99 3.0l questions ... Proud owner of 99 Sea Ray 180 /pic attached

[wrxhunter]

HI all,<br /><br />I just purchased a 1999 Sea Ray 180 with a 3.0 merc i/o engine.<br /><br />What should be my top speed ? I hit 43 mph with 2 people yesterday on the lake my RPM was at about 4900 at that point.<br /><br />What is my Cruising speed / ideal MPG speed? ive looked everywhere but cant find it.<br /><br />What should my engine temp be at ? Oil Temp ?<br /><br />I have a little Diesealing issue but searched and found some great info on it. I will be putting in some new 92 octane Gas and I might even buy a can of that Additive SEA FOAM.<br /><br />Thanks all for your help<br />

 

[tommays]

Re: 99 3.0l questions ... Proud owner of 99 Sea Ray 180 /pic attached

43 is about as good as it gets <br /><br />I dont like to run mine above 3800 RPM for long periods of time and think 3400 to 3600 will get your best fuel millage<br /><br />With 30wt oil i run a steady 40 PSI at speed and stay around 150 deg water temp<br /><br />There was a change to a warmer thermostat at some point so i cant say for sure on a 1999 motor<br /><br />tommays

 

[wrxhunter]

Re: 99 3.0l questions ... Proud owner of 99 Sea Ray 180 /pic attached

THanks ! <br /><br />Also should i be tillering the motor up once i hit plain ? or keep it all the way down all the time ?

 

[tommays]

Re: 99 3.0l questions ... Proud owner of 99 Sea Ray 180 /pic attached

Yes use the trim it is trial and error but will make the boat run a LOT better <br /><br />You will start the best with it full down and then raise it as you get on plane<br /><br />If you go to high you will start to get some prop cavitation(sliping)Or the bow may get a littel bouncy(porpoiseing)if you just lower it a bit it should be fine<br /><br />As you play with it you find settings were the boat will run better in rough or smooth water or be able to adjust for how many people are on the boat<br /><br />tommays

 

[akaSharkey]

Re: 99 3.0l questions ... Proud owner of 99 Sea Ray 180 /pic attached

I have a 3.0 and usually run loaded up with people. I dropped to a 17 pitch prop for watersports and only get about 36 Mph now. The holeshot was worth the tradeoff. wrxhunter what pitch prop do you have? Also Welcome to the board

 

[wrxhunter]

Re: 99 3.0l questions ... Proud owner of 99 Sea Ray 180 /pic attached

Thanks !<br /><br />I wish i knew what pitch prop I have ... lol <br /><br />Just the one that came with the boat and he also gave me his spare brand new one

 

[wrxhunter]

Re: 99 3.0l questions ... Proud owner of 99 Sea Ray 180 /pic attached

I did 42 MPH with 4 people in the boat the other day also Now i just gotta live with running it at 3500 RPM so i dont have to fill up all the time

 

[MainstreetUSA1]

Re: 99 3.0l questions ... Proud owner of 99 Sea Ray 180 /pic attached

Congrats on the purchase! I've got a 97 Glastron GX185, same engine with the Volvo Drive. I have found that if you run close to or at WOT and then shut the engine down shortly after stopping, the engine will diesel a little. <br /><br />If you run the bilge blower and idle for a minute or two it will help cool things down a little and stop the dieseling.<br /><br />Also, what does your merc owners manual say for the operating RPM of the engine? I've read that 4600-4800 rpm is tops for the 3.0 Iron Duke.

 

[wrxhunter]

Re: 99 3.0l questions ... Proud owner of 99 Sea Ray 180 /pic attached

thanks ! I currently looking for a manual also ! my boat didnt have all the papers when I bought it. <br /><br />I found a 2000 manual and it says 4400-4800 <br /><br />well i know from now on not to cruise for 15 mins at 4900 rpm !!

 

[harveje]

Re: 99 3.0l questions ... Proud owner of 99 Sea Ray 180 /pic attached

IF you look at your prop there should be #'s on the body and maybe when the castle nut is XXXXX-!!<br />!! will be your pitch, 17,19,21, etc... The numbers are about right on for a 17-18' with a 3.0, mine diesels some also.

 

[wrxhunter]

Re: 99 3.0l questions ... Proud owner of 99 Sea Ray 180 /pic attached

Thanks ! i will take a look when I go to the lake on saturday

 

[Mischief Managed]

