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  1. mia9516

    Anchoring in shallow water with two side posts

    At the lake this weekend I noticed a couple of boats anchored in about 3' of water with two side posts. Both boats were direct drives (Wakesetter and Malibu). One of owners walked out to meet the boat as his wife backed in to position. He then took a fence post driver and drove two posts (one on...
  2. mia9516

    Merc 4.3 Fuel Line Length

    Can anyone provide the length of the metal pump-to-carb fuel line from an 87 4.3? I would like to buy one from eBay but the seller is not responding to my messages and it's somewhat frustrating :/ . I have an 89 4.3 and suspect that they'd be about the same. Thank you in advance.
  3. mia9516

    Throttle cable length

    Specs: 4.3L Mercruiser Alpha One w/2bbl Mercarb What is the length supposed to be from the barrel nut to the carb throttle lever? Mine has a bend in it that's causing the idle cam arm to bend towards the front. I'm 100% sure that that is not normal. I tried adjusting the barrel nut to...
  4. mia9516

    Bow roller height

    Has anyone adjusted the height on their bow roller? I've had my boat for three years and haven't but I'm curious as to if I should. When i launch and load the boat the anchor eyelet has to be dragged over the roller causing premaure wear. is this something that is normal or should the strap...
  5. mia9516

    1989 Mercruiser 4.3 dies at idle

    My 4.3 dies at idle and idles rough. This happens on the water and in the driveway on muffs. I've adjusted the timing, fuel mixture, idle speed, changed spark plugs a month ago, rebuilt the carb last season, and replaced wires, cap, and rotor last season as well. I've read lots of posts tonight...
  6. mia9516

    1989 Cobalt 192 bow hand rail fix

    I've got a port side hand rail that has become disconnected from the bow. The hand rail is about four feet long and is attached to the bow at three locations by what I think are bolts. I have removed the port seat back and found about a four inch hole that was cut into the fiberglass to what I...
  7. mia9516

    Mind your P's and Q's at Lake Arcadia, Oklahoma

    So, not only has this lake been taken over by the city of Edmond from the Army Corp of Engineers and is now blatantly raping boaters with a lake buoy. The ex-jock rent-a-cops that patrol the dangerous boat ramp are nothing short of a delight as well! Just this past Saturday, while out with the...
  8. mia9516

    4.3LX Cracked Exhaust Manifolds, Freeze Plug, and Impeller Question

    During the de-winterization process I discovered that both left and right exhaust manifolds are cracked. The port side freeze plug was laying in the bilge. And the impeller is shot. My questions are the following: 1. What would be my best course of action in regards to the manifolds...
  9. mia9516

    Safety Chain Question

    What would be the best way to extend or replace the safety chain on my trailer? The chain is attached to the inside of the trailer tongue on the under side of the coupler, and underneath the winch post i think. It's somewhat rusted, and i'd like to change it out or extend it just for peace of...
  10. mia9516

    Learned a valuable lesson this past weekend!

    So, where should I begin...? We took out our '89 Cobalt 192 Condurre out to the lake this past weekend. Everything was great. We tubed, cruised around the lake, etc. The boat ran great, minus it stalling when going into forward gear and pulling up to the dock. Around 5pm or so, it was time...
  11. mia9516

    Drain plugs in the swim platform???

    Greetings, I have an '89 Cobalt 192 Condurre. To my knowledge, I am the third owner and I've managed to put together somewhat of an owner's manual that I downloaded from the Cobalt website. What is puzzling me at the moment is the fact that there are two drain holes underneath my swim...
  12. mia9516

    Power steering leak

    Greetings, I'm running a 1989 4.3L Mercruiser Alpha One in my boat. I recently discovered an oil leak in my driveway directly below the drain plug hole. Upon further inspection, I narrowed it down to a leak in the power steering system. I know this to be true because of the low level in the...
  13. mia9516

    Mercarb fuel mixture problem/concern

    I'm running a 4.3L Merc Alpha One with a Mercarb. Last week, while on the lake, I noticed a lot of black smoke coming out the exhaust. This concerned me because the previous day my boat had been running fine with no black smoke whatsoever. I started by making sure I was in the appropriate RPM...
  14. mia9516

    How many bilge blowers should I have?

    Greetings all, I have a 1989 Cobalt 192 Condurre with a 4.3 L Mercruiser Alpha One. While out on the lake this weekend I noticed that the bilge blower may be about to call it quits on me. The reason I know this is because it's making a a high pitch whine while running and when I hit the...
  15. mia9516

    2bbl Mercarb adjustment...black smoke :(

    I have a 4.3L MerCruiser Alpha One with a 2bbl Mercarb. I've had some issues with idling that I've corrected. Currently, the idle is set to 700rpm in neutral. Now the problem plaguing me is black smoke coming from the exhaust while the engine is running? Is it possible to adjust the fuel...
  16. mia9516

    Tune-up parts for 4.3L Merc

    Looking to do a tune-up on my boat before the season is over. She's running kinda rough in idle and looking at the cap, rotor and plugs, it looks like they reached the end of their service life. Can I go to my local auto parts store and get the cap and rotor assembly for a similar engine? For...
  17. mia9516

    Where do I find the model #?

    Greetings, I just purchased a 1988 Cobalt from my local dealer and I couldn't be happier. This being my first boat and all, I would have to say that she's a real gem. One thing that puzzles me though is the model that I have. On the paperwork that I received there are two models listed. One...
  18. mia9516

    Does this look normal? If not, how can I fix it?

    While performing a compression check on my 4.3L Merc yesterday, I noticed a few peculiar items. Not being very knowledgeable about carbs, I am invoking the knowledge of any forum member out there who'd like to help. Please take a look at the pic. The arrow in the center points to the "arm"...
  19. mia9516

    Alpha One outdrive stuck 3/4 of the way using trim switch

    This just started happening about the same time I ran my boat aground:(. Previously I was able to trim the outdrive through it's full range of motion. Now I am able to trim it down but while trimming up, it gets stuck about three-quarters of the way up. I have to use the trailer switch in...
  20. mia9516

    Prop suggestion for a Mercruiser 4.3 sterndrive

    I am looking to replace the existing prop on my 4.3L Mercruiser. It is mated to an Alpha One outdrive. The current prop is 14.5 x 17p aluminum job that has seen better days. The WOT range for my boat is 4400-4800 rpm. Fully loaded (8 people plus 100 lbs of gear) she hardly gets into that...
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