Mercruiser 260 Pre-Alpha Lower unit part

[ezez]

Re: Mercruiser 260 Pre-Alpha Lower unit part

Whelp, I threw it in the water this afternoon and never made it past the dock. The boat floats which is a huge plus but we had overheating issues. I'm about ready to part it out and call it good. I'm not certain but my money is on the motor mounted raw water pump being bad. I'll pull the thermostat as well to make sure that isn't the issue.

Anyhow, at least I didn't have any issues w/o the exhaust shutters.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Mercruiser 260 Pre-Alpha Lower unit part

The boat floats which is a huge plus but we had overheating issues. I'm about ready to part it out and call it good. I'm not certain but my money is on the motor mounted raw water pump being bad. I'll pull the thermostat as well to make sure that isn't the issue.

Ayuh,... Pull the hose coming from the outdrive impeller pump off the T-stat housing, 'n fire it up for abit to get an idea of the water Flow...
Then diagnose from There...

Not sayin' circulating pumps don't go bad, but it ain't very often....

 

[ezez]

Re: Mercruiser 260 Pre-Alpha Lower unit part

Ayuh,... Pull the hose coming from the outdrive impeller pump off the T-stat housing, 'n fire it up for abit to get an idea of the water Flow...
Then diagnose from There...

Not sayin' circulating pumps don't go bad, but it ain't very often....

This is an old pre-alpha w/ a fresh water through hull conversion. The outdrive impeller hose doesn't go to the thermostat but just pumps out pre-transom. The engine mounted raw water pump pulls from a hull mount into the heat exchanger than pushes out through the elbows. The thermostat is on the closed side of the cooling system.

 

[dubs283]

Re: Mercruiser 260 Pre-Alpha Lower unit part

so you are just going to part out a boat because of a routine maintenance issue??

thats like saying, "well, i've got 3000 miles on an oil change, better pull the motor and part it out or see what i can get on a trade-in"

raw water pumps fail, they fail every day, it is only a matter of time - nothing you can do about it

just replace the impeller/pump and you will be fine

 

[ezez]

Re: Mercruiser 260 Pre-Alpha Lower unit part

I know what you are saying but honestly this boat isn't my dream gig. I'm weighing things very carefully on whether the time and money invested is worth it. I have very little invested at this point and can simply part it out and be further ahead. This boat was purchased as a favor for an elderly relative more than anything else. I knew going in it would have issues from sitting for YEARS.

I am going to troubleshoot the overheating issue and see what is involved. At the same time I will continue to evaluate where I am with this thing and whether it is "worth it".

For the record to this point, I have rebuilt the power trim pump, rebuilt the carb, replaced the outdrive impeller and troubleshooted the exhaust shutters as well as other general maintenance stuff. The boat still needs several hundred (probably closer to $1k) on non-mechanical items to be serviceable. I am fully aware of what used parts sell for and I am going to ensure that things add up before I jump in and invest a ton of time, labor and money into it. Lastly, I have no idea what other issues the boat still might have as today was the first time I had it in the water and I didn't make it off of the dock.