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Do I leave it alone or do I update it?

B

bicounty

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I just bought a 89 Steiger Craft. It has a 350 freshwater cooled carburated engine with 36 hours on the new motor. It has a 290 single prop drive that just had bearings and u joints replaced. It ran out excellent when I test drove it. The hull is in excellent condition with its original gel coat shining and the boat is solid as a rock. I bought a Sea Sprite last year that I thought only needed a motor. After I bought a 2005 OSXI 5.7 engine I found the rotted transom. I was tempted to rebuild the Sea Sprite but I wised up before I killed myself and dumped a ton of money into the water. I saved the 290 dual prop drive and everything else I could take off of the Sea Sprite and junked it. Now I have a dual prop lower unit I can put on the new boat and I'm leaning to putting the fuel injected motor in. One part of me is saying just fix what needs to be done and enjoy it and the other part of me is saying put the new motor in. My problem is I can never leave good enough alone. I bought the 2005 motor from a Volvo dealer in Rode Island last spring. It was a motor that Volvo had him replace because it got water in the oil. He replace the motor under warranty and Volvo let him keep the engine. It has 52 hours on all the accessories(fuel pump,manifolds,heat exchanger,fuel injection and so on. He took a 1999 zz4 block he had and put all the parts into the replacement block with new rings,bearings and gaskets. It's such a nice package with the single serpentine belt,remote oil filter and all the accessories. I love the way fuel injected engines snap to life and the performance and fuel economy is great. Should I leave it alone or should I open the can of worms and change it out?
http://i1209.photobucket.com/albums/cc399/bicounty/CIMG4226.jpg
http://i1209.photobucket.com/albums/cc399/bicounty/Stieger Craft/CIMG4362.jpg
 
Try using the return key and create a few paragraphs... your run-on sentences are rather difficult to delineate between boats, engines and drives.
pc-enter.png

I'll do my best here.


Are you asking if the later OSXI 5.7 engine Duo Prop drive will work on the older 89 Steiger Craft?
If so, the short answer is no.
The AQ series drives are of a lager foot print against the transom.
The transom would require in-filling in order for this later drive system to work.

The AQ series is the good stuff after about early to mid 90s when the anchorage bracket goes away.
Your 290 is still one of the good ones..... however, the anchorage system is not a favorite.

As for 1999 zz4 engine, I'd want to as much about his build as I could get.
The wrong components, and it won't make for a good Marine Engine.
(I may have misunderstood part of the build etc.)

The low mounted H/E may be an issue in the Steiger Craft engine bay.
See if you have clearance for this.

BTW, a Duo Prop lower unit addition to your 89 Steiger Craft will do as much or more, than the OSXI 5.7engine w/ a single prop will do in this hull.
Get them both together, and you'd have a great package..... but again, the issue with the later drive is the cut-out size in the transom.

Perhaps sell some of what you have, and pick up a 1.95:1 DP-C1 lower unit for the Steiger Craft 290 Intermediate housing and upper transmission.
You'll need to re-shim the lower to the Intermediate housing......, but this is a doable option for you.

.
 
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BTW.... just yanking your chain about the paragraphs, but it would make it easier to read.

After re-reading your post, I'm not clear on which year this Sea Sprite is, nor which drive you removed from the Sea Sprite.
If you can post more info or pictures, that would help me learn if the Duo Prop removed from the Sea Sprite would work on your 89 Steiger Craft.
If it's one of the AQ series drives, at least the lower Duo Prop unit would work if the ratio is correct.

.
 
Sorry for the cunfusion. The 290 dp drive off of the junked Sea Sprite is the same drive I have on the Stieger except it was a dual prop and had power steering. There will be some converting but I definetly think I can make it happen.
The ZZ4 block is the only thing thats ZZ4. They took the crank pistons,cam,heads and all other bolt on parts from the original OSXI engine and put them into the ZZ4 block. At least thats what he said he did. All the tags on the engine Id it as a 2005 Volvo but the casting numbers come up as a 1999 ZZ4.
He said there was some water in the oil . He said he couldn't see anything that caused it on the original engine. He was thinking possibly water raming into the exhaust after backing off. The marina that I bought it from has a complete machine shop on premiss and they seemed on the ball.
 
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I find it rather odd that they did not determine the source of the water prior to doing this. But they may know their stuff.
If the ZZ4 bore was pristine, and if the existing pistons were pristine, you could perhaps pull this off.
Not many who I know would do this....., but never say never!
Clean bore/pistons dimensionally.... and it may work just fine!


As for converting/swapping drive components, Volvo Penta has always been very forward thinking in this area, meaning that so many of these are interchangeable within certain perimeters.

I've put together an AQ series Volvo Penta Q's and A's thread here if interested.
It may help you regarding the shimming procedures, of which are protocol when swapping upper/lowers.
 
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