My first V20

[Dschaffer]

I picked her up in the spring and had several adventures on Lake Michigan and a few in land lakes. I love this boat! What can/should I do to keep her in good shape? The biggest concern, from what I've read, is the Mercruiser 3.7 (165hp). I have yet to experience any real issues except that the coolant bottle sometimes ends up very low. I need to put new gauges on as not all work (any suggestions?). There is a bit of spider cracking here and there that I don't believe to be a concern but it would be great to find someone in my area (Northwest Michigan) with experience with these boats. It's an 88. Any recommendations for trim tabs? I'd like to have a steadier ride through the chop. It almost seems like the bow could use more weight. Anyway, I will spend more time searching the site and learning all I can. Any tips, or fellow V20 owners in the area, would be greatly appreciated!

 

[bradford]

Great first post. I like minimal gauges, tach, water temp and oil pressure. Maybe water pressure. Gas gauges and Speedos rarely work with any accuracy. I installed a mechanical fuel gauge that does work well, but the electric ones I always just disconnected. Spider cracks I feel aren't a big deal and even if fixed correctly will sometimes come back. Sounds like that coolant is going somewhere, hopefully not in your oil. Are you making oil or any sign of chocalte milk? Hopefully just a hose clamp, any coolant smell in the engine compartment? Seems like a lot of guys like those 3.7s, someone else with knowlege will chime in. Cfelton has the same engine I believe and has done a lot of maintaence to it.

 

[cfelton]

Yeah I love these motors! They're easy to repair. Sounds like you're losing the coolant somewhere. Check your waterpump seals on the front of the engine. Left side facing it look for weep hole under the internal waterpump. Could be leaking inside the heat exchanger or riser. If the oil looks clean shouldn't be a head gasket. Look around the motor and see if you can see any coolant. Theres a few guys that have them, mine is a 170. Some are 470, 170,165 ect. They all have the same block and head. We'll try to help you figure out where its going. Check the dip stick first.

 

[Destroyer]

Hi and welcome to the site. Love the boat porn. Trim tabs are almost a must in my opinion. I know a lot of guys just trim their engines and are happy but when running through chop the ability to force the bow down just a bit to knife through the waves instead of riding up and over them really smooths out the ride. As to brands it's almost evenly divided between Lenkos (electric) and Bennett (hydraulic) brands. There are other brands on the market also but those are the two most popular. Sorry I can't help with the coolant issue since I'm strictly an outboard guy.. But again, welcome to the site. Looking forward to seeing more posts from you in the future.

 

[Dschaffer]

Thanks for the replies! This seems like a fairly active site. The gauges that I want to replace, because they’re not working, are the tach and the trim. The trim is no big deal but it would be nice to see how many rpm’s I’m cruising at.
As for the coolant leak, thankfully there is no sign of coolant in the oil but there is some black specks and oil residue in the coolant bottle. It has been there since I’ve owned the boat and doesn’t seem to be getting worse. I see no signs of a coolant leak nor is there any smell. I need to spend some time with it hooked to the hose in order to really figure out what’s going on. Cfleton, is there a manual for this motor that you would recommend? It appears this will be a super easy motor to winterize! I hope that is the case as this is my first I/O.
As for the trim tabs, any do’s or don’t are welcome. Also, have any of you guys found a add on electric anchor that works nicely on there very front of this boat? The access in front of the Cuddy seems like a great place to store rope for such an anchor. Thanks again for the replies. I hope to be an active part of this forum.

 

[3 Squids]

Welcome to the site!! You’ll find just about any info you need here with a little searching. As far as trim tabs I think the best bang for the buck are the Lenco Electric tabs. Very easy to install and a simple system. Wish I could help with the coolant issue but I don’t do IB/OB’s but general mechanical knowlegde makes it definitely seem you have a leak. If it’s not in the oil that’s a good sign. Still could be a possibility that the head gasket may be leaking either down the back or side of the motor you can’t see. Maybe very slowly into a cylinder?? Inspect any freeze plugs good. I’m not sure but I imagine there may be a couple inside the bellhousing that would be tricky to inspect. Good luck with her and look forward to future posts and pics.

 

[Destroyer]

By electric anchor you mean an anchor winch? Several good ones on the market. Powerwinch makes several good ones, but they are not cheap. Search eBay for ideas of brands and availability, then search Craigslist. A lot of times you'll find good deals on Craigslist whereas eBay usually costs more. And of course your local marina and Wests can also point you in the right direction for what you'll need.

 

[scook]

I have a 170 and had some experience with fixing the internal water pump. Look for any sign of coolant in the bilge - it’s hard to spot where it leaks out if the seal is bad. As I recall there’s a weep hole around behind the pump near the distributor.

Don’t forget to drain the heat exchanger. One winter where you are will destroy it if you don’t - it’s around $1000 from Mercury and mine was around $500 getting it through an online guy who supplies the OEM part direct from the manufacturer. If you end up needing one, let me know and I’ll hook you up.