Re: 99 3.0l questions ... Proud owner of 99 Sea Ray 180 /pic attached

Oil pressure will vary with viscosity and temperature. Don't be surprised if it's very high on a cool day/cold engine/high viscosity or if it bottoms out below 40 psi at idle on a hot day with a hot engine. The oil pressure alarm will alert you to any real problems.<br /><br />I suspect you should see a fairly steady 175 degrees F on the temperature gauge. <br /><br />You will get substantially more life out of the engine if you stay below 3500 RPM most of the time. I think you are propped perfectly if you can get to 4900 RPM with two people aboard, assuming it's trimmed right.<br /><br />Let it run at idle for a few minutes after a run on plane and odds are good it won't diesel upon shutoff. Another trick is to shut it off in gear and then shift to neutral once it dies. Make sure the dock lines are well secured though... DO NOT run higher octane fuel than is necessary, it will not help performance and the additives in the fuel used to boost the octane will end up leaving deposits on the intake valves, over time, that hurt performance. If the owner's manual says it runs on 87 octane (RON+MON/2) (and I think it does...), there should be no need to buy anything higher unless you have some sort of combustion chamber deposits. Which segues nicely into:<br /><br />I have heard good things about Sea Foam and it'll probably work for you, but I can say with 100% certainty that Chevron Techron fuel additive will remove intake valve deposits and combustion chamber deposits that can cause dieseling.

 

[Mile-High Mariner]

Re: 99 3.0l questions ... Proud owner of 99 Sea Ray 180 /pic attached

Wrx - if you can run at 4900 rpm, you're under-propped. Sound like you need to go up a couple of degrees on your prop pitch or find a larger diameter prop.<br /><br />Also, rather than relying on higher octane gas (octane degrades as fuel sits in the tank, so relying on 92 RON is NOT the best way to prevent dieseling, as a long-term solution), it's a much better idea to check and adjust your timing - it sounds like you may have a serious timing issue that, left unattended, will do a great deal of harm to your motor. Make sure you follow the service manual procedure for checking and adjusting your timing - it's not like checking the timing on an auto engine - or have a qualified marine shop do it for you. Also, check the carburetor adjustment (mixture, idle speed, etc.) to make sure you're maximized there, too.<br /><br />These little 3.0 liter motors are pretty reliable if you just pay attention to maintenance. There are a lot of guys on this and other boating forums who opine that larger motors (V8s) are the best way to go, but, with gas costing what it does now, I think those of us with 3.0s and 4.3s are in the catbird seat. I usually anchor my V8-powered Bayliner in the middle of the lake to use as a party barge and my friends and I run around in our 3.0-powered bowriders for fishing, skiing and wind-in-the-hair fun!

 

[wrxhunter]

Re: 99 3.0l questions ... Proud owner of 99 Sea Ray 180 /pic attached

thanks for all the info guys !! I bought a can of Sea Foam today and im gonna put 1/2 in the fuel tank( along with some new gas ) and 1/2 into the oil crankcase.<br /><br />Ill put up a post on the weekend on how she ran<br />thanks again !

 

[wrxhunter]

Re: 99 3.0l questions ... Proud owner of 99 Sea Ray 180 /pic attached

I went out for a couple hours on saturday ... 22 litres of new gas and Half of can of SEA FOAM and didnt have any dieseling problems all day ... let her run for 1-2 mins in neutral each time.<br /><br />thanks guys !

 

[Mile-High Mariner]

Re: 99 3.0l questions ... Proud owner of 99 Sea Ray 180 /pic attached

WRX - BE CAREFUL HOW MUCH YOU PUT IN THE CRANKCASE!!! I believe the manufacturer's recommendation is for about 4 oz. in the oil, not half a can. My friend accidentally poured 1 whole can into my crankcase and the next thing I knew, my #1 rod bearing was self-destructing and the motor was squeaking like it was preparing to seize. SeaFoam is great stuff, but you have to use it judiciously, and as recommended.<br /><br />Use as much as you want in the gas - it'll help keep your carburetor clean and your engine happy.

 

[wrxhunter]

Re: 99 3.0l questions ... Proud owner of 99 Sea Ray 180 /pic attached

Mile High Mariner- Thanks !! yeah ill put no more than 4oz in the crankcase !! and empty the rest in the gas tank ~!

 

[whywhyzed]

Re: 99 3.0l questions ... Proud owner of 99 Sea Ray 180 /pic attached

Does the Holland River always look like Tea?... Scugog looks like a big pot of Red Rose this year...

 

[wrxhunter]

Re: 99 3.0l questions ... Proud owner of 99 Sea Ray 180 /pic attached

havent been in the holland yet this year... mostly stay in the kewsick area of cooks bay and Snake island area.... But cooks itself is pretty dark like ussuall ..... But last couple times ive been on scugog its been darker forsure !

 

[ntheyer]

Re: 99 3.0l questions ... Proud owner of 99 Sea Ray 180 /pic attached

In case you're wondering, almost all boat reviews with the 3.0 Litre 4 cyl show 3200 RPM to be the best fuel mileage RPM for that engine. 3500 isn't too far from it, but basically, my opinion isthe 3200 RPM is the best and should net you 4 gallons/hour consumption. Speed will vary depending on prop pitch, but a 19" prop should get you around 26MPH or so. If you consistently run the engine around 3200 or so and change the oil every 50-100 hours, the engine will outlive you. Also, make sure you winterize the engine before it freezes!<br /><br />FYI 4 Gallons/Hour equals 15.136 Litres per hour in Canadian speak!