Search results

  1. Lou C

    Engine dieseling

    I seem to recall this being common on Merc 4.3s and in fact they put out a service bulletin about this. I would make sure that your idle mixture is set properly and idle speed is not higher than specified. My old OMC 4.3 is also a 4bbl (but a Quadrajet carb vs the Merc Weber) and I have never...
  2. Lou C

    4.3 crankshaft/housing oil leak - next steps?

    I think the oil pan on the newer 4.3s is aluminum, so might not be so prone to rust, I have sprayed my tin one with Boeshield/CorrosionX/FluidFilm etc many times, and it's still in good shape...
  3. Lou C

    which carb to upgrade/replace too

    Yep be careful, give the penetrating oil time to work.... the ones that are Alu are usually for under 200 hp engines, brass for those above IIRC. There are actually different flow rates, I saw something about that in my OMC factory shop manual.
  4. Lou C

    4.3 crankshaft/housing oil leak - next steps?

    Want to laugh, well my 4.3 still has the original 1988 short block and neither the front or rear main seal leaks! Kinda like my 1998 Grand Cherokee where both front and rear pinion seals still don't leak neither do the front and rear transfer case output seals. The only thing that leaks on that...
  5. Lou C

    which carb to upgrade/replace too

    I made the sign of the cross and said a couple Hail Marys before trying to get mine loose! And sprinkle Kroil and Freeze off etc like holy water! Time, patience will get it done.
  6. Lou C

    which carb to upgrade/replace too

    Yep in my pic above you see the alu pick up tube, the anti siphon is screwed into that on the left side of the pic, with the rubber fuel hose attached to it. They can be tough to remove, if not removed for a long time. On mine I got lucky, both the anti siphon and the pick up tube came out...
  7. Lou C

    Grease Seal to Spindle Fit

    https://www.jbtools.com/lisle-34550-bearing-packer-handy-packer-for-bearings-up-to-3-1-2-o-d/?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc_pmax-Q950-T1800&msclkid=3cf216097eb0145699e57f8b0fcd32f6 maybe this one is better....more like hand packing.
  8. Lou C

    Grease Seal to Spindle Fit

    https://www.jbtools.com/lisle-65250-universal-bearing-packer/?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc_pmax-Q950-T1800&msclkid=11abbcfebbd71b7584afd57c9e63d2cb this is it. I might try it again but I found old fashioned hand packing better...
  9. Lou C

    Grease Seal to Spindle Fit

    I tried the gadget that you put the bearing inside and you grease it with the gun, I found hand packing still works better, tried it both ways when installing new bearings. On the other hand, I have used the easy lube system for over 20 years and never blew a seal and never had to replace even...
  10. Lou C

    which carb to upgrade/replace too

    Also there are other things that can cause fuel delivery problems, such as a fuel pick up tube with a clogged filter, or a blocked/corroded anti siphon valve. I rigged this up to test mine for leaks, both were fine, my performance problems were simply from bad gas this past season. I tested it...
  11. Lou C

    Frozen engine manifold cracks and likelihood of block survival

    I agree with all of the above, I think there is zero chance the engine didn't freeze. Looking closely at it, the engine appears to be a 4.3, that might be a GM engine vs Merc only because the Merc only version was a 4.5 (but sure looks a whole lot like the old GM V6). I think GM quit making the...
  12. Lou C

    Been a little cold.

    we reached a balmy 31*F here today, and sunny. might get some snow over the weekend then back to the deep freeze with highs between 15-20. So the snow we had last weekend will stick around a good while.
  13. Lou C

    Been a little cold.

    Same here, I posted similar pix.
  14. Lou C

    Been a little cold.

    It would help if I/Os had full closed cooling as standard. The issue is Merc’s attempt to make draining easier doesn’t solve the problem on raw water cooled engines because the east drain systems eventually clog. The manifold drains usually aren’t hard to get at but the block drains on any of...
  15. Lou C

    Boat cover for FourWinns Sundowner to use when towing

    My canvas guy was an older guy who worked out of his house here in Long Island, really nice guy I'd bring him my mooring covers every few years and he would not take any money for re-sewing the seams, so I'd bring him bags of Dunkin Donuts coffee which he loved. He made the cover for me in 2003...
  16. Lou C

    Been a little cold.

    Years back I saw 2 guys in a small fishing boat, the ice wasn't thick like this, one guy on the bow was breaking the ice and the other was gunning the outboard! and they made it out to the bay from the location in my pix.
  17. Lou C

    Been a little cold.

    Guess these guys shoulda pulled their boats…they are commercial fishermen from what I’ve seen, the harbor hasn’t frozen like this in at least 10 years.
  18. Lou C

    Been a little cold.

    Yeah a little cold by me! Someone tried to plow the boat ramp, funny eh?
  19. Lou C

    I/O (Sterndrive) Conversion to Outboards

    With portable generators they depend on residual magnetism to make AC power. So it’s best to run them with a load in them so that the magnetism doesn’t dissipate. You can re-magnetize it using a drill, look on James Condons you tube channel for the procedure on how to do that. I run ours once a...
  20. Lou C

    I/O (Sterndrive) Conversion to Outboards

    So far today I did it 3x and I’d say we got more than a foot, prob like 18”. I have a single stage Toro so you can’t wait till that much snow is done, you have to do it in stages but the single is nice because it cleans down to the pavement.
Top