Official 280 Sundancer Thread

Hello Guys,

I'm new here. But am seeing this is the place to be!

I have a 2001 280 with twin 4.3's Mercruisers.

I'm wondering if it is possible to upgrade the throttle box, to an electronic replacement style. The current Mercruiser box is stiff and looks a bit old school in my opinion. Is it possible to upgrade to a modern look but also one that will perform better? I read that the more modern electronic throttle boxes come with components that sync the motors to run at the same RPMs.

I'm not the most mechanically literate. Your help is appreciated. Thank you kindly.
 
Armada said:
Hello Guys,

I'm new here. But am seeing this is the place to be!

I have a 2001 280 with twin 4.3's Mercruisers.

I'm wondering if it is possible to upgrade the throttle box, to an electronic replacement style. The current Mercruiser box is stiff and looks a bit old school in my opinion. Is it possible to upgrade to a modern look but also one that will perform better? I read that the more modern electronic throttle boxes come with components that sync the motors to run at the same RPMs.

I'm not the most mechanically literate. Your help is appreciated. Thank you kindly.
Click to expand...



short answer? Yes, anything is possible, but when you look up the pricing to do such a conversion you’ll see why no one has.

If shifting is stiff check to see if it’s your control cables or your lower shift cables. Servicing or replacing may be in order
 
ok got it. Out of curiosity what is the ballpark cost you think it would take? I noticed some kits for dual throttle boxes ranging from 500-2200 approx. Is that it plus a certain amount of hours 5-10 hours? Thanks for the reply stg099!
 
stg099 said:
Here’s a similar previous thread that may be of help, that includes some specifics. http://www.clubsearay.com/index.php?threads/convert-2003-8-1s-merc-to-dts.50475/
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On second thought, I don’t believe this would even be a possibility as I don’t think the 2001 was smartcraft compatible. Either way, mercruiser does not sell a kit to do this conversion, so anything you put together would be based on individual pieces pulled together through a dealer or eBay. Considering the risk if it was calibrated incorrectly I would advise against.
 
ok that makes sense. Thanks for the help STG099. I will have the cables checked out. Would be great to upgrade the throttle boxe even if without an electronic one, but just a more modern style and smoother shifting. I'm a graphic designer by trade. Maybe I need to leave the design opinionated side of me at the dock. haha
 
Having upgraded a 02 to SmartCraft, I am reasonably certain the 4.3 v6s of that era can not be upgraded. This can be checked by contacting Mercruiser with engine serial numbers. it is not a case of money, the engines were simply not built to be CANBuss and without that, no SmartCraft. Sea Ray did not rollout SC when it became available Because not all engines in their product line could support it. That’s why some boats (like our 02 280) came through with analog gauges.

Armada seems to have the common misconception about DTS, that it’s all contained in the throttle controls. Actually there are matching control units on the engines and for the drives that take input from the helm and transmit it to engine pcm and physically shift drives.

For improved shift and control, I suggest having someone who has experience look at controls and cables. Given the age of the boat it may be a simple case of worn out cables. The next possiblity is to convert to something like Livorsi controls. When I priced them for a single engine it was close to $2k. They don’t do single handle dual function stern drive controls, so you have to convert to separate shift and throttle handles and an add on trim switch. I don’t know if there is enough space for quad handle control on the 280DA console. They were installed on the 280 Sun Sport, but the SS had a different helm configuration.
 
Has any 280 DA owner ever added fuel capacity and if so how and where did you find the room ? The standard 100 gallons seems a little smallish.

Also, how reliable have the Alpha drives on the 4.3L engines proven to be ? I am surprised SR went with such a weakish drive. How long have they lasted and are they a "clunky" shifting drive.

Many thanks to all !
 
Cruising said:
Has any 280 DA owner ever added fuel capacity and if so how and where did you find the room ? The standard 100 gallons seems a little smallish.

Also, how reliable have the Alpha drives on the 4.3L engines proven to be ? I am surprised SR went with such a weakish drive. How long have they lasted and are they a "clunky" shifting drive.

Many thanks to all !
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"weakish" drive? Why do you say that? Alpha's have been an EXTREMELY reliable drive system for decades. A V6 (or even small block V8's) doesn't provide anywhere enough torque cause damage to the drive. Yes, the drive's "clunk" when going into gear, but that is totally fine... and you WANT to hear/feel that clunk - it's a good thing. It means you are getting the drive quickly into gear and not grinding the gears.

Yes, the one bane of the '01-'09 280DA is the fuel tank being on the smallish size. What type of trips do you anticipate taking, though? If you're not going on extended trips with no access to fuel along the way, it may be a non-issue. FYI, the 290DA that replaced the 280DA has about 25% more fuel capacity, if I remember correctly.
 
Cruising said:
Has any 280 DA owner ever added fuel capacity and if so how and where did you find the room ? The standard 100 gallons seems a little smallish.

Also, how reliable have the Alpha drives on the 4.3L engines proven to be ? I am surprised SR went with such a weakish drive. How long have they lasted and are they a "clunky" shifting drive.

Many thanks to all !
Click to expand...

