Merc 470 please help me out

ive just been getting into my

ive just been getting into my first boat 17' stingray with a merc. 470 according to s/n. i do not know how to find out if its alpha drive etc. if any one has insight let me know. also aparantly the motor has overheated by something getting caught up in impellor. should i just buy short block? trying to figure out which alternator kit and external waterpump kit etc. to decide if i want to go through with this stuff. how do i know what to buy lots of this asks if its alpha drive or some other way of decifering what parts to buy. (sorry for jumbled mess theres a lot of things im new on here and can not find the info i need)

"Welcome Ali:

I hope you

"Welcome Ali:

I hope you got the boat as a gift or for $100 based on your post.

Now you have a full fledged "money pit". First thing to do is find out if the hull, floor and stringers are solid and not rotted. You should have an Alpha 1 OD. If you need an alternator, there is an upgrade from the 470 that uses a standard marine single wire alternator available. There is a water impeller in the OD and a circulating pump behind the stator/rotor and pulley on the front of the crank.

Overheated engines don't always fall apart; engine will need to be assessed for damage and go from there. IF you keep it, buy a manual for the engine and OD; makes for good reading. Best of luck."

"ALI, its not looking to good

"ALI, its not looking to good for you. The 470 is the worst engine to overheat! The block is aluminum and the head is steel. Bad combo for an overheat, usally reults in a blown headgasket. The voltage regulator is raw water cooled. So when the raw water stops flowing, the engine overheats AND the V.R. becomes toast!
My 470 is an '83, with a pre-alpha drive, has the loop on the top of the drive. Alpha has a flat top. I beleive the change over was around '84. The drives are very similar. Like guy says, assess. the damage and then decide what to do, let us know how you make out.Couple of helpful links
http://www.mercstuff.com/
http://www.breezeworks.net/cgi-bin/MBoard/forum/display_forum_topics.asp?ForumID =1&PagePosition=1&ThreadPage=1"

i have read somewhere that thi

i have read somewhere that this particular motor has exchangable parts with a ford motor and i was curious of maybe what are some of these parts can be interchanged and have been a popular swap.

"It sounds like you should hav

"It sounds like you should have the motor taken apart and inspected before putting anymore money into it. From what I've read these motors are good when they're good but if they go bad you might as well tie a rope to it and use it as an anchor. Being aluminum block I doubt if will even work good as that. I was fortunate and bought a 1982 Sunrunner with a 470/ alpha 1 package that was taken care of and meticulaously maintained and low hours. It has been great for me so far and I love the extra power of a 6 cyl and great gas economy of a 4 cyl.

Do a compression check and a leak down test and a cooling system pressure test and if it passes all these you may get off lucky. If not you may have other bolt-in alternatives as to what to replace it with such as MCM140 hp motor or a newer MC 3.0. The only part that was Ford is the only part you wont have probems with, the huge cast iron head. The block was made especially for the Mercruiser application."

I bought a Mercstuff voltage r

I bought a Mercstuff voltage regulator for MC470. The kit has an orange jumper wire that goes to the starter solenoid. Says to tape off the end near the voltage regulator but doesn't say what to do with the connection at the solenoid. Also diagram says to use the short orange jumper wire between output and sense terminal on the regulator. My kit did not have a short jumper. Shoukd I make one and install?

Murray:

Welcome; start a ne

Murray:

Welcome; start a new post so all can see your dilemna. I don't have my manual handy to answer you right now.

"Murray:

The MCM 470 had 2

"Murray:

The MCM 470 had 2 models; with and w/o a fuse. If yours has a 90 amp fuse at the starter solenoid then the long orange wire connects to it. The yellow w/red stripe wires are the stator and connect to the 2 parallel screws on the reguator. The red w/purple stripe wire goes to the slave solenoid or to the circuit breaker--same point electrically.

If yours does not have a fuse, then the orange wire (short jumper) connects to the red w/purple stripe wire on the regulator which runs between it and the circuit breaker. It can also be conneted to the circuit breaker--same point electrically. The yellow w/red stripe wires are the stator and connect to the 2 parallel screws on the reguator.

Many 470 owners change over to a regular 60 amp marine alternator for less than $200 when their regulators go out. All they needed is the alt., a belt and a bracket from the junk yard car."

"Guy, actually my engine is a

"Guy, actually my engine is a Mercrusier 170MR,(1985) and not a MC470.. The voltage regulator I purchased supposedly is the same for both. The thing about the wiring instructions is it continually references MC470. Why can't I wire the new reg. the same as the old reg and skip the orange jumper wire?"

"Murray

MC470 = Mercruiser

"Murray

MC470 = Mercruiser 470. 470 = 170 same engine, different nomenclature. I gave you the two setups per SELOC. Hook it up the way the last one was done. Sometimes comments in the instructions can throw a wrench in the gearbox and make one doubt what to do.

Guy"

"Guy, thanks for the tip. Tha

"Guy, thanks for the tip. That was going to be my next move. I was hesitant that I might toast the new reg ($400) if I wired the old way. I'll let you know what happens as I will rewire and try to start the engine tonight."

"If you cook the reg., install

"If you cook the reg., install a 1 wire marine alt. There are numerous posts on how to do it."