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165hp I4 is the infamous 37l Merc 470 motor

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alex5215

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Hello i have a 165 hp mercruis

Hello i have a 165 hp mercruiser marine not sure what year. I recently bought the boat its a 1974 sea ray ive had it maybe like 4 or 5 months. . . And the previous owner told me that it only needed a battery . so i bought the battery and i took it to a boat mechanic since im not familiar with boat engines after about 2 days he said everything was ok . so i took it to a nearby lake and tried it out. . . The first time it had a hard time cranking but eventually started . . so after a while of just cruising i turned it off in the middle of the lake. . . my mistake because after that it didnt want to start. . .So my most reasonable guess was the battery died out so we decided to take the wires away from the battery to my surprise they were really hot after that when i brought the boat home i charged the battery after that i tried turning it on again and nothing but very weak cranking then after that it stoped. . .everything else works the lights the water pumps except the motor it just deosnt want to seem to crank what should i do.
 
well i couldnt really tell if

well i couldnt really tell if there was water but in case if it does what should i do and in case if i deosnt what do u think i should do
 
Clean both ends of each batte

Clean both ends of each battery cable and the area where each cable is bolted. Clean the battery ground first and don't reconnect it until all other cable ends are clean. Cables may be corroded internally. Measure the voltage across the battery terminals w/a DVM. Measure at the starter; voltage should not drop by more than 0.02 volts. If it does then the cable is bad; change both of the battery cables.

Starter solenoid may need replaced.
 
is there any other way that i

is there any other way that i might be able to find out the voltage since i dont have a voltmeter. . .what if i change the battery cables could that be of some help. . . . .if there would be water in the cylinders what characteristics would be present?
 
"first thing is to remove the

"first thing is to remove the plugs and try spinning it over. if you indeed do have water, it will squirt out of the cylinders as it turns over. If it wont turn with the plugs out ,the starter and/or cables will need cleaning or replacement.water may be from a bad elbow ,A/F would be gaskets or manifold trouble"
 
"all of the plugs or just one

"all of the plugs or just one of them??????? i opened the cylinder cover and there was a little bit of water . ., .. . . . what should i do"
 
"[b]"all of the plugs or j

""all of the plugs or just one of them??????? "

Ayuh,... All of them..."
 
""...is there any other wa

""...is there any other way that i might be able to find out the voltage since i dont have a voltmeter."

You need to go buy or borrow a digital, not an analogue, voltmeter; available at most autoparts stores.

HOT WIRES; you are dealing with high current and the possibility of an ELECTRICAL FIRE! If you don't know for sure what to do, get someone who does know. There is no shame in asking for help if you are not sure what to do.
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""...is there any other wa

""...is there any other way that i might be able to find out the voltage since i dont have a voltmeter."

Take it to a mechanic! But a voltmeter is a lot cheaper. Sears has them starting at around $20. I bought my first one at Harbor Freight for $4! It worked long enough to save me a lot of cash.

You should test your starter as well as everything else, even if you have to take it out of the boat and take it to Auto Electric shop. If it's worn out it will draw a lot of excess power and cause hot wires. testing is your cheapest alternative to a mechanic but having the tools and a shop manual to test is important. You can replace parts willy nilly all day and still not find the problem. That could cost you more than a mechanic in the end. Good luck."
 
If it's the original engin

If it's the original engine in a 1974 boat then it's not a 3.7 - those didn't come out until around '77 (someone help me here on the exact year). How many spark plugs does it have?
 
"The topic seems strange beca

"The topic seems strange because the 165 mercruiser was a chev inline 6 cyl 230 cu in and the 470 , 4 cylinder came with a ford 460 head.
Motors weren`t even close.There was a ton of 165`s running around in the 70`s."
 
"no tools, no voltmeter, what

"no tools, no voltmeter, what is a cylinder cover?...
stilldon't know how many cylinders....
a mechanic is req'd at some point to help out on this one."
 
MY guess hy stat is he is refe

MY guess hy stat is he is refering to the lifter and pushrod cover an the side of the head . now to make this post even stranger is my 470 is a 160hp atleast thats what the id sticker says on the valve pan cover
 
just a off the wall queston bu

just a off the wall queston but i think he may have gotten a regular battery and not a big marine battery as he needs just trying to help this fella out
 
the 470 starters are renowned

the 470 starters are renowned for this if the bearing is just a little sloppy it will touch the magnets this will allso cause the over heating on the cables ( just went through the same thing on my 470s) its just a thought
 
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