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skinut

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"I HAVE JUST PURCHASED A 2002

"I HAVE JUST PURCHASED A 2002 SEA RAY 176 WITH A 3.0 MERCRUISER AND ALPHA DRIVE. 88 HRS. ON HR. METER.
QUESTION- WHAT ALL NEEDS TO BE DONE TO IT TO GET IT READY FOR SUMMER? I TALKED TO DEALER AND THEY SAID FOR SURE REPLACE RUBBER WATER IMPELLER IN LOWER UNIT, CHANGE OIL AND FILTER,ANODES,PLUGS,DIST CAP.
I STARTED IT WITH EARS ON AND THE TEMP RAN UP TO 170 DEGREES AND STAYED THERE. IS THIS TO HIGH BECAUSE THE GUAGE WAS ABOUT 3/4 OF THE WAY TO THE RIGHT. IN THE MIDDLE WAS ABOUT 140 DEGREES AND I THOUGHT THAT IS WHERE IT SHOULD BE.
ALSO, I DON'T HAVE A ENGINE MANUAL AND AM TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT IS THE BEST OIL AND FILTER TO USE.IS THE DEALER STUFF THE BEST OR WOULD A NAPA GOLD FILTER AND A GOOD SYNTHETIC OIL BE BETTER? THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ANY HELP!!!}"
 
The oil filter is Fram PH30 or

The oil filter is Fram PH30 or equivelent. You should match the viscosity rating of the oil. Other than that any oil with and API rating of API-SM is excellent.

Distributor cap and rotor should be replaced at least every other year. Be careful not to mix up the spark plug wires when transfering to new cap. Most damage to spark plug wires happens from rough handling.

Raw water cooled engines should run at 145 degrees for salt water operation and 160 degrees for operating in fresh water (lakes and rivers).

Marine water pump impellers are of rubber and brush the inside of the pump body. They therefore are subject to wearing out. They should be replaced at periodic intervals and/or when you suspect that it might be damaged.
 
"EDDIE- THANKS FOR THE HELP!!!

"EDDIE- THANKS FOR THE HELP!!!! THE MERCRUISER DEALER GAVE ME A PART # OF 866340K01 FOR THE FILTER. I GUESS THIS CROSSES TO A PH30? ALSO, IS THERE A FUEL FILTER SOMEWHERE?
MARTY"
 
"Marty,
thats a newer boat an

"Marty,
thats a newer boat and should have had some basic manuals with it. they don't go into a lot of details but do list the part numbers and gives basic maintenance and prep information. If you know the part number you can cross reference on the part site here.


Here is a "how to" site for Merc products.
http://www.mercstuff.com/howdoi.htm

edited to add:

I see you are in Arkansas and don't know if you will still get some real cold weather. If so be sure to protect from freezing. There should be a drain on the right side of the engine to drain the block. lower the outdrive to make sure water drains. This is important. frozen block is $4000 repair"
 
Eddie from Oregon:

"Di

Eddie from Oregon:

"Distributor cap and rotor should be replaced at least every other year" I am curious as to the reason for this recommendation and the basis you used to make it. I can see an annual inspection of them and periodic replacement as PM from said inspection. Please elaborate on your statement.
Guy
 
.."Distributor cap and rot

.."Distributor cap and rotor should be replaced at least every other year" I am curious as to the reason for this recommendation "

Me too. Sounds like someone has a boat payment due!

In my 45 years of auto repair I have yet to see a non-broken rotor that needed replacement. Caps crack and need to be changed--though not bi-annually---but not rotors.

Jeff
 
"Guy, Fastjeff, the fella said

"Guy, Fastjeff, the fella said "newbie". One of the most overlooked things by non-professionals is the cap and rotor. The old books, in the days of points and condenser, it was recommended every year. With electronic ignitions, there is less burning at the contacts and you can go longer. A simple rule of thumb is to just change them every couple of years. You say periodic inspection. OK, fine but to make things simple to remmeber I suggest swapping them out while you're at it. That's a new cap and rotor every 24, count 'em 24 months. Easy, simple, and not really expensive for a shadetree mechanic.

Fastjeff, rotor contacts scorch as many times as there are contacts in the cap. Many manuals recommend replacing the rotor twice as often as the cap. I drove one 1981 Chevy pick-up, with HEI ignition, 100,000 miles on a cap and rotor. 1/8 inch was burned off the tip of the rotor contact. The tan colored cap had carbon trails that were visible half way across a room. That came out of an engine that was running good the whole time."
 
"Eddie:
Thanks for your fra

"Eddie:
Thanks for your frank response on your opinion.
I see your point considering a "newbie" would greatly reduce the probability of having an ignition related breakdown on a used boat by starting with some new PM parts, especially if he plans to boat alot of hours each year. He would have some "peace of mind" by doing so.

I knew a self employed businessman back in the 70s that would maybe get his Century out to ski for a total of 5-9 days a year. I used to argue with him that he did not need a complete tuneup (points, plugs, rotor, etc.) every season due to the low hours he used the boat. But he insisted that it be done for "peace of mind".

Last year I finally changed the cap, wires and rotor that were the original Mercruiser parts on my 1987 4.3L 175 HP (with about 500 hours on the parts). They still worked, but, the cap and rotor had a little crud on them. Did it improve the engine's performance? Sure. It also reduced the effort the ignition module has to work to produce a good spark.

Change them every two years? From a PM stand point; only if I had 250 hours on them.
Guy"
 
"Good point, Eddie. Doubt if

"Good point, Eddie. Doubt if I ever ran a rotor and cap that long myself--I'd feel bad if there were still in there after 100K miles!

Jeff"
 
"Guy, you got the picture. Rea

"Guy, you got the picture. Really, that just gets his nose into it. He'll develop his own guide lines with expeience."
 
"Fastjeff, I knew I was overdu

"Fastjeff, I knew I was overdue and pressed it to 100 K as a sort of a smart aleck experiment. The design of the GM HEI distributor cap and rotor seemed to have a lot to do with the longevity. The way the rotor dips down at the end and other features work to baffle and interupt the formation of carbon trails. Seems to me to be the ultimate of the distributors for fail safe operation and ease of maintainance."
 
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