If you get a 280 with Alphas you may find yourself way ahead of the cost curve. Yes the BIII is beefier and can handle more power. It also requires significant on going maintenance if you operate in salt water, and is very expensive to repair when it breaks and is inherently prone to corrosion, aluminum housing with stainless steel props.

For what it is the 280 is a great boat. It is not a long distance cruiser, particularly in the ocean. Sterndrives with cable actuated power steering also do not lend themselves to autopilots making long distance trips without A/P physically tiring in the least. So while the fuel tank does limit range between fillups, going 90 miles in a 280 would probably not be a pleasant experience in anything but the nicest weather and sea state.
 
I have a question on the out drives. I noticed that the starboard drive has more slop left to right than the port, when I grab it by hand. I'm still on the trailer. The starboard transom assembly was replaced last spring. Assuming its an adjust on the steering cable? If yes, are there any tricks to adjusting it? I have the merc manual, detailed, but has its draw backs. By the way, I like the drives, yes they clunk, sort of like my Harley when you put it in gear, you know when its in. I have to do a 180 to leave my slip, with just a few feet to spare when perpendicular to the dock, and its no problem at all to spin it around within its length.
 
Seldom Right said:
I have a question on the out drives. I noticed that the starboard drive has more slop left to right than the port, when I grab it by hand. I'm still on the trailer. The starboard transom assembly was replaced last spring. Assuming its an adjust on the steering cable? If yes, are there any tricks to adjusting it? I have the merc manual, detailed, but has its draw backs. By the way, I like the drives, yes they clunk, sort of like my Harley when you put it in gear, you know when its in. I have to do a 180 to leave my slip, with just a few feet to spare when perpendicular to the dock, and its no problem at all to spin it around within its length.
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Since the transom assembly is new it should not be worn. But the boat is on a trailer so it’s easy to double check. If you look inside the gimbal housing at the top of the steering pin and swing the drive right to left, if the pin stays stationary and the housing it sits in swings with the drive the housing is worn. Now if the pin and housing move together there is slop someplace else.

There is no cable adjustment. However, the cable casing must be secured at both ends. The secured casing is supposed to be the anchor point for the system. The casings are held on with threaded caps, if they back off that creates slop in the system. That can lead to excessive play. The most likely candidate would be at the starboard steering piston, as well as the linkage between the two engines.

The last possibility is that the steering hub worm gear is worn.
 
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Cruising said:
Has any 280 DA owner ever added fuel capacity and if so how and where did you find the room ? The standard 100 gallons seems a little smallish.

Also, how reliable have the Alpha drives on the 4.3L engines proven to be ? I am surprised SR went with such a weakish drive. How long have they lasted and are they a "clunky" shifting drive.

Many thanks to all !
Click to expand...

I have an 01 280DA with twin 4.3’s and Alpha Ones. When I was shopping for a 280, I was looking for one with Alphas. My other boat has an ‘89 Alpha Gen One on a 5.7Liter. Great combination. I can remove them by myself at only 95 lbs. Water pump changes and bellows jobs are cheap in comparison to the Bravos. With the single SS props, I don’t fight the corrosion issue as much. If I ever do need to change one, they are much cheaper than the Bravos. The transom assemblies are much cheaper to replace than Bravos. They are rated to handle 300 hp. I like simple and reliable.

Sounds to me like you got the best motor/drive package available on a 280DA!!!

As far as fuel, yea, good point. I just need to plan my fuel stops conservatively when I cruise.
 
If anyone is interested in moving up to a great 370 DA I just put one up for sale in the classified section. Thank you,
IMG_1226.JPG
 
dorrwalter said:
If anyone is interested in moving up to a great 370 DA I just put one up for sale in the classified section. Thank you,
View attachment 81169
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That is very enticing. Unfortunately, I used up every Attaboy I had plus borrowed on future Attaboys with Admiral to get my 280.
 
The pin and housing move together. The linkage bar has slop in it. Can't see the damn thing, should be fun, if I bother.
 
I have another question, and if I have this right. The out drive trim buttons on the shifter. If I understand it, they only trim up to a certain point, which between the full trim up position and full trim down position is not much, say maybe 15 degrees? After that the switches stop working in one direction or the other depending on if the drive is either trimmed all the way up or all the way down. So, when raising beyond the trim point I find that I have to use the trailer button. However, for the trailer button to work the drives need to be in the full trimmed up position, right? I also find that the switches tend to stop working, then work. Am I doing something wrong or are the switches worn?
 
Seldom,

The trailer button should work with the drive in any position. Just remember, the use of the B3 when the drive is out of the trim button range is very risky, and repairing the damage can be very expensive. I have been told by Merc trained/certified techs that even starting the engine with the drive up is damaging.

The reality is some day you will have to move the boat with the props just barely down. If it’s to get the last 25 feet to your dock on a falling tide, it’s one thing. It’s entirely a different situation than trying to go two and a half miles down river. Is the first going to destroy your drive? Unlikely. The second, you may get away with it once or twice before you toast something.
 
Seldom - take heed to what Henry mentioned about damage. If you've had the engine running with the drive above the "trim" range... stop and don't do it again. That's the reason the trim up button doesn't work after your "15*" that you mentioned. That's the safe trim range and then it stops working to protect itself.

The down button and trailer button will work all the time. It's just the "up" trim that won't work above your 15*.
 
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