muskie hunter
Petty Officer 2nd Class
- Joined
- Jul 29, 2007
- Messages
- 158
A little backround history.. I am a car and outboard person and I do all of my own work no matter what the problem. Engine transmission ect.. I know exactly squat about Mercruiser I/o.
Anyway I purchased a 1996 Wellcraft 26 SE Excel with 150 hours on it. I thought initially that I had paid enough to buy myself out of any problems. I was wrong!
The exhaust manifolds were rusted clear through, and the raw water pump was toast. The PO hooked the water hose to the transom. I questioned him about not putting muffs on it, but he assured me that this is the way you do this boat. He was wrong! He was hooking the water to the deck wash system. The motor was not getting any water whatsoever. This didn't hurt it since it was only run for a few minutes. It also kept me from seeing the exhaust manifold leaks because no water was running through it.
I took it to the marina (he's the one who told me about the exhaust manifolds). I contacted the PO who graciously antied up $1,000 towards the repairs.
Hang with me - this is where it starts going down hill.................
I told the marine mechanic that I needed the boat in approximately 2 weeks when I would have time to use it. This idiot had the boat for the full 2 weeks and had done nothing but cry and complain that it had been run in salt water. Finally, at the end of the 2 weeks he got off his *** and ordered the manifolds, but hadn't even started working on taking the old ones off. This wasn't because he was overwhelmed with work. He just didn't want to work on a boat that had been run in salt water.
I lost patience and finally picked the boat up - unfixed. I explained that maybe I had misled him on what I do and don't know about wrenching, and that I run a snow plow truck and am plenty accustomed to salt. That said, I had the manifolds off in less than 2 hours. I then had to wait another week for the new ones to come in, which put the total wait time to 3 weeks now.
I thought I had all my troubles fixed, including the water pump, but I couldn't get that lucky. The boat has a Quicksilver 3000 classic controls which decided that they didn't want to work any more. Guess what? You can't get parts for them anymore. I removed, disassembled, repaired and reinstalled them just to get me by for at least 1 maiden voyage.
I took it to the lake, my idiot brother launches the boat like it's being shot out of a sling shot. I jumped aboard as the boat floated past, started the boat, pulled back up and let him board. We get 200 yards off shore and it dies. Upon trying the boat starts and dies, starts and dies, etc..... I used ether on it and as long as you spray it, it ran fine. I end up swimming the boat to shore, but not before my brother dropped the windlass anchor on me. He must be shy a chromosome or something. At home I pulled the fuel pump, reached into the raw water pump and find that the cam is spinning on a shaft ( which a dealer tells me sometimes happens). So, I ordered the complete raw water pump re-build kit with bearings and axle. I also ordered a new water pump. I later find out that the cam on the axle is fine and the thing that is floating in there is supposed to be floating. So, I rebuild it and put the new water pump on and try to start the engine. It starts and dies, starts and dies, etc. Can you sense my frustration here?
I pull the fuel line from the carbeurator (it's the only thing left that could be wrong) and find out that it is completely full of garbage and bad fuel and 3/4 of an inch of slop in the bowls. I find out that it's a Weber carb, order a kit on line wait over a week and never get my kit. I call the company and they say it was an OMC part number. I said no, it is not. It's a Mercruiser part number - a rebuild kit for a Weber carb. Thanks to the people on the board, I find out that Weber, Carter, and Edelbrock are owned by Edelbrock. This is not a Weber carb - it's an Edelbrock carbeurator. I ended up purchasing an Edelbrock part number 1477 rebuild kit at Jegs, just down the street from my house! It costs $35 as compared to $130 from the online Mercruiser part store. So.........................
I'm FINALLY out on the lake today (7 weeks after the purchase date and no brother this time). The boat is running fantastic! The 7.4 litre is more than enough for this boat. Everything went until at idle I hit something in 3 feet of water (the average depth of this lake during this time of year). I figured I just bent the prop, but no - I couldn't get that lucky. It was missing 2 chunks from the prop. I sure am glad that the boat was only idling along when I hit.
I did however smell something burning, only at full throttle - smelled something like burning brakes. I'm hoping it is the new lead/metallic gaskets for the exhaust manifolds seating in. I only smelled it during full throttle with the engine hatch up. Temp was at 140, RPM's 4,000, all other gauges were ok.
This is just what I've went through just for a 2 hour float before I have to winterize and put it away til next year!
