TOPIC: Just Bought a 1972 Sea Ray

ike,

OK, Engineer, what kind of ply did you use for the sole?

yours, satx

The stringers are 3/4" (18mm) meranti marine plywood BS 1088. The sole is 1/2" (12mm) meranti marine plywood BS 1088.

ike,

THANKS.
(fwiw, i too use plywood for stringers, as i believe that it's stronger than most affordable deminsional lumber & think longer-lived. - i usually use MDO, as it holds up for years as highway signs.)

i really like your boat.

yours, satx

Thanks.

Yes, ply is stronger and lighter than solid wood. I was considering MDO but my supplier doesn't carry it any more, and meranti is just as good (if not better) and doesn't cost much more. Plus I saturated it with Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer, and then coated the outside with epoxy resin. The sole also has a layer of glass on it. It will outlive me.

Today I fixed the leak and at the same time found out that the original fuel line from the pump to the carb was a metal line with swaged fittings. Somewhere along the line someone changed it to hose with barbed fittings. Eventually I will switch it back. I ran the engine for about ten minutes, and set the dwell and timing. It runs a little rough when cold (typical 1960's 70's engine) but when warmed up runs pretty smooth for an engine that hasn't been run in years.

But one thing leads to another. The morse throttle control is frozen. It was working when I got the boat but now it is stuck. So I will have to disassemble it and free it up, and the trim tilt only goes down. It worked fine two weeks ago?? Another remove, clean , and reinstall job.

Launch Day!





I put it in the water today. Ran it around slowly for about 15 minutes. Tried it in reverse. Shift to reverse is a real jolt. But it works. Tried to accelerate but at 1100 rpm it stops cold like someone turned off the switch. Also it is leaking at the stern drive. But the bilge pump works. (LOL)

So I need to keep working on it.

Glad to see you got the control issue worked out and float tested the old girl Ike. I know you'll get all the little issues ironed out, hang in there the finish line is in sight!

You can invite us all for a party. Your almost there.

Any of you Glassics members in the PACNW, know of a good reliable marine repair to do the repair of the bellows on my sterndrive. I know it's supposed to be easy but frankly I don't want to DIY it. Preferably someone near Tacoma, but will go farther afield.

I took the boat to the local Sea Ray dealer to have the sterndrive repaired. They said the sterndrive was too old for them to work on, they had no one who was trained or qualified. They gave me the name of Commencement Bay Marine in Tacoma, so I took the boat there. There hardest part was ordering the parts. It took well over a week. But once they had the parts they completed the work in one day. They replaced the gaskets, bellows, and the shift cable. It took almost two weeks.

But when they tried to start the engine there was no power to the starter.

After I got it home I discovered that the wires to the neutral safety switch had come off. Probably happened when they were re-installing the throttle control. After I hooked them up everything worked fine.

Tomorrow is launch day!

Glad to hear you got it all straightened out Ike, hope the re-launch goes well. Please keep us posted, and remember our addiction to pics!

Excellent Ike
you've worked hard on her and deserve a trouble free launch
best of luck my friend

Good news, and bad news.

Launched boat. Engine fired right up. It ran smooth after warming up. Shift cable is no longer stiff but shifts hard. Shift needs adjustment. Motored around slowly for about 15 minutes and then the temp went through the roof. I immediately shut it down and used my kicker motor to get back to the ramp. I think I lost the impeller. Of course it is probably 40 years old. I'll pull it and see. It may also need a new circulating pump on the engine.

There is still a leak somewhere. It had maybe 1-2 gallons of water in the bilge. After I sort out the engine problems I'll look for the leak.

So back to the tool bin.

Started on the lower unit today. Didn't do much, removed the anode, drained the lube. Really gross stuff.



I also pulled the top off the thermostat housing. Also disgusting.

To quote one of my Granddaughters: EEEEEWWWWWW! Might wanna consider flushing that lower with kerosene before installing the new lube Ike? (Just a thought......)

EEEEEWWWWWW

That was pretty much my reaction.

I also had the same thought as you about flushing. There is probably a lot of gunk in there.

I went and bought a new thermostat and gasket. Yesterday I started cleaning up the thermostat housing. It was full of rust! I cleaned it up fairly well, not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. So now I am ready to put it back together, but, ,,,,,

I have searched through the service manual and cannot find a torque setting for the Thermostat housing bolts for the 165. They list it for the V 8 engines by not the inline engines. For the V8 it is 20 ft lb.

I'mm thinking I will go with that because it sounds reasonable. Any one know what it is supposed to be?

EEEEEWWWWWW!

It gets worse. The more stuff I took off the worse it looks. I found a broken spring in the hose from the water pump to the thermostat block. The water passages in the manifold are all clogged with rust and, the water pump is trashed. So I pulled it all off the engine and will just replace it all. Lots of pics for you.

