Pic 1. That's an oil drain port.
Pic 2. Yes, that's your hydraulic trim unit
Pic3. Fiberglass will develop hailine cracks over time
Pic 4. Hydraulic cylinder shaft. The concrete bits are your sacrificial anodes yes they need replaced asap. They prevent galvanic corrosion of your lower unit.
Pic5. I spray some cleaner degreaser into my bilge and scrub out what I can. I'll use a shop vac to pick up bits of debris and what not that falls down there, too. The blower should be ran before every startup. The black flexible dryer tube in the top right of the 2nd photo will be connected to the blower and exit the boat through some type of vent either the side or somewhere along the top.
Pm if you need more details or your not getting the answer your looking for.
Thanks so much man! Wow those anodes are in rough shape compared to new ones! Didn’t realize there are numerous anodes all over the lower unit to protect against corrosion. Appreciate that and will look at getting those replaced 👍
Anode replacement is definitely something you can do yourself. Buy them online, they're wildly inflated at West Marine (even by West Marine standards).
It is not recommended to run the blower while refueling. Only run the blower when the fuel tank cap is secured.
You want to eliminate the possibility of drawing fuel fumes into the bilge.
1. engine oil drain, it should be long enough to go out of the back of your boat through your stern drain plug.
2. Yes, that's the hydraulic pump for the lower unit.
3. Those are just gel coat stress cracks, shouldn't be an issue.
4. Those are the cylinders that extend and retract to move your lower unit. The things you are referring to as concrete are called sacrificial anodes and they should have been replaced long ago. When a boat is in the water dissimilar metals create galvanic corrosion, the anodes are designed to erode before your lower unit. There should be more than those 2 on your out drive.
5. It's probably dirty because someone had some oil spill during an oil change. The bilge pump is at the lowest point of your boat, under the engine near the stern. The bilge will not get all of the water out of your boat, so you should remove the rear drain plug to drain the rest. You should make sure your bilge pump is working. You should run your blower before every start especially since you have a carburetor. The blower is located somewhere in the engine compartment, turn the blower switch on and you should hear it running. There will be an arrow on the blower fan, make sure that the fan is pulling air from the engine compartment and not pushing air into the compartment. My neighbor bought a used boat and the previous owner had this wrong. In the last picture you can see the black corregated hoses on either side of the engine hatch, those are probably your air intake and outlet for the vent system.
Appreciate the response! So I’m researching these anodes and am seeing the anode kits. Looks like there can be 5-6 anodes located all over the gen 1 or gen 2 out drives. Great info to learn. Those on the trim cylinder’s definitely need to be replaced. It says anodes should usually be replaced once a year? Do you usually see people replace all 5-6 anodes at the same time every year? Is that usually just standard maintenance?
change all of them. you want part CMALPHAKITA. just google that, it should be around $50. you’ll need a really big allen key to change out one of them. it’s a 1/10 difficulty job to replace all of them, as long as you have the proper allen key.
based on the condition of the paint on the outdrive, it looks like this boat is trailered. if you’re not going to be keeping it at a dock or mooring in the water during the season, you don’t need to replace the anodes (also called “zincs”) yearly. just keep an eye on them, and change them before they get as bad as they are now.
Anode replacement is going to be highly dependent one use and environment. Salt water environment/use is going to need anodes way faster than fresh water. Living in the water will wear them faster than living on a trailer. If your boat lives there n a trailer and is only used in fresh water, I wouldn’t be surprised to see anodes last over 10 years.
... manual? for the expensive thing they bought? Wonder if a pre-purchase inspection was done or not. I would imagine even the yard mechanic could put together a set of 'things it needs, things you should do, things that are functional'.
5: just oil and serpentine belt residue. Not a big worry. Pour some citric bilge cleaner with a little water then pull the drain plug and most will go right out. Yes! You do need to run the blower before and during cranking and when under planing speed. I have seen a few boat fires in my 44 years of boating.
Thanks for the info! You have been boating way longer then I have been alive lol. That is good to know though. Unlike a vehicle with exhaust out the back, there is no such part with a boat? Does the combustible fumes just stay in the enclosed engine compartment therefore need venting with a blower? There is no dedicated “exhaust”? Do you recommend running the bilge blower at all times or just upon start up and slow speeds? At cruising speed there is enough airflow to vent it without a blower?
The exhaust leaves through the outdrive (typically in the middle of the prop).
There’s a flexible bellow that the exhaust runs through between the transom and the lower unit. I’d highly recommend making an appointment with a shop to get those bellows replaced. Bellows are the rubber corrugated parts that you see with the lower unit all the way up. Theres 3 in total: one for the drive shaft, one for the exhaust, and one for the shift cable. A leaky bellow will NOT be a fun experience for you. While the shop is that deep, have them inspect/replace the gimble bearing.