I hope this makes other people with boat problems feel better.
P.S. Anybody know what the smell may have been?
Steve
Anyway I purchased a 1996 Wellcraft 26 SE Excel with 150 hours on it. I thought initially that I had paid enough to buy myself out of any problems. I was wrong!
The exhaust manifolds were rusted clear through, and the raw water pump was toast. The PO hooked the water hose to the transom. I questioned him about not putting muffs on it, but he assured me that this is the way you do this boat. He was wrong! He was hooking the water to the deck wash system. The motor was not getting any water whatsoever. This didn't hurt it since it was only run for a few minutes. It also kept me from seeing the exhaust manifold leaks because no water was running through it.
I took it to the marina (he's the one who told me about the exhaust manifolds). I contacted the PO who graciously antied up $1,000 towards the repairs.
Hang with me - this is where it starts going down hill.................
I told the marine mechanic that I needed the boat in approximately 2 weeks when I would have time to use it. This idiot had the boat for the full 2 weeks and had done nothing but cry and complain that it had been run in salt water. Finally, at the end of the 2 weeks he got off his *** and ordered the manifolds, but hadn't even started working on taking the old ones off. This wasn't because he was overwhelmed with work. He just didn't want to work on a boat that had been run in salt water.
I lost patience and finally picked the boat up - unfixed. I explained that maybe I had misled him on what I do and don't know about wrenching, and that I run a snow plow truck and am plenty accustomed to salt. That said, I had the manifolds off in less than 2 hours. I then had to wait another week for the new ones to come in, which put the total wait time to 3 weeks now.
I thought I had all my troubles fixed, including the water pump, but I couldn't get that lucky. The boat has a Quicksilver 3000 classic controls which decided that they didn't want to work any more. Guess what? You can't get parts for them anymore. I removed, disassembled, repaired and reinstalled them just to get me by for at least 1 maiden voyage.
I took it to the lake, my idiot brother launches the boat like it's being shot out of a sling shot. I jumped aboard as the boat floated past, started the boat, pulled back up and let him board. We get 200 yards off shore and it dies. Upon trying the boat starts and dies, starts and dies, etc..... I used ether on it and as long as you spray it, it ran fine. I end up swimming the boat to shore, but not before my brother dropped the windlass anchor on me. He must be shy a chromosome or something. At home I pulled the fuel pump, reached into the raw water pump and find that the cam is spinning on a shaft ( which a dealer tells me sometimes happens). So, I ordered the complete raw water pump re-build kit with bearings and axle. I also ordered a new water pump. I later find out that the cam on the axle is fine and the thing that is floating in there is supposed to be floating. So, I rebuild it and put the new water pump on and try to start the engine. It starts and dies, starts and dies, etc. Can you sense my frustration here?
I pull the fuel line from the carbeurator (it's the only thing left that could be wrong) and find out that it is completely full of garbage and bad fuel and 3/4 of an inch of slop in the bowls. I find out that it's a Weber carb, order a kit on line wait over a week and never get my kit. I call the company and they say it was an OMC part number. I said no, it is not. It's a Mercruiser part number - a rebuild kit for a Weber carb. Thanks to the people on the board, I find out that Weber, Carter, and Edelbrock are owned by Edelbrock. This is not a Weber carb - it's an Edelbrock carbeurator. I ended up purchasing an Edelbrock part number 1477 rebuild kit at Jegs, just down the street from my house! It costs $35 as compared to $130 from the online Mercruiser part store. So.........................
I'm FINALLY out on the lake today (7 weeks after the purchase date and no brother this time). The boat is running fantastic! The 7.4 litre is more than enough for this boat. Everything went until at idle I hit something in 3 feet of water (the average depth of this lake during this time of year). I figured I just bent the prop, but no - I couldn't get that lucky. It was missing 2 chunks from the prop. I sure am glad that the boat was only idling along when I hit.
I did however smell something burning, only at full throttle - smelled something like burning brakes. I'm hoping it is the new lead/metallic gaskets for the exhaust manifolds seating in. I only smelled it during full throttle with the engine hatch up. Temp was at 140, RPM's 4,000, all other gauges were ok.
This is just what I've went through just for a 2 hour float before I have to winterize and put it away til next year!
I hope this makes other people with boat problems feel better.
P.S. Anybody know what the smell may have been?
Steve
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