Archive for the ‘Boat and Engine Technical Tips’ Category

Barr Exhaust Catalog

Barr Marine has been a leading producer of Marine Exhaust Manifolds & Risers for OEM manufacturers such as MerCruiser, Volvo Penta, Crusader, PCM, Indmar and various others since 1933. The Barr Exhaust products line is proudly manufactured in the U.S.A. with a solid 3 year product warranty. Barr Exhaust products are produced using the long proven Sand Casting manufacturing process while using only top quality Cast Iron and Aluminum materials. PPT makes it easy to search the Barr Exhaust Catalog to find manifold and riser for sale near you. Using PPT’s online Barr Exhaust Catalog makes it simple to lookup and identify the correct manifold, riser and spacers for your marine application.

Barr Exhaust Technical Information

Replacing your exhaust manifolds a risers every 5-7 years is critical to the ongoing performance and longevity of your Boat’s Engine. Barr manufacturers manifolds and risers for a variety of different OEM and after-market. direct replacement marine exhaust products. Check out our Technical Library for additional technical Marine Exhaust information….Read More

Barr Exhaust	Chris Craft Exhaust	Chrysler Exhaust
Crusader Exhaust	Detroit Diesel	Flagship Exhaust
Gray Marine Exhaust	Indmar Exhaust	Interceptor Exhaust
Mercruiser Exhaust	OMC Exhaust	PCM Exhaust
Volvo Penta Exhaust	Mercruiser Thermostat	Engine Parts

Customer Question: Will this San Juan MC329 closed cooling kit work with the Mercruiser Bravo low water only  pickup drive at extended full speed and idling in extended  wake zone? My motors are Mercruiser 502 mag mpi twins in a Donzi step hull boat. Thank You Martin

PPT Response: The Low Water Pickup (LWP) vs Dual Water Pickup (DWP) should not be an issue because the restriction is actually where the  water  goes thru the transom assembly in that specific fitting. This  is the restriction within the Mercruiser Cooling System by design. Even though the dual water  pickup  seems like it has more open area to take the water  in it gets restricted downstream by that fitting.

The LWP was developed to address the higher speed boat designs that utilize a hull design where the propshaft centerline is “higher” than normal. Therefore the LWP was designed to get the water pickups lower and into the water. However the problem that resulted with the LWP was that it had two inherent flaws. 1) At high speed the LWP would force so much water into the engine that the excess pressure would blow off hoses and cause other related problems to the cooling system from the excess water pressure. 2) The LWP would act like a vacuum cleaner in sandy conditions which caused numerous engine over heat situations from a plugged up cooling systems.

Therefore the design of the Dual Water Pickup (DWP) was done to relieve the excess inlet water pressure experienced by high speed boats equipped with the Low Water Pickup gearcase. More recently the LWP was discontinued because the number of problems this design caused was too high relative to the number of issues it resolved.

Question: Why should I pay $100+ to have my sterndrive or inboard model boat winterized when I can do it myself. Isn’t draining the engine all they really do?

Answer: There’s certainly no shortage of opinions to this age old question that all boat owners north of Miami Florida face at some point in time. So let’s dig in a little and take a look.

While draining the engine is certainly a big part of the winterization process there are many other equally important items you’ll want to consider. Here’s an overview of the process we utilize when winterizing an Inboard/Sterndrive model boat and motor.

1. Drain the engine – Engine models vary along with the specific engine and manufacturer. You’ll want to follow your manufacturers instructions to make sure you don’t miss an unforeseen drain point. Reinstall the drain plugs after this step.
2. Trim the Sterndrive down if equipped – This allows the sterndrive water passage to drain.
3. Take a sample of the sterndrive gear lube. If there are any signs of water in the gear lube you’ll want to pressure test the lower unit. The associated images represent a case where the owner winterized himself and skipped this step. Although this is an extreme case with regards to the amount of water that was entering the gear lube, even a small amount of water will dilute the gear lube and fail the sterndrive in a short period of time. NOTE: On Mercruiser Alpha Sterndrives or Mercury Outboard Motors the lower drive shaft seal on the bottom side of the water pump is normally the culprit when water is in the gear lube. This following video is for a Mercury Outboard Motor but the lower unit is basically the same as the Mercruiser Alpha Sterndrive and therefore illustrates all of this very clearly.
   
