works great still gotta test the ac but that's it thanks for your help really appreciate it I will more than likely have more questions about it when I get her in the water and test drive it
 
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