Official 240 Sundancer Thread

[Little Bit]

Re: Maintenance Manuals and Which Oil Filter?

Quick question for anyone else with a Mercruiser 5.0L MPI with a Bravo 3, what type of oil filter are you guys using? I don't feel like spending the extra cash on a Mercury filter, just on synthetic oil.

Besides the Merc filter the only other brand I would consider is Wix; however, last time I did that the price was about the same.

 

[danmili]

Mercruiser 5.0 MPI oil change and Bravo III drive lube change

Thanks. I hit West Marine and called a Marine Max mechanic to chat about oil filters. I ended up going with the Quicksilver GM V-8 filter to replace the Mercury oil filter I had. I was already there and would have spent the difference in gas $ getting to an Auto Zone.

Using this forum (thanks guys!) I ended up doing a complete fluid service on my engine and outdrive today (2004 Mercruiser 5.0L MPI with Bravo III outdrive).

Couple lessons learned:
-although the Mercury manuals state to use 20W-40 oil, it seems that the industry has gone to 25W-40. I used synthetic as I'm in Florida and I guess I just like synthetic.

-Punching a hole in the top of the oil filter does help getting the oil out a bit faster. Just don't forget about that hole when you are throwing it out....oops. :grin:

-I recommend running your boat (if trailered and cold) for at LEAST 15-20 min to get the oil nice and hot. Ran mine for about 10 at low RPM and it was only lukewarm, so it took much longer to fully drain out.

-The oil drain hose is connected to your bilge plug (hence the linked chain attached.) If you are having problems getting the hose out from the outside, just crawl down into the engine bay and hand feed it out the bilge drain hole. Its about two feet long.

-Stern Drive Lube (Drive unit oil):
-Get that 12 dollar pump. Worth it. I also recommend getting brand new gasket/washers for the oil fill/drain screw and vent screw. If you are going to have problems with water entering, they probably start here. See this link for more info (posted elsewhere in these boards):

http://www.sterndrives.com/changeyourbravogearlube.html

-Regarding that pump, you may find that as the fluid hydraulic pressure builds as the system approaches being full, the pump hose may actually be forced off the bottle-- so you will need two hands to keep it on and pump simultaneously. Just my take, might have been a one of a kind problem. LEAVE the reservoir cap off so that trapped air can escape out of the system.

-Highly recommend you check your power steering fluid level...I was shocked to find mine dangerously low. You're already getting dirty with all the other fluids anyway....:thumbsup:

That's about it for now.

Thanks for the great info on the site, and I hope this helps return the favor!

Cheers,
Dan

 

[bob]

Question on CB's.

My boat's circuit breakers are located inside a pylon (for lack of a better term) that's located behind the pilot's seat. On some 240's, this is also where a deck sink is located, but mine doesn't have the sink option. Anyway, inside this storage compartment is where the circuit breakers are mounted. I noticed all of the cb's are in the "ON" position. I was going to work on the mascerator pump and wanted to disconnect it from the electrical system so I attempted to place the cb rocker switch to "OFF." Could not do. In fact, all of the cb's seem to be locked in the "ON" position--they cannot be moved. Is this normal? Will the cb do it's job if there's a short or over amperage on the circuit? How does one go about isolating various electrical equipment, if not via the cb route? I've never seen cb's that exhibited this behavior.

 

[Nehalennia]

Re: Mercruiser 5.0 MPI oil change and Bravo III drive lube change

Thanks. I hit West Marine and called a Marine Max mechanic to chat about oil filters. I ended up going with the Quicksilver GM V-8 filter to replace the Mercury oil filter I had. ..............
Cheers,
Dan

Mercury and Quicksilver are the same company. I believe the part numbers are even the same, but just branded differently. This allows Mercury to put those products in Retail stores(Labeled as Quicksilver) and save the "Mercury Name brand" for their dealers.

You'll find Quicksilver products at WalMart and West Marine.

Consider going by your local Boaters World and stocking up. All their stuff is 10% with their going out of business sale right now, but that doesn't mean their prices are good. Compare to elsewhere.

Also keep in mind, West Marine meets anyone elses prices, even online.