4. Top off the fuel tank with ETHANOL FREE gasoline. Introduce the recommended amount of fuel storage treatment. This will vary based on the size of your fuel tank. NOTE: If you have a diesel powered boat use the proper diesel fuel and treatment.
5. Run the engine while introducing environmentally friendly Propylene Glycol Antifreeze into the coolant system. Most manufacturers recommend using a small screwdriver or piece of wire to make certain the drain holes are open when draining (see step 1). We however feel like storing the engine with antifreeze in the coolant passages is a better option than draining and leaving the engine dry over the winter because it accomplishes two important purposes. First – If there happens to be any debris remaining in the engine or exhaust system that is preventing 100% of the water from being drained, this then ensures that that trapped water gets diluted to the point it will not be an issue. Draining the engine 1st ensures that you end up with a high enough concentration of antifreeze throughout the system to adequately protect form freezing. Second – The antifreeze acts as a corrosion inhibitor to prevent corrosion during storage.
6. Fog the engine by introducing engine storage treatment directly into the fuel system to protect both the fuel system and combustion side internal engine components.
7. Disconnect the battery

Note: Different manufacturers may require different steps to be taken. This article provides a basic guide to illustrate that there is in fact more to winterization than simply draining the engine. We recommend following your manufacturers instructions.

Additional Boat Winterization Videos

Trying to dock a boat in the wind has got to be the most stressful part of boating to say the least. The only thing that makes me feel better about when the pressure is on is knowing my little 1648 Tiller Handle Jon boat is not going to do much damage to anything it hits.

“There’s nothing quite as nerve racking as cutting a hole in the side of a perfectly good boat”

Whether you’re on the never ending quest looking for more Horsepower or you simply like the “rumble” sound of the big block V8 Marine Engine,  cutting that hole in your boat can be well worth it. It’s not very often you run across a boater that claims the engine in his boat produces enough horsepower and they therefore wouldn’t want any more. Thru-Hull Marine Exhaust Systems are a great way to open up the typical restrictive Marine Exhaust system and let the engine perform like it would prefer.

WELL BEFORE MAKING THE CUT

Making the initial “cut” into the boat is not something you should be afraid of but it is not something that should be taken lightly or without planning. Long before you make the first cut into the Boat Hull you will need to investigate the various options of Thru Hull Exhaust Systems available for your particular model of boat. When you’re talking about a standard model late 90’s Baja with a Small V8 Mercruiser Engine the systems are pretty straightforward. However with the various models of boats being produced today these are just a few of the factors that play into determining which system will work for you;

1. Swim Platform
2. Sterndrive vs Inboard
3. Does the Engine Exhaust System have a Catalyst System?
4. Does the Engine Exhaust System have spacers between the manifold and riser?
5. Does the Boat Hull have the needed real estate to install the Exhaust Tips be those rear or side exit tips?
6. Does the engine compartment have features that might interfere with the exhaust hose routing?

VERIFY YOUR BOAT MODEL

We always recommend sending in your boat and engine model specifications as outlined in the following Thru-Hull Marine Exhaust Systems technical article. In most cases Corsa Performance Exhaust Systems can verify your boat model against their database of existing installations to verify if there’s a standard off-the-shelf kit available or whether a new custom kit might need to be measured and produced. This cuts down on a significant portion of the up front measuring, etc customers used to be required to do several years ago. This step has not been totally eliminated rather in many cases it is avoided by verifying the information detailed above.

ONCE YOU HAVE YOUR NEW SYSTEM IN HAND

Now that you’ve received your Thru Hull Exhaust Kit you’ll want to unpack the contents and verify everything. It’s important to layout all of the contents and start measuring the location of where the Exhaust Tips are going to be installed. One of the key steps in getting these systems installed correctly is laying everything out ahead of time to ensure clearance and fit.

NOW YOU CAN FINALLY MAKE THAT FIRST CUT………HAVE FUN!!

TOPIC: Available Big Block V8 Replacement Marine Engine Options for Complete Drop In Bobtail Engines

QUESTION: I am interested in purchasing two (2) 8.1L Inboard “Bobtail” engines as direct replacement for some tired 8.1L Crusaders w/ ZF Hurth 63A 2.0 transmissions. My question is what all is included with the “Bobtail pkg? Regards, Patrick

RESPONSE: Big Block V8 repowers have changed significantly within the Marine Industry over the past few years because of the discontinuation of the 454, 502 and 496 engines from General motors. Mercruiser has developed their own 8.2L engine however it comes standard with the catalyst control system which makes it more costly than in years past, and a little more challenging when repowering older applications. The only option with regards to replacing the 385 and 415 Hp big block V8’s is going with a big block 496 CID motor from the Mercruiser CPO product line. The other and more common option for replacing the L29 (330 Hp big block) is the 383 Mag Mpi. I would recommend reading the articles we have regarding repowers and see what option best suits your need.

Big Block V8 Repowering with a Drop In Bobtail  (Guidelines)……Read More

Repowering Terminology in the Marine Industry…….Read More

Mercrusier CPO Version 8.1L Engines……Read More

Remanufactured Longblock Options………Read More

If you have any other questions please don’t hesitate contacting us directly at [email protected] and we will be happy to assist you further.

