1972 Sea Ray SRV 190 Rebuild; Finally got started!--Part Two

Wow! looks like you've been busy! Keep the pics coming! I want to see a picture if you on a high speed pass! I love seeing these old boats being brought back from the dead. Keep up the god work.

Paul
 
Sorry about the long delay. Due to other financial issues and internet problems I have done very little. I did order the new thermostat housing (upper and lower) and yesterday ordered a new exhaust manifold and all the other stuff that goes with it.


Meanwhile I pulled the lower unit of the stern drive and replaced the impeller, gaskets, housing, etc. But try as I might, that sucker would not go back on. It would stop with about a half inch gap. I tried everything, rechecked everything, drove me crazy. So I took it to Commencement Bay Marine and in about fifteen minutes they had it back on. I should have had them do it when they did the upper unit. Live and learn.


But I am now up against a deadline. I have To get the boat out of this RV park by November. So I have to find a place to keep it. I have some options. So it's not too big a problem. But it has to be someplace I can work on it.
 
Ike,
That cooling system looks real bad. Hopefully you'll get it worked out before the money runs out. I finally got Old Skool running just in time to winterize her. Still waiting for that last good fall day and I'll run to the river to try her out.

Good luck with the repairs.
 
Hopefully you'll get it worked out before the money runs out.
Click to expand...
It's been running out of my hands and into everyone else's rapidly. Have you bought a manifold lately? Egad!

Still waiting for that last good fall day
Click to expand...
I think it passed. Nothing but wind and rain in the forecast.

However, I have been doing some things between the rain squalls. I installed the upper half of the thermostat housing, but I had to buy new longer bolts. The new one is higher than the old one, but just the part where the bolts go?????

I put the end plates on the new manifold. Also had to buy new bolts for that. The manifold comes with all the bolts and nuts needed, except the ones for the end plates???

Anyway. I started cleaning up the mating surface on the block with emery. It's taking awhile. But everything is ready to be bolted in place. But between the rain and running around doing other things, it's going slow. I put a new cover on the boat today. I didn't do that last January (I hadn't stripped it out yet) and had to chip ice off after we had an ice storm. Hopefully we'll get a few nice days after I finish.
 
Finally getting things done. See pic below of new manifold, water pump (behind the pulley) thermostat housing and hoses.

_MG_1782.jpg


However, as usual I hit a snag. In the pic below, notice that the bolt immediately to the right of the last bolt on the manifold, is missing.

_MG_1781.jpg


I cleaned everything up. put the new manifold and gasket on, started tightening bolts (alternately, first one end then the other, the the middle two, and so on) and when I got to that one, which was the last to be tightened, it would only tighten so far and then it slipped!. I nearly threw in the towel. Possible stripped threads in the block, and other thoughts (not printable) went through my head. Then I took the washer off and tried it again, and this time it tightened up, but with the washer it's too short. So I looked at various alternatives. Yes I tried chasing the threads with a tap. Didn't work.

Get a longer bolt?
Put in a stud?

In the next pic the original bolt is on the right, and it's hard to see but only about 1/4 to 3/8 inch was actually in the hole, which is a good inch deep. So getting a longer bolt might work. The new bolt was exactly the same length and just wasn't grabbing enough threads.

So I took one of the old studs and screwed it in and it holds but the threads aren't very deep, so I bought a new stud with deeper threads (last one on the left.) This will go all the way into the hole and have plenty of thread engaged. I can then put a washer and nut on it, and cut off any excess, so it isn't sticking out there to cut me every time I work on the engine.

_MG_1783.jpg


I went to Tacoma Marine , the local mercury parts and repair, and showed their head mechanic what I was going to do. He thought it would work fine.

So next, I have another hose to put on, the exhaust shutter, the exhaust hose, and the riser. Then install the carb and the throttle linkage and I should be done. (this time anyway)
 
Done done done. New Water pump, new thermostat and thermostat housing, manifold, water hoses, exhaust hose, and water shutter. All bolts, nuts and washers are new SS. I used the existing riser. It looks like crap on the outside but the inside looks fine. I'll change it out in the spring. Now I need to put it on the earmuffs and run the engine.

CRW_4306.jpg


Those of you with sharp eyes will notice that the throttle is not hooked up to the carb yet. I did that later.
 
It's Alive, It's Alive! (appropriate for halloween)


Ran the engine yesterday for about 15 minutes. All appears well. No water leaks. Did not overheat. But I'll have to wait for some decent weather before putting it back on the water.


I hope everything is ok with those of you on the East Coast.
 
Thanks for sharing some good news today!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Well the decent weather came and went. Last Friday I was going to drop it in the lake so I started checking out everything, and the blower died. I think the brushes finally gave out. So I've ordered a new one. At the same time I'll install a new switch. I had to order a duplicate of the blower that was installed. That way I don't have to engineer a new way to mount the blower, but it won't be here for a few more days.

So. I hope we get a few more good days before winter sets in.
 
Why not just cosmetic paint on the outside of riser if internals are good?
 
I'm just going to buy a new one in the Spring. I could have painted it but this way it reminds me to replace it.
 