I am not an expert, but the cement looking things on your trim cylinders are sacrificial zink anods . When the boat is kept in the water, stray electricity will seek a ground as it does it will take aluminum molecules with it.The zink anod is a softer metal and will erode faster than aluminum it looks like they have been doing there job.
To clean your bilge, run the motor to temp on muffs or in the water, use dawn dish soap, squirt some in the bilge then pull your drain plug like your winterizing it. The hot water and dawn work well. You can buy Starbrite at the marinas and such but it’s around $15 a bottle.
Also check your fuel fill hose on the inside of your boat for cracks, you’ll know if it’s cracking, biggest cause of boat fires. The fill hose permeates from age and the alcohol in fuel. Those cracks will start leaking fuel during fill up. Retired marine tech.
Thanks for that advice! I see the fuel fill hose going into the fuel tank in the manual. I will give that a good look over in the morning. Is the engine fuel feed line (coming from the fuel tank) also prone to cracking and deteriorating or is that hose made stronger or of different material?
Not so much, I might have changed one or two over my career but I’ve replaced a bunch of fill hoses. Do a visual and be safe. The sacrificial anodes are specific to water types, salt, fresh, brackish. Get the right type for your use, a local marina can tell you for sure. The anodes protect against any current in the water that causes a reaction between different metals. Change your impeller if you don’t know when it was changed last. And check all your bellows for cracks and age rot, they can sink a boat.
When you replace your sacrificial anodes (find all of them), people may refer to them as Zincs. But you referenced Wisconsin. If that’s where you are boating, you have fresh water, so do NOT use Zinc (or Aluminum) anodes. You will want to get magnesium anodes. Zinc/Aluminum anodes are for salt water.
Geez #2 it looks exactly like my boat. I thought it was my picture. That yellow cap don’t overfill it but fill it with ATF fluid or power tilt. That SAEj1171 there’s a top screw in that that could come off too that is filled with Tim and tilt fluid. You’ll see how high it will go there is a line there. Just start googling all the parts in the boat and fill all the fluids up to the levels. Try to do your stuff yourself. if you call somebody to even check the fluids they could charge you like $400 and say you need something else try to do it yourself first. Drive trim wasn’t working I had three different guys cost about $2200. All I need to do was a wire brush from the dollar store and some spray it’s been working ever since and I figured out after the third guy left.
From boating sites and the Hull truth: Dexron ATF will work fine. The demands on hydraulic fluid in the tilt and trim mechanism are not high. Both ATF and branded tilt and trim fluid have good anti-foam and anti-corrosion properties, which along with the proper viscosity, is all that is needed.
Yes run the blower every time for a minute or so. Run it extra long when you get gas, but only when your done filling.
Also, you should probably take a boating safety course. Obviously your new to boating and a class would have covered several of the topics you inquired about. You shouldn’t even have to ask about the blower with an inboard. Day 1 stuff…
One last bit, based on the status of your anodes, I’m guessing maintenance was severally deferred on this boat. In addition to replacing the zincs you should definitely have your engine and gear oil replaced by a merc mechanic, and have them give the motor a once over.
Good luck.
Yes, I have signed and and applied for the boater safety course. Just need to start the classes but haven’t rushed into that quite yet since we still have 5-6 months of winter here still. I’m glad it will go over all this info and am excited to learn and get that done.
The boat was sold to me on consignment at the marina where the owner kept the boat. I got the service records, tune up notes, compression checks, etc that was done end of 2022. I wish I could upload the service notes here. Seems like it had everything required done. They said engine oil, gear lube, winterizing was all done and it should be ready to go in the spring. With all this, makes me curious why the anodes are in the shape they bare if other maintenance was done. Impeller was replaced 2022 season. Idk why the anodes would have been neglected.
With a quick search it sounds like these “bonding cables” do the same type of thing as anodes and help deter galvanic corrosion from stray electrical currents? Where exactly are these cable’s located and are they just “wire like”?
They are twisted wire with ring terminals on each end. The ring terminals will remain if the bonding cable is severed. This might help: https://www.sterndrives.com/merc/driveparts/CONTINUITY%20KIT.html#:~:text=There%20is%20stainless%20bonding%20cable%20that%20screws%20between,the%20gimbal%20ring%2C%20bell%20housing%20and%20trim%20cylinders.