Welcome to the site - it saved my sanity when I was fixing my water pump.

 

[Destroyer]

I have a 170 and had some experience with fixing the internal water pump. Look for any sign of coolant in the bilge - it’s hard to spot where it leaks out if the seal is bad. As I recall there’s a weep hole around behind the pump near the distributor.

Don’t forget to drain the heat exchanger. One winter where you are will destroy it if you don’t - it’s around $1000 from Mercury and mine was around $500 getting it through an online guy who supplies the OEM part direct from the manufacturer. If you end up needing one, let me know and I’ll hook you up.

Welcome to the site - it saved my sanity when I was fixing my water pump.

And remember that draining the outdrive does not mean you drained the engine block.

 

[Dschaffer]

Thanks again for the replies. I am hoping to get some time this evening to run the motor on the hose. Let's hope it's something simple! The boat runs excellent except for this mysterious coolant leak. I think I'm going to go with the electric trim tabs. My tilt/trim pump oil is mixed with water and has proven difficult to find out where from. I like the idea of fewer hydrolic hoses. I'm hoping to find heated indoor storage for the winter. If that happens, I'll be working on a number of things that I'll be sure to post about on here. Thanks again.

 

[cfelton]

Years ago I got a Clymer manual off ebay cheap. Its helped me out a lot. If you have to buy any parts shop the internet thoroughly! Ive had good luck getting stuff from Ebasicpower! Also found some good used parts on ebay. I lucked up and found a complete motor that was frozen up from lack of winterizing. Got it cheap and with a little work got it running. If you need anything just ask. I've spent many hours looking for different parts, glad to help. Oh and congrats on the boat, looks great!

 

[Dschaffer]

Years ago I got a Clymer manual off ebay cheap. Its helped me out a lot. If you have to buy any parts shop the internet thoroughly! Ive had good luck getting stuff from Ebasicpower! Also found some good used parts on ebay. I lucked up and found a complete motor that was frozen up from lack of winterizing. Got it cheap and with a little work got it running. If you need anything just ask. I've spent many hours looking for different parts, glad to help. Oh and congrats on the boat, looks great!

I finally had some time to run the motor on the muffs and was able to find the coolant leak. It appears to be dripping from the front left bottom of the motor, behind the coolant bottle. The picture shows the area. I can feel bolt heads underneath. Could it be as simple as tightening them? I need to get a manual for this engine so I know what I’m looking at. Also, any idea why the bolts next to the plugs are rusting? Any thoughts on this are much appreciated.

 

[3 Squids]

Perhaps the bolts are in the water jacket themselves. I don’t know much about these motors but know many Chevy motors have multiple boats that must have thread sealant or coolant will leak out. Hopefully it’s as simple as that.

 

[scook]

You pretty much have the same engine that I have. I’m guessing you have the same problem I had - that the rear seal in the internal water pump is bad. To keep coolant from getting into the engine at the end of the camshaft, there’s a weep hole that lets it drip into the bilge (the water pump is driven by the very front end of the cam.

It’s a pretty big pain to get into it to fix it but if you’re a fair mechanic and a glutton for punishment, you can do it. On mine, the shaft was galled and I had to find a repair sleeve that press fit over the galled section of the shaft. I screwed up the first seal I put in and had to do it all over.

I have manuals but our resident boat mechanic, Spareparts saved me from shooting myself when I was fighting some pesky locating pins that wouldn’t let me get the cover back on. He a very generous guy with his knowledge and will probably chime in when you have problems.

If you find the weep hole and it’s the problem (probably won’t leak until it gets warm enough to build some pressure) and don’t find a manual, I’ll see if I can find the applicable pages and scan & email them to you. I have also had fair luck finding blow up diagrams and even manual sections by Googling around for them, so you should try that first.

Regarding the rusty bolts, I had that problem and it diminished a lot when I fixed the coolant leak so the engine compartment wasn’t so humid. I think the humidity builds up and then condenses when the engine cools off, rusting the bare metal bolts. That’s speculation but it fits pretty well.

It’s a good wintertime project.

 

[Pipe_Dream]

You pretty much have the same engine that I have. I’m guessing you have the same problem I had - that the rear seal in the internal water pump is bad. To keep coolant from getting into the engine at the end of the camshaft, there’s a weep hole that lets it drip into the bilge (the water pump is driven by the very front end of the cam.

It’s a pretty big pain to get into it to fix it but if you’re a fair mechanic and a glutton for punishment, you can do it. On mine, the shaft was galled and I had to find a repair sleeve that press fit over the galled section of the shaft. I screwed up the first seal I put in and had to do it all over.

I have manuals but our resident boat mechanic, Spareparts saved me from shooting myself when I was fighting some pesky locating pins that wouldn’t let me get the cover back on. He a very generous guy with his knowledge and will probably chime in when you have problems.