Where the exhaust hose from the rear of the riser connects to the exhaust, is there supposed to be some sort of valve? If so it's not there. There is a metal bar across the top of the exhaust tube, but it doesn't seem to have any function.

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.

Finally getting things done. See pic below of new manifold, water pump (behind the pulley) thermostat housing and hoses.



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.



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.



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.



Those of you with sharp eyes will notice that the throttle is not hooked up to the carb yet. I did that later.

Looks like you've covered all the bases now Ike, best wishes for a cool running motor. "Good on ya" for hanging in there and seeing it through, I know it can get aggravating sometimes. Any more sea trials possible this year? It appears winter is knocking on the door early around here, hoping to get at least one more run in myself. (Saturday)

Isn't it amazing how boats like money and attention. Just like women.

Ike, I've been secretly following your thread thinking this guy bit off a lot to chew. Teriffic job! Looking at the beginning pics and the final it's amazing what you have done.
Congrats on a job well done.
Cal

Chomp chomp chomp. It has to be taken in little bites. Unfortunately that's why it takes so long.

There is more to be done, but it can wait until next spring. That's when I'll really get into the electrical system.

Meanwhile, if the weather allows I'll get it in the water and try it out. This summer we were praying for rain. Be careful what you wish for!

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.

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.

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?

How hot is it getting? The thermostat is probably 180f so if it's at that it's normal. Also the load on the engine is a lot less running on the hose than pushing the boat around.

Unfortunately this temperature gauge doesn't have numbers, just yellow, green and red. I need to get one of those infrared gizmos that you point at something and it tells you the temperature. Anyway it was well in the red, but last time it pegged, so it's better than it was. Oil on the engine was starting to smoke and the exhaust manifold was very hot. Anyway well over 180.

ike,i have a 72 sea ray with a 455 olds and berkley jet drive. when i first ran it,i thought it was on the verge of overheating also. the guage,same one as you have,went in to the red very quickly when the motor was given antything past half throttle. but,the engine did not feel all that warm. i installed a mechanical temp guage and when the dash guage was in the red,the mechanical guage was right at 160 deg. i would suggest that you consider installing another guage as a check. skipp

Good Suggestion. Replacing The sensor might be agood idea too.

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.

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.

Looks like you may have found a big part of the problem there Ike, that can't be good! I've been following several conversations lately on the ole Mercruisers, trying to gain as much knowledge as I can for a future project. We appreciate you sharing your trials and tribulations with us, great reporting. Hope you have some trouble free boating in the Sea Ray coming your way soon.

Re-assembled cooling system with new riser. Took it to Commencement Bay Marine to rework the stern drive.



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.

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.

I checked the plugs, all were carbon fouled. One of the spark plugs had cracked insulation. Replaced all of them,

Didn't happen to be Champion plugs did they Ike? We've seen a rash of porcelain problems with that brand lately. I'm a "Be American Buy American" kinda guy, but I run nothing but NGK plugs in all my stuff now. I switched over about 10 or 12 yrs ago, and haven't had a problem since!

No they were Autolite. They looked so old that they were used by Noah. I replaced them with Bosch. It was the 4th. Only the NAPA store was open and that's all they had that would fit. But they are good plugs. I always used Bosch in my Mercedes.

Bad news and good news.....

Just about one month ago (just after my last post) I injured a vertebrae in my neck and have been unable to do much. It pretty much disabled my left arm, back and shoulder. I couldn't even drive more that few miles due to the pain. So the boat has been just sitting at the dock. They had me on pain killers as well which make me woozy. My Blood pressure shot out of sight as well. My wife and I checked on it every day but nothing was getting done.

Good news. I haven't had to take any pain killers in at least three days and my blood pressure is almost back to normal. A few days ago I finally got some work done on it. I had not done anything with the old rear seat backs. They were rotten and needed replacement. So I figured that was something I could do while convalescing. It was just some 1/4 ply with a 4" foam glued to it and then covered in marine vinyl, stapled on the back. They look good. I'll get a pic.

Plus I had an alternator problem even before I hurt myself. It wasn't charging. While taking time off from the boat I researched the correct wiring diagram on the web (nothing in the owner's manual, and Mallory was no help at all.) I found a schematic for a Delco type alternator, what was originally on the engine, and today I hooked it up. Then I gave it the smoke test and it works. The ammeter is showing about 10 amps, but I suspect that is lower than what it is actually putting out. I will have to get out my multimeter and test it under load.

So, I will give my neck some more time before I take it out on the lake. The bouncing and vibration would probably put me back in the emergency room. But at least I can get some small thing done.

Very sorry to hear about your troubles Peter, but glad to hear you're on the mend! Take it easy for a while, doing a little at a time - as you stated. We're all wishing you a speedy and complete recovery.