Winterization instructions for sterndrives on Outdrives.com.

Outboard winterizing tips

Berkley Jet Drive online Repair Manual

See Jason D.'s transom repair page that he put together when he restored his 1980 SSV-163. Go

Interior Lighting
by Tom Brown

I cooked up a really simple floor lighting system. There are wooden strips that run on the  inside of the rub rails on each gunnel so I just wood screwed my lights to that. Also, I built  small aluminum reflectors. The lights themselves are a stock white marker light that I bought  at a heavy truck supplier for about $1.50 each. They're very neat looking, easy to mount, and  they're bright. I hammer formed the reflectors with a shot bag and body hammer, but it  wouldn't be necessary to get so carried away. Just screwing the lights to the wood would be  plenty sufficient.
 Anyway, the picture I am going to attach is a bit blurry. I must have shook the camera during  the exposure and I'm way too lazy to go back out to the garage and take another shot. Also,  this flash shot doesn't do justice to the amount of light these tiny lights put out. The  amount of light is absolutely perfect. In the dead of night I could easily see a penny on the  floor at a glance from any seat. A girl I took with me was easily able to look through her  purse for an aspirin. The entire floor is lit and the lights are shaded by the interior panels  so you can't see the bulbs unless you get down on your hands and knees.
 I've got a light on each side of the back seat, one on each side of the front seats and one  under the dash in the center. They're all on the same switch. I'm going to put a light in the  bilge too.

Warning: Asbestos Putty
from a message by Jonathan Willis on the message board:
(can anyone confirm that asbestos in putty form can be harmful, what years it was used  and have advice on how to handle?)
I have been reviewing assembly line drawings on my 74 V-187 Swinger and have noticed something
 I thought everyone should know. Anyone repairing an Glastron of 60's or 70's vintage should be
 aware of the use of asbestos putty throughout their boat. This compound was used to adhere
 transom plates prior to glassing, positioning foam blocks in the upper hull and other misc.
 uses. Please be very careful when removing foam or repairing transom rot, be sure to use a
 filter mask and gloves at the very least.

Save your outdrive
a message from Mark Warren about the remote gear lube reservoir for Mercruisers
Just got my outdrive back from the performance shop having the new upper gear set set up.
 Came home with a must have accessory for the thing. Mercruiser has a remote gear lube resivor
 kit so that you can keep up with drive lube level and condition. At about a hundred bucks
 it's even a better addition than a drive shower. Wouldn't have helped the the second set of
 gears (over powered) but it would have saved me the first set that the seal was leaking and
 lost all the lube.$550 vs $100.  Mark Tennnessee Valley Chapter

Todd: These work great. I had one on a boat once. Not only are you always sure of your lube level, the
lube holds up longer according to Mercury.
 

Choosing a prop - one good way
a message from Dennis Ginn:
This looks to me like the best way to get the perfect prop every time. Start with what you
 have or 1 up or down from it if you want more or less. Then if you want to try others they
 will take the blades back in trade on new blades (they are inerchangable) If you break one
 then replace the blade not the whole prop and they are composite so they are light and
 accelerate quickly. Check out their site:
 http://www.piranhapropellers.com/

Bilge Draining
I had a soft place under the passenger seat pedestal in my Scimitar. So I decided to cut it
 out and replace a section. When I cut it out it was full of water underneath. Turns out what
 looked like just grommets were actually rubber plugs. Three of them in the engine well one for
 the center and one for each side. Thought it all drained by removing the rear drain plug.
 Wrong Should be able to pick up more speed now that the boat is probably 300 pounds lighter.
 Not to mention keeping it from rotting any other parts. If you were like me and didn't know
 check to see if yours has them still in place.  jagdoc@bellsouth.net
 

Mercruiser Repair Manual
Got a Mercruiser? Don't buy an aftermarket repair manual. There's no comparison to the factory shop
manuals. If your drive is before Alpha I it's more than likely in the excellently written and illustrated
2 volume set titled:  Mercruiser Service Manual #1  “Stern Drive Units and Marine Engines” Pt. No. 90-68648 Vols. 1&2

Clearcoating over metalflake
I just picked up my 1979 CVX -16 after having the clear coat re-done. The results were
 incredible! After several years of trying various products to restore the metal flake with
 only limited success, I have concluded that the only real sollution is a new clear coat
 application. I had a local auto body business do the sanding and application. It looked so
 good that I had him repaint the solid color above and below the rub rail to the chine line. I
 had the solid color electronically matched at an auto body store. It matched perfectly.
 A friend of mine had his done shortly after with the same results. His boat was severely
 faded. The cost was relatively inexpensive. The total bill for the clear coat and paint was $600. The
 boat was stripped of all hardware and windshield before going to the body shop. I would
 suggest shopping around. The smaller body shops are your best bet.

