Mercruiser 3.0 engine

[Cisnal]

Hey Guys...I just purchased my First Boat yesterday. I wanted to start with a beginner boat for the sound so I purchased a 1986 Four Winns Sundowner 195 with a 3.0 265 Mercruiser i/o. I am so happy because the person who sold me the boat kept it immaculate and really explained the details of the boat.

He did mention 2 things that need to be done on the boat.
1. He advised to change the propeller and not go with one that is stainless steel since they tend to break easy. Not sure where is the best place to buy them online.
2. He stated to change the Zinks from the outboard used for electrolytes of the water. They seemd to be a little corroded and will probably last for only a year. This is where he Lost me and I was so excited to buy the boat I did not ask him for much information in regards.

I am def going to be on this site day and night learning.

 

[jerryjerry05]

Re: Mercruiser 3.0 engine

Since your NEW. The new boater can and will run aground maybe the first time out or very soon.
The stainless props are less forgiving than aluminum.They tend to break shafts and are way costly.
Aluminum will break and bend and are easier on the drive.
Run aluminum till you have some time behind the wheel.
I use aluminum and have for years.They are cheaper and cheaper to fix.I've ran into the mud once in over 30 years.Luckily I was going about 3mph.Did no damage.
Replacing the zincs,easy.J

 

[ziggy]

Re: Mercruiser 3.0 engine

welcome to the board..

a 1986 Four Winns Sundowner 195 with a 3.0 265 Mercruiser i/o

what's 265?

He advised to change the propeller and not go with one that is stainless steel since they tend to break easy. Not sure where is the best place to buy them online.

ss props don't break easier than aluminum. aluminum breaks easier than ss. i'm with jj05 on this. i run aluminum too for the reasons he mentioned. all my buddys that have boats run ss. looks cool, faster speeds. etc. but they don't mix well with rocks. personally, i'd rather trash a prop than a drive shaft. ya might try your local dealer for buying. my local dealer has used props. he let me try my prop before i bought it. to be sure it was what i wanted. i got lucky and only tried one which was a winner right away. my buddy like to play with props. very expensive hobby. as ya end up with some that work good and some that don't.

He stated to change the Zinks from the outboard used for electrolytes of the water. They seemd to be a little corroded and will probably last for only a year

never thought about zirks corroding or possibly being marine duty. but if they are, get some new ones at your local dealer. ya just unscrew them to R&R them.

when getting parts for your boat. shop at a marine dealer for proper parts. or at iboats if ya want aftermarket parts. marine is the key word. auto parts and marine parts are not the same.

congrats on your new boat. sure is an exciting feeling isn't it...

 

[Beefer]

Re: Mercruiser 3.0 engine

never thought about zirks corroding or possibly being marine duty. but if they are, get some new ones at your local dealer. ya just unscrew them to R&R them.

I'm pretty sure he meant zincs, not zirks (as in zerk fitting for grease).

Zinc's are sacrificial anodes that are (typically) change annually if the boat is kept in the water. The reduce the chance of corrosion to important parts of your boat, like your lower and mid units, prop, etc., that is due to stray electrical charges in the water. In other words, if you are at a marina, your boat, or a neighbor's boat, or the shore power may be leaking elctricity into the water, which, over time, will cause (correct me here if I'm wrong) galvanic action, or corrosion. The zincs 'attract' the electricity, and deteriorate before the major components of the boat do. To replace the zincs, they are removed with typically a basic wrench, and you replace them with a new one. There are kits for specific outdrives, and you would simply replace as you go.

Go to the top of the page, click on 'Marine Store', and search for "zinc". About $50 or less.

If you keep the boat out of water (trailered or on a lift), the replacement interval is much longer. My boat is on a lift, previous owner had it on a trailer (2 yrs), and the original owner kept it on a trailer. Judging by the receipts I have, my zincs are 14 years old, and I'll probably get another 3 years out of them before I replace them.

Welcome to iboats! Congrats on the new purchase! You have now experienced one of the two best days of boat ownership.

Stick around, read through the threads, search for answers to your questions, and for goodness sake, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE don't ask questions or post on a thread that is older then... let's say... 6 months. Start a new thread, rather then bringing out the dead. This is a great place to learn!

 

[NHGuy]

Re: Mercruiser 3.0 engine

Beefer is close. My change to what he said is minor. The zincs are sacrificial metal which corrodes before the valuable metal parts of the engine and drive. So they don't really attract electricity but they are affected first. If they corrode away then you start losing boat parts. I also have heard there can be galvanic action in tidal flow. Can anyone confirm or deny that?

 

[dubs283]

Re: Mercruiser 3.0 engine

any time you have two dissimilar elements in contact with each other, there will be a chemical reaction where the elements exchange electrons thus becoming more "like" the other element

some reactions are quick, some are slow...i should say most are slow - rust on your car is a great example of this, the iron in the steel of the body oxidizes or reacts with oxygen (and other elements) thus becoming more "like" it surroundings

what happens with the drive anodes is, being in water which has many different elements present, the anodes are more susceptible to these elements than the other drive components thus more rapidly becoming "like" the attacking elements and deteriorating sooner (stray electrical current can kill anodes in a month)

as far as tidal flow affecting this reaction i have no idea, perhaps the constant ebb and flow allows for more of a "current" of elements to pass the anodes??

 

[IES99]

Re: Mercruiser 3.0 engine

A metal sacroficial anode (the zinc) that is more reactive to the corrosive environment of the system to be protected partially corrodes or dissolves, which protects the metal of the system it is connected to. In our case, the aluminum and steel in our drives are protected by a zinc sacrificial anode, which will dissolve into the seawater thus preventing corrosion of our expensive parts. Such sacrificial anodes are particularly needed for systems where a static charge is generated by the action of flowing liquids, such as watercraft.

 

[Cisnal]

Re: Mercruiser 3.0 engine

You guys are Great!!!!!!!!!! Yes I did mean Zinc =)... Well so far everyting is ok and I passed my test for boating in CT. My next step is replacing the propeller and the Zinc. Now I have a question regarding Buttom Paint so I will post it on the appropriate Forum List. I thank you all for the Great info. I learned much in 2 days.