Getting Ready for Spring-What to do(?)

[shrew]

Hi,
I'm new to the forum and while I've been the child of boaters all my life, I'm new to being a boat owner. I just bought a 1997 2800 SCR with the 7.4L. I admit I never paid attention when I was a kid, so I'm a bit clueless as to what I should be doing before I finally put the boat in the water.

Here's what i've done so far:

1) sanded and bottom painted hull and outdrive
2) replaced outdrive and trim tab zinc's
3) replaced rotar, distributor cap, wires and plugs.
4) used a cleaner wax to remove light oxidation from unpainted portions of the hull and decks, then finish waxed and buffed everything.
5) Replaced the impeller and outdrive fluid.
6) Topped off batteries and charged them.


Plan to do:

1) Replace the coil
2) Change Oil & Filter

My 7.4L is Fesh Water Cooled. What am I missing? What do I need to do for the rest of the systems? Should I be replacing the fuel filter/water seperator?

I want to make sure I'm not overlooking anything and any advise would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Steve

[seapuppy]

hey Steve..welcome to the zoo...sounds like your almost there..was the boat winterized???...if so..the fresh water system got that pink crap in it??...your gonna need to drain that stuff out and rinse the tank several times...last time with about a cup or 2 of white vinegar....let sit for a day or so then rinse out....the other thing is yes..replace the fuel filter..there may be 2..one inline canister type..and one spin on....don't forget to put a bead of oil on the gasket same as you would with an oil filter....finally...make sure all connections are tight at the batt. and any place else...test all systems to make sure they work ok....if you have a pump type head...take the top off of the head pump and slather that sucker up with as much teflon grease as you can....that will keep it in good working order for the summer....(note...use a pin for the nose and rubber gloves)....then what I like to do is also check all the belts......make sure they are in good condition...hate to see you stranded with a bum broken belt...finally...there is a zinc on the bottom stbd side of the heat exchanger...it's a pencil type...screws into the brass cap....replace that one....might wanna check the end caps too to make sure there isn't any garbage in the HE....then you should be good to go....one thing you might wanna check also is the exhaust manifolds and the risers...have they been looked at lately.??..how old are they???....
if you haven't already...take a boating safety course too......and finally ..never approach the dock faster than you want to crash into it!!.....

enjoy the new toy...stick around here and tell us how your adventures go..


SP

[shrew]

Thanks SP,
The boat was winterized as evidenced by the remnants of the 'pink crap' in the drains of the sinks in the head and galley as well as the drain in the floor of the head. I bough the boat over the winter and was only able to get a cursory survey done. I wasn't able to get the 'systems' surveyed since the boat was winterized when I bought it.

*I had the broker escrow cash (10% of the sale) subject to a final survey of the systems and a seatrial*

I have no idea if the manifolds and risers are stock (1997). I did notice that there were chunks of metal falling off of the bottom of the manifolds when I was changing the plugs. This was right around where the hose goes into the bottom of the mainfold. (I believe this is the manifold, it's the thing you have to negotiate directly above the plugs and would make changing plugs singnificantly easier if it were not there. I believe the riser is sitting on top of it).

I've added belts to my list. I plan on carrying spare belts, plugs, distributor cap and rotar, and fuses and oil. I already took the PowerSquadron boating course, passed the proctored exam and have a certificate.

[seapuppy]

Originally Posted by shrew

Thanks SP,
The boat was winterized as evidenced by the remnants of the 'pink crap' in the drains of the sinks in the head and galley as well as the drain in the floor of the head. I bough the boat over the winter and was only able to get a cursory survey done. I wasn't able to get the 'systems' surveyed since the boat was winterized when I bought it.

*I had the broker escrow cash (10% of the sale) subject to a final survey of the systems and a seatrial*

I have no idea if the manifolds and risers are stock (1997). I did notice that there were chunks of metal falling off of the bottom of the manifolds when I was changing the plugs. This was right around where the hose goes into the bottom of the mainfold. (I believe this is the manifold, it's the thing you have to negotiate directly above the plugs and would make changing plugs singnificantly easier if it were not there. I believe the riser is sitting on top of it).

I've added belts to my list. I plan on carrying spare belts, plugs, distributor cap and rotar, and fuses and oil. I already took the PowerSquadron boating course, passed the proctored exam and have a certificate.

all great news!!..the manifolds are the exhaust that is over the plugs...yep...would make it easier to work on it but danged if it would be alot noiser too without them.....

glad you took the safety course...where do you boat at???

SP

[Aquia Cruiser]

Chunks of metal coming off the manifold are indicators of interior corrosion also. I suggest buying a couple of riser gaskets, taking off the risers, and inspecting the manifolds. A google search will find diagrams of how the interior of the manifold should look. If any passages are blocked or disintegrating, you should probably replace the manifolds. This is a do it yourself capable job, but is best accomplished by two people (manifolds are heavy). If the manifolds appear to be ok, replace the riser gaskets and check them again next year. If you do keep the old manifolds, monitor your water temperature often. If you notice the engine starting to run a little hotter than normal, immediately get the problem diagnosed. At best it could be a blocked water passage. At worse, it could be a failure of the water jacket which could allow water to get into the oil. Sorry to sound negative, but I had to replace my manifolds at the eight year mark after half fresh water, half salt water cruising. Better safe than sorry.

[shrew]

I boat in the New London, Ct. area. Aquia Cruiser: Don't apologize for telling the truth (good, bad or otherwise). I'd rather know now than be told what I want to hear. Thanks for the advice. Gaskets and my personal time/labor are cheap. I'll give that a go and se how they look on the inside. Ironically, that's half the job, at that point I'm almost compelled to simply replace them. I was torn between trying to ride out the season with the exisitng manifolds and risers or simply breaking down and doing them now. I was hoping to ge the boat in the water in the next 2 weeks. This might set me back a week or so, but better in late April or early may then in July or August.

[zt260]

Might be worth checking outdrive bellows whilst its out of the water