Performance Product Technologies
8002 West 6th Street
Stillwater, OK 74074
(405) 533-3812
Fax (775) 257-1769
[email protected]
www.perfprotech.com

TOPIC: Looking Up Internal Engine Parts for the Mercruiser 502 Mag Big Block V8 Marine Engines

QUESTION: Hello I’m searching for some valve stem seals for my 96′ 502 mag mpi efi engine. Maybe you can help me. The stem has a 9,36 mm stem and the guide has a diameter of 15,77 mm Will these fit ? 26-827645 kind regards Soren W.

RESPONSE: The best way to look up internal engine parts for both Mercrusier Sterndrive and Inboard Marine Engines is by using the Online Mercruiser Engine Parts Catalog. The online catalog is laid out with assembly diagrams that are categorized by both year model and serial number. Once you locate the correct engine model you can drill down to the correct assembly diagram and locate the internal engine parts you are needing. In your particular case I searched by the year model of the engine to get o this diagram;

Mercruiser Engine Parts Catalog……Read More

Mercruiser 502 Engine Cylinder Head Diagram……Read More

If you have any other questions please don’t hesitate contacting us directly at [email protected] and we will be happy to assist you further.

Performance Product Technologies
8002 West 6th Street
Stillwater, OK 74074
(405) 533-3812
Fax (775) 257-1769
[email protected]
www.perfprotech.com

TOPIC: Mercruiser Bravo 3 Driveshaft Housing Gear Replacement Options

QUESTION: hi i have a Sea Ray 270 sd 2003 496 mag i need to repair my brayo three gear i wont to by new one DRIVESHAFT HOUSING AND DRIVE GEARS my SN is OW477xxx what do i need to order and what do i get? regades zion

RESPONSE: By using your serial number you can search the Mercruiser Parts online catalog and go directly to your Sterndrive model. By using the serial number you will be certain you are getting the correct parts for your Sterndrive application. The online catalog is formatted so you can see the other related Sterndrive accessory parts in case you need anything else as well. Also the Mercruiser Sterndrive Parts Catalog will show you how many of each particular item are required, how many of that part come to a package and also if any particular item has been “Superseded” or replaced by a newer updated version of that particular Sterndrive part.

Mercrusier Bravo 3 Sterndrive Parts Online Catalog……Read More 

If you have any other questions please don’t hesitate contacting us directly at [email protected] and we will be happy to assist you further.

Performance Product Technologies
8002 West 6th Street
Stillwater, OK 74074
(405) 533-3812
Fax (775) 257-1769
[email protected]
www.perfprotech.com

TOPIC: How to Properly Identify a Mercruiser Big Block V8 454 Marine Engine

QUESTION: I have a 1993 ( I believe ) mercruiser 454 serial #4501880 need more information as to what engine I exactly have, I just blew a hole in the crank case! Thank you. Alain.

RESPONSE: Mercruiser did in fact produce a variety of different 7.4L 454 model Big Block V8 Marine Engines over the years. There are a couple of ways tot properly identify which model version you have.

1. Visual Identification: You can check a few of the external and internal features the engine is equipped with to know which model you have……Read More
2. Serial Number: You can verify the serial number on the side of the engine block if the serial number tag is still attached……Read More
3. Mercrusier Block Code: You can verify and match the code Mercruiser stamps into the engine block……..Read More
4. Other Visual Comparisons: Here are a few more visual identifiers that may be considered helpful…….Read More

If you have any other questions please don’t hesitate contacting us directly at [email protected] and we will be happy to assist you further.

Performance Product Technologies
8002 West 6th Street
Stillwater, OK 74074
(405) 533-3812
Fax (775) 257-1769
[email protected]
www.perfprotech.com

TOPIC: Corsa Captain’s call Thru Hull Exhaust Systems

QUESTION: Please can you price me a corsa exhaust kit with switchable captains call silent mode for my 1999 searay 230 over nighter fitted with a mercruiser 5.0 l efi with a alpha 1 gen 2 stern drive. I would like side exit system and not the transom type. Many thanks Andy from the UK.

RESPONSE: Corsa does offer both rear exit and side exit thru-hull exhaust systems for most Sea Ray model boats. Ultimately what determines which system is best suited is a combination of which engine exhaust system yours is equipped with along with the engine compartment configuration on the boat. In many cases battery box locations, water tanks, etc can be the determining factor in which system is best suited for you.

Please review the attached Technical Article and provide us with the specified information and we will be happy to provide you with a customized quotation specific to your boat application.

Corsa Thru Hull Exhaust Systems…….Read More

If you have any other questions please don’t hesitate contacting us directly at [email protected] and we will be happy to assist you further.

Performance Product Technologies
8002 West 6th Street
Stillwater, OK 74074
(405) 533-3812
Fax (775) 257-1769
[email protected]
www.perfprotech.com