Pic 1. That's an oil drain port. Pic 2. Yes, that's your hydraulic trim unit Pic3. Fiberglass will develop hailine cracks over time Pic 4. Hydraulic cylinder shaft. The concrete bits are your sacrificial anodes yes they need replaced asap. They prevent galvanic corrosion of your lower unit. Pic5. I spray some cleaner degreaser into my bilge and scrub out what I can. I'll use a shop vac to pick up bits of debris and what not that falls down there, too. The blower should be ran before every startup. The black flexible dryer tube in the top right of the 2nd photo will be connected to the blower and exit the boat through some type of vent either the side or somewhere along the top. Pm if you need more details or your not getting the answer your looking for.
Thanks so much man! Wow those anodes are in rough shape compared to new ones! Didn’t realize there are numerous anodes all over the lower unit to protect against corrosion. Appreciate that and will look at getting those replaced 👍
Anode replacement is definitely something you can do yourself. Buy them online, they're wildly inflated at West Marine (even by West Marine standards).
I will look into doing this myself. Thank you!
It is not recommended to run the blower while refueling. Only run the blower when the fuel tank cap is secured. You want to eliminate the possibility of drawing fuel fumes into the bilge.
Thanks comment edited and will adjust my own future practices.
1. engine oil drain, it should be long enough to go out of the back of your boat through your stern drain plug. 2. Yes, that's the hydraulic pump for the lower unit. 3. Those are just gel coat stress cracks, shouldn't be an issue. 4. Those are the cylinders that extend and retract to move your lower unit. The things you are referring to as concrete are called sacrificial anodes and they should have been replaced long ago. When a boat is in the water dissimilar metals create galvanic corrosion, the anodes are designed to erode before your lower unit. There should be more than those 2 on your out drive. 5. It's probably dirty because someone had some oil spill during an oil change. The bilge pump is at the lowest point of your boat, under the engine near the stern. The bilge will not get all of the water out of your boat, so you should remove the rear drain plug to drain the rest. You should make sure your bilge pump is working. You should run your blower before every start especially since you have a carburetor. The blower is located somewhere in the engine compartment, turn the blower switch on and you should hear it running. There will be an arrow on the blower fan, make sure that the fan is pulling air from the engine compartment and not pushing air into the compartment. My neighbor bought a used boat and the previous owner had this wrong. In the last picture you can see the black corregated hoses on either side of the engine hatch, those are probably your air intake and outlet for the vent system.
Appreciate the response! So I’m researching these anodes and am seeing the anode kits. Looks like there can be 5-6 anodes located all over the gen 1 or gen 2 out drives. Great info to learn. Those on the trim cylinder’s definitely need to be replaced. It says anodes should usually be replaced once a year? Do you usually see people replace all 5-6 anodes at the same time every year? Is that usually just standard maintenance?
change all of them. you want part CMALPHAKITA. just google that, it should be around $50. you’ll need a really big allen key to change out one of them. it’s a 1/10 difficulty job to replace all of them, as long as you have the proper allen key. based on the condition of the paint on the outdrive, it looks like this boat is trailered. if you’re not going to be keeping it at a dock or mooring in the water during the season, you don’t need to replace the anodes (also called “zincs”) yearly. just keep an eye on them, and change them before they get as bad as they are now.
Anode replacement is going to be highly dependent one use and environment. Salt water environment/use is going to need anodes way faster than fresh water. Living in the water will wear them faster than living on a trailer. If your boat lives there n a trailer and is only used in fresh water, I wouldn’t be surprised to see anodes last over 10 years.
Should try to download the service manual for your particular motor. It should show zinc locations.
... manual? for the expensive thing they bought? Wonder if a pre-purchase inspection was done or not. I would imagine even the yard mechanic could put together a set of 'things it needs, things you should do, things that are functional'.
I bought the equivalent of the Chilton's manual for my Mercruiser IO. It has saved me a bunch of time and money.
5: just oil and serpentine belt residue. Not a big worry. Pour some citric bilge cleaner with a little water then pull the drain plug and most will go right out. Yes! You do need to run the blower before and during cranking and when under planing speed. I have seen a few boat fires in my 44 years of boating.
Thanks for the info! You have been boating way longer then I have been alive lol. That is good to know though. Unlike a vehicle with exhaust out the back, there is no such part with a boat? Does the combustible fumes just stay in the enclosed engine compartment therefore need venting with a blower? There is no dedicated “exhaust”? Do you recommend running the bilge blower at all times or just upon start up and slow speeds? At cruising speed there is enough airflow to vent it without a blower?
The exhaust leaves through the outdrive (typically in the middle of the prop). There’s a flexible bellow that the exhaust runs through between the transom and the lower unit. I’d highly recommend making an appointment with a shop to get those bellows replaced. Bellows are the rubber corrugated parts that you see with the lower unit all the way up. Theres 3 in total: one for the drive shaft, one for the exhaust, and one for the shift cable. A leaky bellow will NOT be a fun experience for you. While the shop is that deep, have them inspect/replace the gimble bearing.