I love watching your progress. Here is wishing better weather your way.
 
Thanks. Everything is on hold right now. Back in late October I was going to take it for a test run after completing the work on the cooling, but when I was checking out every thing, the blower died. So I had to order one (they don't use those squirrel cage blowers much anymore). Since then we haven't had a decent day. Rain, rain, rain, and even a little snow. So it will probably be spring before I get the blower put in and have a chance to put it in the lake.
 
It's Spring. Hauled the boat out of storage. Replaced the blower. Put in a new blower switch on the dash. Had to make some repairs to the ventilation collector. Did some other minor electrical stuff. Everything seems to be working.

Took it out and it ran for a few minutes and died. Water in the gas. I used a hand pump to remove a gallon from the bottom of the tank. Now it runs fine.

Ran the engine for about ten minutes with ear muffs and a hose. Did not over heat. Dropped it in the water, fired it up, cruised around at 1000-1100 rpm for about ten minutes and it started getting too hot. Not as bad as last fall, but still way too hot.

So. why does it not overheat on the hose, but does in the water? The only change other than replacing all the cooling system, was the shutter. There was no shutter in the exhaust. But the service manual shows a shutter so I put one in. Could that be restricting water flow?

I have also ordered a new riser, but I honestly think that that is not the problem.

Any thoughts from your mercruiser gurus?
 
Peter,
I have not read the entire post but i can offer some thoughts on the problem if they have not already been mentioned.....when running on the garden hose you are keeping the engine rpm's down and there is very little demand placed on the engine....this situation only requires a minimal amount of water circulation to keep the engine temp down to normal level.....in the water and moving forward you have placed much more load on the engine by having to turn the sterndrive gearing and the prop enough to push the boat through the resistance of the water....you are also running the engine at higher rpm's than you did while running on the garden hose....all of this extra load forces the engine to work harder and thus requires an increase in the water flow to keep the engine temp in control....three things that can cause reduced water flow: 1) some sort of restriction in the cooling system 2) a reduced amount of water being circulated due to a faulty raw water impeller or a faulty water circulation pump or 3) a stuck thermostat that is partially closed....when i first bought my boat the engine temp was running higher than normal at higher rpm's but the engine temp was OK at idle....after replacing the raw water impeller and thermostat and back flushing the cooling passages and water hoses the temp was still high....i replaced the water circulation pump and that solved the problem...there were no visual signs the circulation pump was bad and the impeller bearing seamed to be tight....i suppose the impeller vanes had worn to the point they were not moving a sufficient amount of water at higher rpm's....

good luck...

cliff
 
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Thanks Cliff

Here's the latest. I took the thermostat out and dropped it into a pot of water and let it heat. It opened at precisely 140 deg. So nothing wrong with that. I have ordered a new riser (was scheduled to do that anyway) so I removed the riser and removed the flexible exhaust tube and the water shutter is gone. All the pieces of it are down inside the exhaust tube. Here's a pic. So I need to do some cleaning. before I do anything else.

IMG_20130603_142207_378-small_zpsff9d731f.jpg
 
After sleeping on it and re reading the service manual I came to the same conclusion that's its simply reduced water flow. So something is causing a restriction. So today I stuck a vacuum hose down the exhaust and sucked out a lot of debris. I took the prop off and lo and behold there was a big chunk of the water shutter. So I have decided to go back to ground zero and check everything. It means I have to take it all apart again but you gotta do what you gotta do.


I have a new riser to put on. That old one doesn't look clogged but the passages could be reduced enough to cause reduced flow.


Here's what I found behind the prop. It's part of the shutter.
IMG_20130604_140909_853-small_zpsf8458530.jpg
 
Re-assembled cooling system with new riser. Took it to Commencement Bay Marine to rework the stern drive.

IMG_3181_zps88ddfa68.jpg


Two weeks later: Boat is back after repair. They took off the stern drive. Cleaned out all water passages. Replaced impeller. Replaced a seal, Adjusted shift. They ran it for about 20 minutes and it ran cool. I took it out for a test . Engine runs cool. We were out for about one hour. Did not run it over 1500 rpm though. Engine runs a little rough. It started right away when cold, but it was hard to start when hot. The boat takes on water at about one gallon per hour. It is easily handled by the bilge pump.



IMG_3188_zps01f247e1.jpg
 
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Good news! I have been taking the boat out fishing for about two weeks now. Two days ago it started running rough. I checked the plugs, all were carbon fouled. One of the spark plugs had cracked insulation. Replaced all of them, checked timing and dwell. Everything was right on. It runs smoother now but still not at specified rpm. I have ordered an electronic ignition module for the distributor, a new coil (never replaced), and a new ignition wiring set (Lord only knows what is on it now. It has no markings at all) But overall it is running ok. It has stopped leaking water. There is no leaking at the sterndrive. It takes maybe a cup of water a day from somewhere. Who knows? Anyway overall everything is good. It has been sitting at the dock for a week with no problems. I even put the trailer in storage.


And besides that fishing has been good. Lots of rainbows in this lake.
 
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