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  1. J

    Power steering fluid in bilge

    Hi, At the beginning of the season, I noted that I needed a small amount of PS fluid. I added a bit, maybe an ounce or two, brought the level up to the bottom of the stick, maybe halfway to the cold mark. I opened up the engine cover a couple of hours after a boat trip yesterday and found a...
  2. J

    Fiberglass edging material?

    Hi, I've got a 1996 Seaswirl bowrider that has a fiberglass doghouse over the engine. The edges of the doghouse have an approximately 'L' shaped plastic trim material that was foam taped to the fiberglass. This apparently served as a protection for carpet and fingers as well. The trim is...
  3. J

    Volvo SX - Yoke seal seepage

    Hi, I vaguely remembering someone writing about this (Don, I think), saying that this seemed to be a common problem with the seal on the yoke shaft in a Volvo SX. I was hoping to dig into this a bit. I pulled my outdrive off the other day to finish my winterization. (I do all of the water...
  4. J

    '91 OMC Cobra -- Transom Leak

    I've been helping my buddy chase a leak in his 20 ft. Reneill. It has a 5.0L carbed Ford with the OMC Cobra in it. At the end of last year, he had a leak from the bottom of the transom cutout into the bilge that was a pretty good stream. About the diameter of a wood pencil. I had warned him that...
  5. J

    How much does a Ford 5.0L weigh?

    Hi, I'm getting ready to pull the engine on a friends boat, a '91 OMC with the 5.0L Ford V-8. He has a significant leak that we can't find, like the bilge pump runs every couple of minutes. I can't seem to find anyone with a big enough cherry picker, so I'm going to build a gantry lift and use...
  6. J

    V/P Circulating pump failure?

    Hi, We had finally a nice warm day on a weekend, so I started to undo the winterization process. Noted that I'm getting a pretty consistent drip of water from what appears to be the back side of the circulating pump. Not a drip from anywhere else. I can't see the source, but its not from the...
  7. J

    VP SX/Cobra - water drain plug question

    Hi, Just finishing up my winterization on my '96 Volvo SX/OMC Cobra. There is a drain plug/vent plug about half way down on the outdrive. When I've pulled it out the last couple of years, no water came out of the hole or anywhere else. This is a nasty little plug and never feels right coming...
  8. J

    Bimini Top extension - forward

    Hi, I've got an odd question. I've got a 20' bowrider, with a 8' long bimini. The manufacturer of the bimini kept warning me that the top was too big. In fact, I think that its too small... Currently, I can rig it to come up to about the back edge of the windshield, but this leaves the front...
  9. J

    Leaking V/P sea water pump - likely suspects?

    Hi, Took my '96 Volvo/Penta out for the first thing this season yesterday. All went well, except for a leak coming from the sea water pump. Its about time for a new impeller, so I was going to get an impeller kit for it. But, I thought that I was seeing water coming from the pulley end of...
  10. J

    Pitot tube extension?

    Hi, I'm moving my speedo and fishfinder transducers to make room for a set of SmartTabs.. Running into a problem that I can't get enough slack on the speedo tube. Can I just cut this (inside the boat) and extend it with some similar diameter plastic tube? If so, how careful do I need to be...
  11. J

    Repair of screw holes and gelcoat chips in transom

    Hi, I'm moving the pitot tube and a fish finder transducer by some inches to make room for a set of SmartTabs. In the process, I pulled the old screws out and found that a couple had created some chips and cracks in the gelcoat. The transom otherwise is in very good shape. It looks like the...
  12. J

    About to swap axles: Any advice?

    Hi, I'm going to swap the existing (non-brake) axle for a new axle (with brakes) on by single axle trailer. I've got the new axle and most of what I think that it will take to mount the new axle. Any words of advice? I have no place to move the boat too, so I'll be doing this from underneath...
  13. J

    Transom Thickness?

    Hi folks, I'm going to have to add a couple of transom eyes to my boat (to accommodate a set of Smart Tabs). I've never drilled through the transom before, so I don't know how thick the transom is. I have a '96 OMC Cobra/Volvo SX outdrive. I assume that most of the transoms are the same...
  14. J

    Thanks to the forum!

    I had the day off today, so I decided to pull my outdrive off and do the annual lube and inspection. Last year was my first with a I/O and while I thought that I had done a good job shortly after buying the boat on the bellows/gimbal/U-joints/etc, I figured that this time would be when I found...
  15. J

    Any opinions on Dexter axles?

    Hi, I'm about to replace the axle on my single axle trailer (blue'd spindles from the previous owner). I'll be adding brakes as well at the same time. After all of the recommendations on this board, I've looked pretty hard at Champion Trailers. Unfortunately, their packages totals out to be a...
  16. J

    SmartTabs: Fitting advice needed

    Hi, After hearing all of the good things that folks have said about SmartTabs, I'm about to take the plunge. My boat is pretty well balanced but the promise of a lower minimum planing speed is/was the trigger for me. Anyway, I went out and looked at the back of the boat (stored outside in the...
  17. J

    VP: Tilt ram hoses - seeping?

    Hi, While doing some minor fiddling on the boat (stored outside for the winter), I ended up with some reddish smudges on the back of my hands. Eventually, I found that it was coming off the hydraulic hoses from the tilt pump. Upon really close inspection I could see tiny dots of reddish fluid...
  18. J

    Volvo Penta fuel filters - are they also a water separator?

    Hi, I've got a '96 V/P 4.3L GL. This has a spin on fuel filter attached at the base of the electric fuel pump. I've used the same part number Volvo filter when I've changed it in the past. Unfortunately, I thought of this question after I sealed the boat up for the winter this afternoon so I...
  19. J

    Recommendations for an oil drain setup for a V/P 4.3L

    Hi, I just started my winterization work today, by draining the oil and pulling the filter. I got most of it out, but I'd sure like a better way. I'm currently using a drill driven pump with the dipstick sucker (sounds like a XXX movie title). I've heard about the oil drain hose setups. Can...
  20. J

    Looking for a fixed VHF and FRS radio

    Hi, I'm about ready to spring for a VHF rig for my boat, but a lot of my friends want to stay with the FRS radios. I'd really like to find a fixed mount radio with the usual VHF stuff, but also included the FRS functionality. I've found two different handheld units one from Uniden and another...
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