 

[Kurt]

Question on CB's.

My boat's circuit breakers are located inside a pylon (for lack of a better term) that's located behind the pilot's seat. On some 240's, this is also where a deck sink is located, but mine doesn't have the sink option. Anyway, inside this storage compartment is where the circuit breakers are mounted. I noticed all of the cb's are in the "ON" position. I was going to work on the mascerator pump and wanted to disconnect it from the electrical system so I attempted to place the cb rocker switch to "OFF." Could not do. In fact, all of the cb's seem to be locked in the "ON" position--they cannot be moved. Is this normal? Will the cb do it's job if there's a short or over amperage on the circuit? How does one go about isolating various electrical equipment, if not via the cb route? I've never seen cb's that exhibited this behavior.

My panel under the wet bar is designed the same way. All of the switches are in the "ON" position and will not move. The dealer told me these are a replacable only not switchable. I too would like some more info regarding these, so this might be a question for professor fwebster. I will see what I can come up with.

 

[jg300da]

My panel under the wet bar is designed the same way. All of the switches are in the "ON" position and will not move. The dealer told me these are a replacable only not switchable. I too would like some more info regarding these, so this might be a question for professor fwebster. I will see what I can come up with.

Not switchable yes, but resetable. You can also trip them manually with a thin blade screwdriver inserted into the slot opposite the switch and then reset them.

 

[Nehalennia]

Question on CB's.

My boat's circuit breakers are located inside a pylon (for lack of a better term) that's located behind the pilot's seat. On some 240's, this is also where a deck sink is located, but mine doesn't have the sink option. Anyway, inside this storage compartment is where the circuit breakers are mounted. I noticed all of the cb's are in the "ON" position. I was going to work on the mascerator pump and wanted to disconnect it from the electrical system so I attempted to place the cb rocker switch to "OFF." Could not do. In fact, all of the cb's seem to be locked in the "ON" position--they cannot be moved. Is this normal? Will the cb do it's job if there's a short or over amperage on the circuit? How does one go about isolating various electrical equipment, if not via the cb route? I've never seen cb's that exhibited this behavior.

My panel under the wet bar is designed the same way. All of the switches are in the "ON" position and will not move. The dealer told me these are a replacable only not switchable. I too would like some more info regarding these, so this might be a question for professor fwebster. I will see what I can come up with.

Not switchable yes, but resetable. You can also trip them manually with a thin blade screwdriver inserted into the slot opposite the switch and then reset them.

I assume this is the main breaker panel adjacent to the MBSS?

 

[Kurt]

So how do you reset them jg300da? The way I am reading you're post is that you trip them to reset them. There is nothing in my owners manual regarding reseting them only replacing them with a breaker of equal amperage. I am sorrry but I still do not understand how they can be reset.

 

[jg300da]

They're not circuit breakers like those in the cabin distribution panel, meaning they can't be manually turned off. But if they trip the indicator turns from black to red and they can be turned back on (reset). I had a dead circuit once and none of the breakers appeared tripped. When I call a friend in the service dept he told me to manually trip the breaker with a small thin blade screwdriver and then reset it. There's a small rectangular slot on each one. Worked like a charm. Guess when it tripped the indicator didn't show it fully.

 

[Kurt]

Thank you very much. That explaination was very helpful. Now I just have to remember what to do. I am going to check this out this week at the boat, Thanks again.

 

[dprvashon]

The information on the breakers is very timely for me. I was playing with them this past weekend and wondered how they switch on/off... so thanks a heap!

Can I introduce another [weird] 240DA question around the anchor mount? This may have been addressed in another thread but I have not found it.

I recently bought a 2009 240DA which came with the anchor mount option on the bow. I measured the distance to the hull (6") and the width in order to purchase a new anchor. After many conversations with the dealer, I opted for a 14# Delta Plow anchor. But what I find when attempting to mount it, is that the bow nav light is directly behind the mount (6") and the shaft of the anchor rests on top of the light. This is not good and the only solution the marine store had was to add a SS anchor rest over the light. Any other ideas? Why would they put the light directly behind without realizing the issue with the anchor? Is there even an anchor that fits/works?






