First time boat owner with questions about 1998 Starcraft 1810 LX

[hugh g]

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[hugh g]

The u- joint bellows looks dry rotted to me. There could be cracks on top of the bellows that you can't see from below. I'd replace it. That could be how water is entering the bilge. While the drive is off grease the u-joints & check the gimbal bearing. Spin the bearing with your fingers. If it feel rough, the bearing is shot. That drive looks likes it's all the way down.

 

[Lou C]

What does replacing the manifold cost?

It’s a conversion so you need a whole kit. I think Barr Marine sells an aftermarket kit for about $1200 then you have to add labor unless you can do it yourself.

 

[nola mike]

What does replacing the manifold cost?

About $700. Your exhaust bellows looks suspect, can't see much of the u-joint bellows, which is where the water would enter. I'd pull the drive anyways to check u-joints, gimbal bearing, and alignment. You'll also be able to see if the inside of the bellows are wet (and then you'll need to replace a bunch of stuff).

 

[Wolfgheist]

Feeling it with my hand, feels like solid flexible rubber and no dry rot or holes. Just dirty.

 

[Lou C]

For the conversion you need additional parts in addition to the manifolds and elbows. There are 2 exhaust pipes that adapt from the elbows to the Y pipe and 2 rubber hoses on each side to connect.Actual price of the complete Barr price which I found on Marine Engine Parts (AKA Lighthouse Marine) is $1118. I got my Barr Marine exhaust from then and made up my own conversion from that and Volvo OEM parts. About the same price mine cost a bit more. Same job to replace the old OMC one piece bat wing exhaust.

 

[poconojoe]

You don't get mildew with 2 covers?

No, my boat is completely dry.
Not bad for an 18 year old boat.

No mildew between the covers either. The top cover claims to be trailerable, so it has vents toward the stern which are hooded. Kind of backward scoops. So, I guess there's some bit of air circulation.
I have trailored with that cover and it's pretty good.

If I hit some rain while boating and it hasn't dried out by the time we get the boat home, I'll leave it open to dry out on the next sunny day.
I never cover it wet for any extended length of time.

 

[nola mike]

Feeling it with my hand, feels like solid flexible rubber and no dry rot or holes. Just dirty.

I can see significant wear in the grooves of the exhaust bellows on the pics. The bellows need replacing even if not leaking yet. Or you can wait. But deferred maintenance in a boat is always way more expensive when it becomes a repair.

 

[poconojoe]

Just as a note...no water will enter your boat if the exhaust bellows fails.
It's the other two that can sink your boat. The u-joint bellows and that tiny shifter bellows.

That being said...
You might have realized from the conversation that you need to do some preventative maintenance before you do any serious boating.

You never know if the previous owner kept up with any of the proper maintenance. Treat it like no one ever did anything.

 

[Lou C]

In the pix I could not really see the u joint bellows, only the shift cable and exhaust bellows. You really want to see if cracks are developing in the folds of the u joint and shift cable bellows. A good replacement interval is 5 seasons, they will last longer if the drive is kept down. I've had the Cobra/Volvo SX rubber bellows last as long as 10 seasons if stored down.

 

[Lou C]

Barr Conversion Kit for Mercruiser V-6 GM 4.3-Liter from One Piece to Two Piece

Barr Conversion Kit for Mercruiser V-6 GM 4.3-Liter from One Piece to Two Piece

www.marineengineparts.com

there are other kits but this is likely to be the best quality in aftermarket.

 

[nola mike]

In the pix I could not really see the u joint bellows, only the shift cable and exhaust bellows. You really want to see if cracks are developing in the folds of the u joint and shift cable bellows. A good replacement interval is 5 seasons, they will last longer if the drive is kept down. I've had the Cobra/Volvo SX rubber bellows last as long as 10 seasons if stored down.

They're definitely in the exhaust bellows. Would be a good assumption that the u joint bellows look similar.

 

[Wolfgheist]

They're definitely in the exhaust bellows. Would be a good assumption that the u joint bellows look similar.

Is this Bellows Kit good for my engine?
https://www.amazon.com/CM-MerCruise...l-shoppingads-lpcontext&psc=1#customerReviews

 

[poconojoe]

Is this Bellows Kit good for my engine?
https://www.amazon.com/CM-MerCruise...l-shoppingads-lpcontext&psc=1#customerReviews

Personally, I would stick to OEM when it comes to bellows. Bellows are too important to me to use aftermarket. I'd be concerned with quality and fitment.