If you find the weep hole and it’s the problem (probably won’t leak until it gets warm enough to build some pressure) and don’t find a manual, I’ll see if I can find the applicable pages and scan & email them to you. I have also had fair luck finding blow up diagrams and even manual sections by Googling around for them, so you should try that first.

Regarding the rusty bolts, I had that problem and it diminished a lot when I fixed the coolant leak so the engine compartment wasn’t so humid. I think the humidity builds up and then condenses when the engine cools off, rusting the bare metal bolts. That’s speculation but it fits pretty well.

It’s a good wintertime project.

Great info for Dschaffer! Help like this is what makes this such a great site.

 

[Dschaffer]

You pretty much have the same engine that I have. I’m guessing you have the same problem I had - that the rear seal in the internal water pump is bad. To keep coolant from getting into the engine at the end of the camshaft, there’s a weep hole that lets it drip into the bilge (the water pump is driven by the very front end of the cam.

It’s a pretty big pain to get into it to fix it but if you’re a fair mechanic and a glutton for punishment, you can do it. On mine, the shaft was galled and I had to find a repair sleeve that press fit over the galled section of the shaft. I screwed up the first seal I put in and had to do it all over.

I have manuals but our resident boat mechanic, Spareparts saved me from shooting myself when I was fighting some pesky locating pins that wouldn’t let me get the cover back on. He a very generous guy with his knowledge and will probably chime in when you have problems.

If you find the weep hole and it’s the problem (probably won’t leak until it gets warm enough to build some pressure) and don’t find a manual, I’ll see if I can find the applicable pages and scan & email them to you. I have also had fair luck finding blow up diagrams and even manual sections by Googling around for them, so you should try that first.

Regarding the rusty bolts, I had that problem and it diminished a lot when I fixed the coolant leak so the engine compartment wasn’t so humid. I think the humidity builds up and then condenses when the engine cools off, rusting the bare metal bolts. That’s speculation but it fits pretty well.

It’s a good wintertime project.

Thank you for the great info. Unfortunately, I don’t have a garage to store the boat where I could work on it this winter. I will likley be winterizing it this weekend and leaving it be until the spring. I am mechanically inclined but would prefer to find someone in the area that is firmiliar with these motors. I have been searching for a manual (88 mercruiser 3.7) and a lot of information comes up about the 470. Is it the same motor? Mine does not say 470 on the top of the motor like others I’m seen. It say 3.7. I want to be sure I am looking for the right thing. Thanks again for your help.

 

[scook]

Hey Spareparts, when you’ve survived the storm, can you verify whether I’m correct.

I believe the 3.7, the 470 and the 170 (that’s mine) are all the same engine. Yours looks exactly like mine from what I can tell from your pictures.

It was a project to do but it was satisfying to beat it into submission and I knew my engine a lot better when I was done. I made a puller to remove the harmonic balancer (crankshaft pulley), which also carries the magnets for the integrated alternator. That worked fine and I was able to clean up the alternator (which later died anyway) and that gave access to the cover that houses the water pump and then the fun really began. I’m pretty busy right now but if you can’t find a manual, I’ll look in mine and see what I can find to pass along.

Whatever you do, don’t forget to drain the heat exchanger if there’s any chance of freezing - I mentioned that before - it’s an expensive mistake that I made.

 

[Dschaffer]

Hey Spareparts, when you’ve survived the storm, can you verify whether I’m correct.

I believe the 3.7, the 470 and the 170 (that’s mine) are all the same engine. Yours looks exactly like mine from what I can tell from your pictures.

It was a project to do but it was satisfying to beat it into submission and I knew my engine a lot better when I was done. I made a puller to remove the harmonic balancer (crankshaft pulley), which also carries the magnets for the integrated alternator. That worked fine and I was able to clean up the alternator (which later died anyway) and that gave access to the cover that houses the water pump and then the fun really began. I’m pretty busy right now but if you can’t find a manual, I’ll look in mine and see what I can find to pass along.

Whatever you do, don’t forget to drain the heat exchanger if there’s any chance of freezing - I mentioned that before - it’s an expensive mistake that I made.

Thanks again for the insight. If there are any “must use” write ups on this repair, please let me know. Also, any sources for parts would be nice. If there is anything else I should do while I’m in there as preventative maintenance, I would appreciate the heads up. Thanks again to all who have chimed in.

 

[cfelton]

Hey D, look up Sterndrive.com, Mercruiser 3.7 coolant leak. Its pretty good info for what you're getting into. I had to replace my seals and pump cover gasket once. Wasn't too bad. My camshaft was ok not grooved, just the seals were old and had hardened from sitting up. I did it in an afternoon, you can do it! Scook is on the money with sleeving the camshaft if its grooved, its been done with good success. I had found some info on sleeves and seals but just needed seals. I'll try to dig up some info on seals and sleeves for you when I get off nights at work.

 

[cfelton]

Ebasicpower.com had the parts you probably need. two cam seals FED471570 and a Cover Timing gasket kit @ 14.95. Check em out, they deliver fast!