4.3 Mercruiser fuel supply issue

[Jeff J]

This could be hull style, props and/or the driver’s knowledge but the manager and I somehow ended up crossing the lake at the same time last year. He was in a 270 HP Cobalt 200 (Volvo Penta) and I was in the Sea Ray 210 with a Mercury 150 HP EFI. I got on step faster and walked away from him for the 3 mile ride. I will pick an outboard over an I/O every day of the week. They are easier to work on and winterization consists of simply hanging the motor vertical which is nice for that occasional winter outing.

We had a Yamaha 150 take a hit on the cowl. The cowl jammed the right side cam pulley causing the belt to strip. After replacing the belt and setting the timing the boat ran about an hour before the left side cam pulley broke causing a very hard stop on the engine. Hard enough that we replaced the engine for fear the of the condition of the internals. Of course no one would fess up to backing into anything nor getting hit from behind but the damage to the cowl is obvious. I love the Yamahas but that exposed pulley is a weak point.

 

[Scott06]

It would be nice to just throw it in for our random nice winter days. I took the skiff out on friday--nice 17 mile cruise, but the water really needs to be flat this time of year. A little spray is all fun and games when the water temp is 80', but this time of year, not so much.

Yes definitely advantage of fully draining OB. While I can drain my block (5 plugs easily accessible) we live too far from where we keep it to take advantage of any warm days. You are much farther south..

 

[Lou C]

OB vs I/O the only way I’d still have an I/O is if it is pre cat converters and if it had EFI & it acted up I’d convert it to a 4bbl carb & low pressure electric pump. And, with good engine access. Otherwise if you look at the parts prices for modern I/Os, combined with poor access, there is really no advantage to them. Here in coastal Long Island they still sell on larger cruiser boats but boats under 25’ are all outboard. EPA & boat companies themselves ruined I/Os.

 

[Scott06]

This could be hull style, props and/or the driver’s knowledge but the manager and I somehow ended up crossing the lake at the same time last year. He was in a 270 HP Cobalt 200 (Volvo Penta) and I was in the Sea Ray 210 with a Mercury 150 HP EFI. I got on step faster and walked away from him for the 3 mile ride. I will pick an outboard over an I/O every day of the week. They are easier to work on and winterization consists of simply hanging the motor vertical which is nice for that occasional winter outing.

We had a Yamaha 150 take a hit on the cowl. The cowl jammed the right side cam pulley causing the belt to strip. After replacing the belt and setting the timing the boat ran about an hour before the left side cam pulley broke causing a very hard stop on the engine. Hard enough that we replaced the engine for fear the of the condition of the internals. Of course no one would fess up to backing into anything nor getting hit from behind but the damage to the cowl is obvious. I love the Yamahas but that exposed pulley is a weak point.

So the yamies are an interference engine. Whether car or boat an engine exploding itself over a belt never sat right with me.

 

[Jeff J]

There wasn’t any indication of internal damage when the belt stripped. The manual says the valves can hit the pistons if the timing isn’t correct. Stripped belt pretty much guarantees the timing being off. However, when the pulley broke, the seal on the other cam let go for some reason.