 

[JASinIL2006]

Although replacing manifolds and changing fluids and other sorts of maintenance need to be done, it seems to me the #1 concern should be figuring out why you have so much water in your boat. If you discover a serious problem (e.g., a rotten transom), all those other become somewhat moot until you fix the boat or part it out.

At some point, the boat needs to be back in the water so you can try to find where the water's coming from. Also at some point, you'll need to figure out how to pull the drive so you can check the bellows, etc. Both of these need to be done, and I'm not sure it makes much difference in which order.

It's not 100% necessary that the drive is completely lowered to pull it. It does, however, make it much, much easier. (The real advantage in having the drive lowered comes when putting it back on; that's no fun if the trailer is too low.)

My trailer is sufficiently low that I cannot lower my drive completely - not even close - even if I lower the trailer tongue all the way. I just put a jack stand under the trailer tongue, then use bottle jacks to jack up the rear corners of the trailer until the back end of the boat is high enough for me lower the drive all the way. I then put jack stands under the rear corners of the trailer and pull the drive. The entire process, including pulling the drive, takes maybe 15 minutes.

If it were me, I'd figure out the water intrusion before spending a dime on new parts.

 

[Lou C]

Agreed and don't forget transom leaks on I/Os (which is one of the several reasons why I won't own another) can be the proverbial rabbit hole.
Causes:
1)bellows (easy to rectify, not expensive)
2)steering arm (not easy to rectify, expensive)
3)rotted transom (deal breaker, very expensive to repair unless you want to learn to do fairly advanced 'glass work)

However, it would be a real shame to lose an engine that's otherwise perfectly good because someone doesn't know about the ticking time bomb of the Merc one piece manifolds. So now you pay $1118 parts + labor or do it yourself, or $4000-$5000 + installation costs if you can't DIY for a reman engine by the time you're done.
In fresh water this repair is a one-and-done deal probably, we salt water boaters are used to replacing exhaust regularly to avoid engine failure. I'm on exhaust replacment #3 in 19 years.
First pic shows how the original batwings clogged after 5.5 seasons in salt, next 2 are the conversion I did using Barr aftermarket exhaust + Volvo Penta exhaust pipes & hoses. All fit like factory because it was actually designed by OMC and used on the 91 and up Cobras, which Volvo adopted during the joint venture and used all the way to the cat converter exhaust you are now forced to take (no thanks).

 

[Lou C]

Is this Bellows Kit good for my engine?
https://www.amazon.com/CM-MerCruise...l-shoppingads-lpcontext&psc=1#customerReviews

I always use OEM for things like driveshaft bellows and raw water impellers, these are parts that you want to fit right and work right. If not expensive problems happen and you get to fix it twice.

 

[hugh g]

Feeling it with my hand, feels like solid flexible rubber and no dry rot or holes. Just dirty.

I mentioned the u- joint bellows because of what I could see of it in your pic it looks to be similiar in condition to the exhause bellows which has cracks in it. That's not really an issue but if the previous ownner skipped out on maintenance the u- joint bellows will be an issue. The only way to be sure is to pull the drive & inspect it.

 

[hugh g]

I mentioned the u- joint bellows because of what I could see of it in your pic it looks to be similiar in condition to the exhause bellows which has cracks in it. That's not really an issue but if the previous ownner skipped out on maintenance the u- joint bellows will be an issue. The only way to be sure is to pull the drive & inspect it. I would use OEM like others have said or even Sierra. You don't want a crappy gimbal bearing manufactured using pot metal in who knows where. An OEM gimbal bearing will last you for years as long as you keep it greased & water free. Mercruiser OEM gimbal bearings nowadays may even be sealed so you don't even have to grease them.

 

[Lou C]

If you have any doubts I would consider even paying a mechanic to remove the drive to check the things we are discussing here, because negelected I/Os have a potential for costing a lot of money to put right. I've been able to make mine last as long as it has with regular maintenance, drive pull each fall, replacing whatever looks questionable. The U joints are original and the gimble bearing was replaced after the bellows leaked back in 2004 but this was before I had learned to do all this myself. If you see any cracks in the u joint bellows or the shift cable bellows you must replace them. Nothing to gain by waiting and a lot to lose ($$$$) lol.
Check out achris's vids on this topic, they are very good and explain well how to do it.

Two essential tools for I/O DIY maintenance are a drive jack and an alignment tool. Once you have these and learn how to do the maintenance you will save thousands over the life of the boat. Around here you'll pay at least $250-300 for the R+R and more if any problems are found. Every year. Mine looks like that due to salt water moorage and use, but it works like new, shifts with 2 finger pressure and is QUIET, no whine like some Alphas.