help w/ 88 sunbird corsair 2.3

Pro2x

Recruit
Joined
Aug 23, 2008
Messages
1
First off, I would like to introduce myself to the board since I did not see an introductory section. My name is Brandon and aside in Montgomery, AL. 21 years old and going to school to get my criminal justice degree to get into law enforcment. Love outdoors, boating, wakeboarding, fishing, etc.I am a member of Frontier boards as I own a 05 Nissan Frontier CC v6 lifted 7" w/ 33's and lots of ther mods.Like to go trailin and get a little dirty.Anyways, hoping to have a positive time here on this board and get more familiar with boats so hopefully I can start on my next project.

Heres my problem. Im trying to buy a 88 Sunbird Corsair with 2.3L motor cobra outdrive.(yes I know these are not the best choice to go with but we own another 88 sunbird with the same options and it has been a good boat since we bought it new in 88). I was going to pay cash today but I wanted to drive it first. Before I arrive at the house to pick it up, the owner calls me and tells me I can not drive it b/c he suspects the thermostat is stuck and it was getting too hot. No big deal, so I bought a thermostat thinking I could just put a new one in and go test drive. Since it was about to storm, he told me to just trailer it home for a week/two, fix it, and take it for a ride when its done. I get it home and start tearing it apart and I find the thermostat is not in there. So, that means its not a simple fix. My next two options are water pump or the impeller. Since I have not bought the boat yet, I do not want to put money into nor a lot of time into it. So, my question is, it there a test I can run to see exactly what could be messed up? He did tell me the motor was rebuilt about 20 hrs ago. He also mentioned something about the impeller but didnt really say what or if it was replaced. I will get more info from him tomorrow.

Any help would be greatly appreciated..
 

jerryjerry05

Supreme Mariner
Joined
May 7, 2008
Messages
17,924
Re: help w/ 88 sunbird corsair 2.3

The impeller is on the back of the drive easy to replace.Pull the cover and see if it's bad.Remove the old impeller and look for pieces in the water passage.If the thermo is out that might cause it to run hot.
Sounds like the seller might be a rip off.Jerry
 
D

DJ

Guest
Re: help w/ 88 sunbird corsair 2.3

You can pull the hose off of the t-stat housing and start the engine (on the muffs with a good strong water source). That will test your impeller.

Yes, you need a t-stat to avoid "hot spots" in the engine.
 
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