new owner.. great site and a few ??

swaycleveland

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Mar 28, 2010
Messages
91
good evening everyone! so, ive been lurjing around here for a couple weeks now. mostly looking around for helpful hints to my new pride and joy! looks like a great site with tons for info. so thanks to all the posters who lend helping hands!
this is my new toy! shes a 1985 4winns santara 217 fisherman. has a 3.8 litre 4brrl with the 800 (v6) sterndrive
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm218/swaycleveland/006.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm218/swaycleveland/012-1.jpg


i call her my 57 chevy cause i found her like you see it! she had been bought by the original owner brand new. he died 6 weeks later. after that his grandson had the boat out maybe 10 times. it was professionally winterized and tucked away in the barn for the last 15years
Obviously i detailed it from top to bottom and went through the fluids one by one which was a shame because they had never been used. so after fresh plugs and some gas ( new fuel filter) she fired right up! purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrs like a kitten.
that ends the bragging and doteing on my great boat
heres the questions
first how long should it take for the motor to warm up. ive ran it for maybe 2 to 3 minutes tops. its not in the water yet and obviously im using muffs to run it. however the temp gauge hasnt come up at all. i am Definatly getting water flow. it was very cold water out of the hose. ( cleveland ohio still chilly ) am i not running the motor long enuff? or shall i look into the sending unit and or the gauge. i dont feel like running the motor too long and overheating.
the boat being almost brand new, im looking forward to a long life from the motor. now i know sitting is sometimes as bad as being abused. so im going over things as i read them on the forum and the inter web machine.
is there anything i should be looking into other then the usual suspects?
i welcome any advice and i will continue to search this forum.
thanks in advance for the advice
 
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Blk-n-Blu

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
May 12, 2004
Messages
821
Re: new owner.. great site and a few ??

When the thermostat opens you should get hot water exiting through the outdrive area and the transom. You might want to check the hoses at the thermostat to see if they are moving water when you are warming her up. Good luck and welcome.
Don't forget you can download lots of tech stuff from the Adults Only thread at the top of this forum page.
 

zbnutcase

Commander
Joined
Sep 19, 2009
Messages
2,055
Re: new owner.. great site and a few ??

It takes more than 2-3 mins to warm up on muffs, you are probably fine. Those 3.8s were good engines, you will get a long life out of it provided you maintain it and make SURE to winterize it. Happy Boating!
 

swaycleveland

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Mar 28, 2010
Messages
91
Re: new owner.. great site and a few ??

thanks guys for the info yeah i nosed around and found the thermo lead was loose. shes all good now. runs about 165 170 on muffs. and i did for the sake of doing it disconnect the thermo to manifold line to do the gallon per second test. right on spec! looks like shes ready for the water!
 

swaycleveland

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Mar 28, 2010
Messages
91
Re: new owner.. great site and a few ??

ok gentlemen ( and ladies ) new questions... so as you can see i have myself a pretty nice (old boat) im gonna say its brand new cause it has no hour meter and i have the records showing that it may have about 80 hours on it. im goin over her inch by inch.
so my questions are
what would you do? lets call her brand new what would you do to insure that my brand new 1985 4winns with a 3.8l 4brrl 800 stringer stays in brand new condition.
i will surely be changing the fulids and such and all the normal stuff. but is there anything that the normal person would overlook
i plan on having this for a long time.
 

Black as

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Feb 22, 2010
Messages
417
Re: new owner.. great site and a few ??

Buy yourself a workshop manual and have a good read, preventative maintenance will save you money long term, just like your everyday car :D

If you do nothing and wait till it breaks you must have to much $$$$$

Only joking :D
 

fat fanny

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Feb 9, 2006
Messages
1,935
Re: new owner.. great site and a few ??

Go up to the adults only thread and download the service manual for your engine and outdrive and read them cover to cover become familiar with your new girls operation and what it takes to keep her ship shape. If it were me I would most definately make sure the fuel in the tank isn't anywhere near the age of the storage time! or you'll be looking 2 a carb rebuild real quick, also as you said change all fluids and filters double check the belts for dry rot and clean,lube and tighten all electrical fittings, test all mechanicals swithces,lights, bilge pump and gauges before your shakedown cruise and while on it be very observant of everything and document it and compare your documentation on the following couple of outings for any significant changes. With all that being said just use some common sence oyu gain from reading though the service manuals and the adults only thread there is enouhg info in that thread to make anyone comfortable owning a boat. Allot of reading here on I boats will most definately make you more aware of what you need to know to keep your new boat in good operating order everone here is always willing to help just give he basic info 1st boat make,type, engine type and size,outdrive type and size and basic problem and or ?. Good luck hope this helped.
 

swaycleveland

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Mar 28, 2010
Messages
91
Re: new owner.. great site and a few ??

i have the original engine install manual as well as the original outdrive install manual. they came with the boat. i have also downloaded the service manual and have it loaded to my smartphone lol.
fat fanny the tank was emptied at the time it was stored i also inspected it before i added fuel and she was good to go ( its aluminum )
thanks
i guess what i was/am looking for is the odd ball stuff.
the hindsight 20/20 stuff. im better then most around a motor so i feel comfortable there.
how about the drive. can i make the 800 v6 stringer go forever by keeping fluids checked and scheduled PM done.
 

littlebookworm

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Nov 30, 2007
Messages
574
Re: new owner.. great site and a few ??

Assume you are working with a brand new boat. During the first 30 hours, vary your speed and stay away from "wide-open throttle." Follow the maintence schedule in the owners manual. I would suggest you replace all the belts before you hit the water. They may have dried out. Squeeze all the hoses (with the engine off). See if any feel extra soft or extra hard. If in doubt, change them. It's inexpensive insurance. Other than that, enjoy your boat. Good luck. Hy
 

swaycleveland

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Mar 28, 2010
Messages
91
Re: new owner.. great site and a few ??

so gentlemen and ladies... the boat is in the water! shes tucked away in her slip for the summer! trail run went well. no problems ran like brand new! coming back to the dock i did manage to catch a sand bar. however from what i can tell no damage.

Hull brushes anyone have any favorites? the boat is not bottom painted and i dont plan to this summer ( the boat is on the lake erie islands ). i will be scubbing the hull from time to time to keep any slime from forming to badly. after this year ill decide if im gonna bottom paint or not
so im looking for a good brush i can use with anchored to the sandbar to scrub the hull down with.
thanks
 

red85k100rs

Seaman
Joined
Sep 10, 2007
Messages
74
Re: new owner.. great site and a few ??

I would think a new impeller in the outdrive is due.
 

rodbolt

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 1, 2003
Messages
20,066
Re: new owner.. great site and a few ??

a new impeller is WAY overdue.
dont wanna post about hot oil or overtemp alarms coming on.
 

swaycleveland

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Mar 28, 2010
Messages
91
Re: new owner.. great site and a few ??

temp ran at 160 all day. i also tested the stat and it opens at temp. as far as the impeller goes i felt it was in good shape and will be changed out at a later date this year or at the end of the season.
 
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