Bayliner Newbe.....tons of questions....

First off, I would like to say that I am ready to take the bashing for making this purchase with out the proper checks. I am completely new to boating and although I was a certified auto mechanic, I have never worked on boats. I traded an old truck of mine for a 91 Bayliner Capri with a 3.0. The engine was rebuilt last winter "with receipts" and the boat is excellent cosmetically. Two tubes, skis, 10 life jackets, two props, brand new batt this fall, anti-mussell coating, two covers, and a bimini top. It has one small tear at the seam on the driver's seat, that's it. First off, the title says it's a 1650, but it's a 19' boat.....#'s match the title...typo maybe? Second, I know it's a 3.0 but do not know where to look for #'s for future parts. I found two #'s on the top of the eng. 2215 and 720. No stickers on the eng. Next, I'm not sure what out drive this has. It says force on the stern above the out drive. I checked the oil in the drive and it is perfect, no water or metal, so I didn't change it. The prev. owners stated that it has always been stored inside and the eng. was fogged, but not flushed. This is what makes me nervous....... I removed four drain plugs in the manifold and it is bone dry, not a single ice chip. I know this is an all too common question here.....I have done all of the other winterizing thngs on the list...ie removed battery, lubed linkages, removed prop, stabil in the gas, etc........ should it be brought in just to make certain it has no water in the eng.? The owner said this model drains completely when out of the water and it is not needed?!? I don't know, honestly. I didn't even know that these engs. need oil mixed?!? Is that common with all inboards or just this model? Any thread suggestions for me to read would be great. My next purchase is a service manual for this, any suggestions? Sorry to run on, my wife wanted a runabout....I think it will be fun, but I guess I need to go to marine mechanics school now........

Re: Bayliner Newbe.....tons of questions....

Welcome to iboats!

Based on the engine requiring gas/oil mix, the "Force" label, and the "50" in the model, it sounds like you don't have a 3.0, but an L-Drive, which uses a Force outboard powerhead and an unusual outdrive, similar to to an outboard. I hate to tell you this, but this setup has a terrible reputation. Some of the parts are hard to find and therefore very expensive. However, with proper care and maintenance, they can be reliable and long-lived. Go to the Force outboard section for more information.

All that being said, you seem sure it's a 3.0L. As an auto mechanic, you can certainly recognize a straight 4-cylinder engine (it's made by GM if it's a 3.0) mounted longitudinally in front of the transom. Is that what you have?

Here's what an L-Drive looks like:

Re: Bayliner Newbe.....tons of questions....

Thank you for the response. Fortunately, it doesn't look like that. I'll snap a couple of pics and post them. It is a 4 cyl eng. w/o an oil pan mounted vertically with the starter/flex plate on the top. Pics to follow....thanks again.

Re: Bayliner Newbe.....tons of questions....

triplehooked said:

Thank you for the response. Fortunately, it doesn't look like that. I'll snap a couple of pics and post them. It is a 4 cyl eng. w/o an oil pan mounted vertically with the starter/flex plate on the top. Pics to follow....thanks again.

Click to expand...

That's a 120HP Force L-Drive you're describing. Here's shot of the powerhead without the flywheel:

Re: Bayliner Newbe.....tons of questions....

OMG you bought an L-drive

Re: Bayliner Newbe.....tons of questions....

I stand corrected......I didn't think the upper portion stuck out that far over the prop......it does.. Well, that kinda sucks, I guess. So that is an out board set up basically as an inboard then......I'll look into that section also, but was he right about the water/manifold issue? Don't want to kill a perfectly good L drive....lol. Ohh well, didn't have that much into the truck anyways. BTW... I was a Volvo/Mercedes tech......wouldn't recognize too many GM eng. unless it was a 4.3,327, or a 5.7.

Re: Bayliner Newbe.....tons of questions....

I'm almost positive all the water will drain out when the drive is fully lowered, just like an outboard, so you should be safe in that regard. Double-check over in the Force outboard section to be sure.

What do the receipts from the rebuild indicate was done? What parts were replaced?

Re: Bayliner Newbe.....tons of questions....

This isn't and itemized list but basically the eng. was bored .040 with new pistons, etc.. carbs rebuilt, starter rebuilt, tune, lower unit service. I see the rebuild sticker on the starter, carbs look ok, looks like new wires and plugs, and the lower unit oil looks like new. I think the prev. owner was on the level as far as the maintenance is concerned, prob. wasn't in his best interest to say that the L drive was so unique. I should have realized that 3.0 engs. weren't two strokes. Thanks for all the info. I will be posting on the Force/Chrysler threads for more info. Sorry I couldn't get any pics up, I can't remember the site that has a decent pic compressor, this new computer doesn't have one.