took the plunge........
 

Well, everything checked out great with the 19 foot polar. Left it with a mechanic at lake hapatcong. He did a compression test, all 3 cylinders were at 100, which he said is good. changed the lower unit oil and did a pressure test, all checked out. impeller in good shape. Then he told me he "lake tested" it. ran well. All switches for bilge pumps and live wells worked. The only thing on the boat that did not check out was the tach. I feel that should be working so I don't over rev the engine, he is fixing it.

Now for more advice..........

what kind of oil should I use in the injector (90 HP saltwater merc)?

should I use stabil every time I put gas in?

what is the best way to flush the motor after using it in saltwater? When I put the muffs on there was not enough water circulating thru the motor to come out the coolant output port (or whatever you call it). Am I going to have to start the motor at home in a barrel?

Thanks for the help. I am as green as they come as far as boat maintenance


PS: Please leave in this forum for one day so I can get responses, then move to boating. PLEASE and Thanks

Re: took the plunge........
 

Congratulations with your new boat. Be careful and catch only your share of fish:D

Re: took the plunge........
 

Congrats on the pick-up. I've been using west marine oil on my Johnson 200 for about 12 yrs now. I run regularly to the bluefin grounds. wait till it goes on sale n buy a bunch. As for the stabil depends on how fast you are turning over your gas. I burn a lot and only stabilize when I know the boat is going to sit a while. You may need to use the double sided muffs to get enough water. Maybe check water pump is working properly. Good luck!

Re: took the plunge........
 

thanks screws.

I assume the water pump is fine, as the mechanic said it was pissing fine in the lake. Maybe I have the wrong rabbit ears? do they come in different sizes? do they wear out?

Re: took the plunge........
 

Congrats Steve.

Re: took the plunge........
 

Where should I meet you for the maiden voyage and when?

Re: took the plunge........
 

Sometimes it takes 10-15 minutes for the water to circulate through the system. My buddies flush out there engines for about 30 minutes with freshwater. My mechanic told me not to use Stabil every time you fill up. GOOD LUCK!!!

Re: took the plunge........
 

Big congratulations and best of luck to you.

One other thing - If the boat has an existing name and you plan to change it MAKE SURE YOU FOLLOW THE APPROPRIATE STEPS AND GO THROUGH THE RENAMING RITUAL! This may sound hokey as heck but I renamed my boat without following the ritual and had a tremendous amount of expensive bad luck!

Re: took the plunge........
 

If i knew you were serious i would have given you the west marine cleaning kit last night. Congrats and good luck. West marine sells a merc earmuff that has a rod going through the lower water pickup holes that allows it to tighten well on the lower unit. I use it on my merc 150 efi and highly recommend it.

Re: took the plunge........
 

Mazel Tov !