Make your own windshield
Tip from message board by Zane Hagerott

You can go to your local plastic
 distributer and make your own with polycarbonate sheets. You can bend this stuff to 90 degrees
 with a sheet metal brake and it won't crack and it can be cut with a jig saw. Hope this helps.

Fuel Flow Problems
From a chain of emails

Engine problems

A quick test to see if you are running out of fuel is to shoot carb cleaner down the throat of the carb while it
is running wide open. the carb cleaner is being used as a fuel at this point and if the engine is lacking
enough fuel this will pick up the engine power. you should be able to quickly notice a rise in engine RPM if
this works. At this point, check the fuel system some more.

A problem I had with my Interceptor for 2 years (ever since I bought it) was it lacked power. Fully loaded it
could not plane out. With several passengers, I would have to have them shift forward until it planed out. It
sounded great, the plugs looked even. The timing was set by having someone drive it wide open and
ajusting the distrubtor for max RPM. I was considering replacing the engine. Then I found it, 2 plug wires
were crossed. nobody could detect it. This included several frinds who are also gear heads.

Side note to the above: The timing was set for best RPM at full throttle because I could not distinguish the
timing marks. There are several groves cut in my crank pulley that act like timing marks. I didn't know
which one to use so I did it my way. Another problem is that the ring (with the timing marks) on the
harmonic balance on the front of the engine can slip. You can set the timing according to the marks, but if
the marks are not in the right place, all you are doing is setting your timing wrong.

****
How many rpm's are you turning at full throttle? It could be the wrong size prop, or the prop could be
slipping, if it is a Mercruiser.
I agree with the other folks though about timing. I would set the timimg for total advance regardless of
where that puts you initial advance.
I would bet that you should have 28-30 degrees of advance at about 1500-2000 rpm. I had a similiar
problem on my MCM 150 and it was total advance
that fixed it. Again, it could be prop size/pitch. I would imagine that if the carb was running out of fuel, it
would produce an evident stumble
when the fuel bowl ran out of gas. That has been my experience with cars and drag racing, so I would
assume it would be the same on a boat.

****
An air leak in the gas line may cause the fuel pump to "suck air" you would still have pressure, but not
enough fuel. There could be a restriction in the fuel line(crimped line). you could get a can of gas and a
short line to the pump to check that out. The carb has three parts. 1- the idle circut (that sounds ok) 2- the
high speed circut (this is for normal running.) 3- the power circut. There is a power valve in the carb
(bottom of the float bowl) with a vacuum operated rod that opens it under a load or zero vacuum (that
could be the problem) If the motor was ever replaced you could have an automotive cam in it. Marine cams
are designed to give you more horsepower at higher RPM because that is where they run (I dont know of
any easy way of checking this out.) Check your centrifical advance. the timming should advance when you
speed up the motor. I don't know right off-hand how much advance you should have, but you should have
both vacuum and centrifical advance to total about 30 degrees (give-or-take) I won't even confuse you
about cam timming, you have enough to check out as it is. Good luck.

****
Have you checked to see what kind of fuel pressure you are getting out the fuel pump? The Good
book says (AC pump) "3 1/2 to 4 1/2 p.s.i. and should be constant between idle and 1000 rpm. If the
pressure is too low or high, or varies at different speeds, remove pump for repair. If fuel pump pressure
checks out correctly after a high speed problem, overhaul the Carb." My 120 has a by-pass assembly near
the fuel pump and Filter assembly, check that and make sure it's clear. Also recheck the hoses for kinks,
clogs and restrictions. hope this helps.. Jeff

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