New to I/Os

[musella]

Hi.<br /> I had outboard boats for 30 years, but just switched to my first I/O.. (23' Caravelle Walk-around with Mercruiser 5.0L 220hp sterndrive).<br /><br />I would like to know what spare parts should I be carrying? Should I buy the Mercruiser brand oil / fluids or can I get them at an auto parts store (any brand suggestions?)<br /><br /> My fuel filter/ water seperator is strange.. you can't see through it to tell when there is water present (all of my outboards always had a see through bowl). My dealer said they aren't allowed on stern drives. True? How do you tell when there is water in it?<br /><br /> I have 10 hours on the engine, and already had to add 1 quart of oil. Is that normal? It was full when the boat was delivered.<br /><br />thanks.. any other tips on maintanace would be appreciated!<br /><br />Al

 

[tommays]

Re: New to I/Os

i would stick with the merc stuff while its under warranty its really not going to cost much more most of the items are only done once a year <br /><br />i would allways carry spare oil,power stering fluid,any fuses that you can ,<br /><br />a spare prop and the hardware is the most likely thing that will get you home <br /><br />the list can get endless the best thing you can do is check EVERYTHING everytime BEFORE you leave the dock <br /><br />tools up to your abilty to use them to be honest a lot of things that might go worng just are not going to get fixed at sea (makes towing coverage real inportant)<br /><br />enclosed motors (sterndrives) have all kinds of rules about how things do in a fire which is why the filter is solid<br /><br />i would be concerned about the oil if it keeps useing that much but its to soon to tell at this point<br /><br />tommays

 

[novicetech]

Re: New to I/Os

About the quart of oil usage, I would definatly keep a close eye on that. And hope that it improves.

 

[BrettNC]

Re: New to I/Os

We have the same engine and it burned about a quart within the first ten hours also. New engines, especially these Gerneral Motors blocks, can burn a lot of oil during the break-in period. Just follow manufacturer's recomendations during the break-in period and you'll be fine.

 

[HotLava]

Re: New to I/Os

Are you sure you're burning the oil and not leaking it? Could be something simple like valve seals, could be something more complicated like piston rings. You might want to run a compression check on it.

 

[achris]

Re: New to I/Os

Oil usage during run-in is completely normal. The oil control rings and compression rings are still finding their shape to the cylinder walls, so oil can get passed quite easily.<br /><br />Chris.........

 

[Boatin Bob]

Re: New to I/Os

For the water/fuel separator that's normal, most folks change them every year. If you suspect water in the fuel then you have to unscrew it and dump it into a clear container and check it for water.

 

[cobra 3.0]

Re: New to I/Os

Is this a new boat?

 

[musella]

Re: New to I/Os

Yes - it has 12 hours on it now - it is about 2 weeks old<br /><br /><br /> I also noticed that the coolent level was a little low in the fresh water cooler, and the gear oil was a little low. Hopefully it is just breaking in..<br /> I guess I will find out soon. Luckily any problems now should be under the guarenttee Only problem is the dealer is 90 miles away <br /><br />One last thing.. I can't reach to check the power trim/tile fluid level.. it is buried way in the back of the engine in a small space.. even if I could reach it, I doubt very much if I would be able to fill it up with fluid.. any tricks on how to get to it? I don't know why they didn't just make the engine box a little larger to make maintance eaiser.

 

[achris]

Re: New to I/Os

The gear oil will go down. That's because the air in the top of the leg is coming back up the line to the oil bottle, hence the oil level goes down. On the first service (usually at about 20 hours) the leg oil should be changed so you'll go through the 'loosing leg oil' thing again until the leg if full, then it won't move.<br /><br />I can't help you with the trim oil, that's more a boat/installer issue than an engine problem.<br /><br />Chris............

 

[musella]

Re: New to I/Os

I was looking through my old messages and thought I would give an update...

After the initial break-in period, I never had to add any oil. (Other than oil changes of course

 

[Rocky_Road]

Re: New to I/Os

I was looking through my old messages and thought I would give an update...

After the initial break-in period, I never had to add any oil. (Other than oil changes of course

Cool!

Wow...4 years on this forum, and you have only posted 24 times.

Proof positive that there ain't nothing like a new 'new' boat!

Happy boating!

 

[Bob1958]

Re: New to I/Os

Funny, I've never thought about bringing any tools or parts with me. All I have is a tow rope and a paddle....never had to use either, but I'm usually not more than 10 miles from home.

 

[musella]

Re: New to I/Os

Cool!
Wow...4 years on this forum, and you have only posted 24 times.
Proof positive that there ain't nothing like a new 'new' boat!
Happy boating!

I haven't had too many problems But that boat is for sale and am looking for a bigger one. Not sure if the next boat will be a stern drive or outboard.