Recent content by James P

  1. J

    Painting the gelcoat

    I have an old 84, 18 ft Ranger that has oxidation so bad the gel coat is gone but just on the part where the flakes are, if that's what they're called. The white part underneath is fine. My question is: Can this just be painted like a car would be painted and how would it look? Also...
  2. J

    Rack and pinion steering/ jack plate issue

    When I got my 84 18' Ranger two years ago, it needed just one 12 foot Morse cable. I changed it with no difficulty, running it through the original hole not made for a jack plate. Not too long ago one of the techs on here mentioned that if you run the cable through the same hole it will be bent...
  3. J

    Aerator elbow almost sunk my boat!

    For those of you that have ever replaced an aerator pump for your livewell I hope you put the kind that is in line and doesn't have an L or elbow. Recently after just getting on the water my boat began to fill with water. I immediately went to shore and discovered the elbow had broken. When...
  4. J

    After oil injection removal

    Is there a need for any carburetor or other adjustments? Also, does the plug to fill the space of the driven gear need to be gasketed or siliconed where the two bolts go in? Thanks in advance
  5. J

    Better not prime this Mariner 40 2002

    This boat is not mine but I fish out of it half the time. My friend doesn't do the computer thing and wonders why if he primes the bulb he can never get it started but if he leaves it alone it will start and run great! Seriously! He doesn't even mess with the bulb. Mine would never start if...
  6. J

    Partial oil injection removal

    2001 Mercury 150 xr6 I removed the two oil hoses from the engine oil reservoir and plugged them off with bolts. I've read where there is some type of plastic gear to remove and something needed to fill that space. Removing and plugging the oil hoses is all I did other than using teflon tape...
  7. J

    Condensation or leak

    I have a 2001 Mercury 150 XR6. This fall when I was draining my lower unit I noticed it had a small amount of water in it. My question is: Is it possible to get water in the lower unit oil through condensation? I changed it last year and didn't notice the water.
  8. J

    Oil injection removal cost for a mechanic

    I have a 2001 Mercury 150 XR6(carbs) and just wondered the price I might expect a mechanic to charge to remove the oil injection system. Thanks
  9. J

    Thrust ratings--Have they changed?

    I have to admit that when my daughter was old enough to play sports I left the world of fishing for about 10 years. When I got back into fishing it seemed the trolling motors thrust ratings were so much higher than they used to be. I remember the engine hp ratings changed at a certain point in...
  10. J

    Told to just disconnect surge brakes

    New to this forum or any forum so forgive my ignorance. I haven't had this boat long and have never owned a boat more than 15'. This boat is an 18' ranger 1984 375V with a 150 mercury. Boat weighs 1200, engine 400 and the trailer is a double axle with what I've been told are surge brakes...
  11. J

    After the motor is broken in

    My motor is a 2001 mercury 150xr6(carbs). I use seafoam occasionally but rarely exceed 4000 rpms. For best performance my question is: Should I take the motor up to max rpms occasionally, often, or am I fine driving like a senior citizen? Growing up I would always here the words "blow the...
  12. J

    Hours on an engine?

    I read on this forum and others where boaters say their engine has x amount of hours on it. Are they just estimating or is there a digital readout somewhere? If not digital is there some type of computer hookup to find the hours? I just purchased my boat about a year ago and was told the...
  13. J

    Smart monitor for Optimax

    A friend of mine is buying a new 150hp Optimax. I told him I had read about a Smart Monitor or (something like that) was made for the Optimax. It would give you a read out or code when something was wrong. I would assume the oil and water temp alarms would still function. If this is correct...
  14. J

    What exactly is the pad of the boat

    I've owned a boat since the early 70's but I've only had a boat with any size since last spring. My boat is a Ranger 375v with a 150xr6 Merc. This motor/boat has a jack plate that I understand will adjust to raise or lower the engine. I read in forums about the prop being a certain distance...
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