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Which Outdrive

maxtor

Contributing Member
"Hear all the talk about diffe

"Hear all the talk about different types of outdrives (Bravo, Alpha 1) and I was wondering how I could tell which one I have. If standing at the bakc of the boat and looking at the outdrive, it has a sticker on it that has a big "4" on it and below that it has 2.5 Litre. It's on a 17' Sylvan with a 120HP Mercruiser. Could anyone tell me which one this is or is more info needed? I want to know which one it is so I can follow the manual for winterizing.
Also, when winterizing, would you do EVERYTHING that is mentioned in the manual, or are certain things not really needed? Like, taking off the valve covers and coating them, then replacing with new gaskets?

Appreciate any help with this!!"
 
"Hello Lee:

You have a Alph


"Hello Lee:

You have a Alpha outdrive. Alpha drives typically are installed on engines less than 300hp. I would assume your boat is early to mid 1980's. When winterizing make darn sure you drain everything as the book says. Also change all engine and outdrive oils. This is critical! $25 for oil and lub could save $2500 + if anything froze and cracked. If you follow the book you will be good to go. Now with that said, taking off the valve covers and coating them and replacing cover gaskets seems extream to say the least. If the valve cover gasket is not leaking leave it be. Perhaps that is if the boat is used in/on/around saltwater.

Take care!"
 
"Thanks for the reply Blackmor

"Thanks for the reply Blackmore. Yes, the boat is a 1985. Trust me, I plan on following the book to a T, plus a friend of mine that knows more about this kind of thing than I do, is going to help me so I can learn at the same time making sure it is done properly. I just wanted to check because the valve cover thing sounded a bit extreme. Like you said, I'd rather pay $25 for oil than $2500+ for repairs.

Thanks again..."
 
"I do have a couple more quest

"I do have a couple more questions if I may...


In the manual, it says to run a mixture of fuel and rust inhibitor through the motor. What would you suggest to use as a rust inhibitor with this step?

Also, it says to put some rust preventitive oil in the spark plug holes, what is your choice of oil to use here?

Thanks again!"
 
Lee: forget the mixture stuff

Lee: forget the mixture stuff. Use marine engine fogging oil thru the carb. The procedure should be on the can. Then remove the spark plugs and give each cylinder a shot of oil. Then crank the engine with plugs out for a few seconds to distribute the oil. Reinstall the plugs if in good condition or just replace with the plug listed on the engine label; gap them per the label.
 
"Lee: I forgot to say put a f

"Lee: I forgot to say put a fuel preservative in the fuel tank per the instructions on the container, top off the tank with fresh fuel and run the engine a few minutes at oper. temp. then do the fogging and cylinder oiling procedure. Next change the engine oil while warm and oil filter and the outdrive oil per procedures."
 
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