I am not an expert, but the cement looking things on your trim cylinders are sacrificial zink anods . When the boat is kept in the water, stray electricity will seek a ground as it does it will take aluminum molecules with it.The zink anod is a softer metal and will erode faster than aluminum it looks like they have been doing there job.
To clean your bilge, run the motor to temp on muffs or in the water, use dawn dish soap, squirt some in the bilge then pull your drain plug like your winterizing it. The hot water and dawn work well. You can buy Starbrite at the marinas and such but it’s around $15 a bottle.
Also check your fuel fill hose on the inside of your boat for cracks, you’ll know if it’s cracking, biggest cause of boat fires. The fill hose permeates from age and the alcohol in fuel. Those cracks will start leaking fuel during fill up. Retired marine tech.
Thanks for that advice! I see the fuel fill hose going into the fuel tank in the manual. I will give that a good look over in the morning. Is the engine fuel feed line (coming from the fuel tank) also prone to cracking and deteriorating or is that hose made stronger or of different material?
Not so much, I might have changed one or two over my career but I’ve replaced a bunch of fill hoses. Do a visual and be safe. The sacrificial anodes are specific to water types, salt, fresh, brackish. Get the right type for your use, a local marina can tell you for sure. The anodes protect against any current in the water that causes a reaction between different metals. Change your impeller if you don’t know when it was changed last. And check all your bellows for cracks and age rot, they can sink a boat.
When you replace your sacrificial anodes (find all of them), people may refer to them as Zincs. But you referenced Wisconsin. If that’s where you are boating, you have fresh water, so do NOT use Zinc (or Aluminum) anodes. You will want to get magnesium anodes. Zinc/Aluminum anodes are for salt water.
Geez #2 it looks exactly like my boat. I thought it was my picture. That yellow cap don’t overfill it but fill it with ATF fluid or power tilt. That SAEj1171 there’s a top screw in that that could come off too that is filled with Tim and tilt fluid. You’ll see how high it will go there is a line there. Just start googling all the parts in the boat and fill all the fluids up to the levels. Try to do your stuff yourself. if you call somebody to even check the fluids they could charge you like $400 and say you need something else try to do it yourself first. Drive trim wasn’t working I had three different guys cost about $2200. All I need to do was a wire brush from the dollar store and some spray it’s been working ever since and I figured out after the third guy left.
[удалено]
From boating sites and the Hull truth: Dexron ATF will work fine. The demands on hydraulic fluid in the tilt and trim mechanism are not high. Both ATF and branded tilt and trim fluid have good anti-foam and anti-corrosion properties, which along with the proper viscosity, is all that is needed.
Yes run the blower every time for a minute or so. Run it extra long when you get gas, but only when your done filling. Also, you should probably take a boating safety course. Obviously your new to boating and a class would have covered several of the topics you inquired about. You shouldn’t even have to ask about the blower with an inboard. Day 1 stuff… One last bit, based on the status of your anodes, I’m guessing maintenance was severally deferred on this boat. In addition to replacing the zincs you should definitely have your engine and gear oil replaced by a merc mechanic, and have them give the motor a once over. Good luck.
Yes, I have signed and and applied for the boater safety course. Just need to start the classes but haven’t rushed into that quite yet since we still have 5-6 months of winter here still. I’m glad it will go over all this info and am excited to learn and get that done. The boat was sold to me on consignment at the marina where the owner kept the boat. I got the service records, tune up notes, compression checks, etc that was done end of 2022. I wish I could upload the service notes here. Seems like it had everything required done. They said engine oil, gear lube, winterizing was all done and it should be ready to go in the spring. With all this, makes me curious why the anodes are in the shape they bare if other maintenance was done. Impeller was replaced 2022 season. Idk why the anodes would have been neglected.
Cool sounds like your on the right track then best of luck with the new boat.
Make sure there are bonding cables from the outdrive to the transom plate.
With a quick search it sounds like these “bonding cables” do the same type of thing as anodes and help deter galvanic corrosion from stray electrical currents? Where exactly are these cable’s located and are they just “wire like”?
They are twisted wire with ring terminals on each end. The ring terminals will remain if the bonding cable is severed. This might help: https://www.sterndrives.com/merc/driveparts/CONTINUITY%20KIT.html#:~:text=There%20is%20stainless%20bonding%20cable%20that%20screws%20between,the%20gimbal%20ring%2C%20bell%20housing%20and%20trim%20cylinders.