BTW, I ended up stuffing the anchor in the locker and not mounting it.
Thanks
Dave

 

[Nehalennia]

Dave
Unfortunately I think that's what they were thinking(that your stow it in the locker).
My Nav light is mounted on the front of the railing.

 

[Kurt]

I checked the breakers out under the wet bar over the weekend. jg300 was correct there is a small slit on the port side of the switch. I had to get my glasses out but there is one there very small and thin maybe 1 cm.

 

[diggindmb]

Finally got the chance to fire up my new 96' 240 this past weekend down at Lake Cumberland. Everything well better than planned, heck I even had the time to install my LED lights around the cockpit area....What a beautiful weekend!!!!:smt038

 

[Shining]

Finally got the chance to fire up my new 96' 240 this past weekend down at Lake Cumberland. Everything well better than planned, heck I even had the time to install my LED lights around the cockpit area....What a beautiful weekend!!!!:smt038

Looking good! :thumbsup:

 

[Jack F]

Took the boat out last Saturday for a few hours, the weather was great and we were the only ones on Nantucket sound, except the ferries and the Coast Guard boat that boarded us for a safety check.

All the info I read on CSR regarding how to correct the listing problems worked great, trim the outdrive up and used the tabs a little.

I washed everything down after and was wondering how to clean the bilge, not what to use but do you guy actually climb down inside, it seems a little tight and would hate to step on something and break it.

 

[Kurt]

I climb down in mine I try to avoid the stepping on anything as well, especially the gas lines. You can pretty much trace them as the gas tank sits straight down toward the bow of the bilge and runs foreward under the deck. The tank is well protected but lines are not. You can use the risers for support with you're hands climbing around.

To clean, I would I just hit the bottom of the bilge with some Simple Green and allow it sit for 15 min or so then rinse. Then open the drain and let it out.

 

[Jack F]

Thanks Kurt,

That’s what I figured; I’ll need to stretch out and take some Advil first. It’s in a slip so I would need to have the bilge pump get ride of the water and a hand pump for the rest.

 

[Fishnut]

Took the boat out last Saturday for a few hours, the weather was great and we were the only ones on Nantucket sound, except the ferries and the Coast Guard boat that boarded us for a safety check.

All the info I read on CSR regarding how to correct the listing problems worked great, trim the outdrive up and used the tabs a little.

I washed everything down after and was wondering how to clean the bilge, not what to use but do you guy actually climb down inside, it seems a little tight and would hate to step on something and break it.

Climbing around down there is great exercise. LOL I do the same thing Kurt does with the simple green. But I just pull the drain plug and let it drain that way. You can hose it down, but leave the engine compartment door open over night to dry it out.

 

[Fishnut]

The information on the breakers is very timely for me. I was playing with them this past weekend and wondered how they switch on/off... so thanks a heap!

Can I introduce another [weird] 240DA question around the anchor mount? This may have been addressed in another thread but I have not found it.

I recently bought a 2009 240DA which came with the anchor mount option on the bow. I measured the distance to the hull (6") and the width in order to purchase a new anchor. After many conversations with the dealer, I opted for a 14# Delta Plow anchor. But what I find when attempting to mount it, is that the bow nav light is directly behind the mount (6") and the shaft of the anchor rests on top of the light. This is not good and the only solution the marine store had was to add a SS anchor rest over the light. Any other ideas? Why would they put the light directly behind without realizing the issue with the anchor? Is there even an anchor that fits/works?

View attachment 5277

View attachment 5278


BTW, I ended up stuffing the anchor in the locker and not mounting it.
Thanks
Dave

It's a design defect. When they initially designed it they thought they could get approval for the monkey job but the coast guard said it didn't pass so the earlier models don't even have a roller option. It is probably a cost issue. If they would separate the red and green nav lights it would be nice to have an anchor option. This boat is way to heavy to not have an anchor setup.

Even better yet, they put the spot light on the anchor locker hatch. That is my favorite stupid install. The light shines right into your eyes from the rail rendering the $750 option useless.

How much is the roller option and is it a DIY install.