Raising 175 EFI on the adjustment holes...

[Sam I am]

Folks-

I'm about to undertake my first wrench session on the Pulse. I'm going to raise the motor to the second from the bottom adjustment hole. I'm currently on the top hole and this new adjustment will leave one left before it's maxed out at top factory adjustment holes (Max engine heigth). I have a few questions before I attack my prized Pulse and would appreciate any tips and answers to my questions:

I ordered the eye bolt that attaches to the fly wheel for lifting the motor. Will the motor be balanced when I lift it from that eye or will it want to "topple" once removed from the transom? I'm using a 2000 lbs winch so the weight should not be a problem...the guys at the marina said it probably weigh around 800 lbs.

I'm planning on siliconing the four through bolts...anything special I should worry about there?

I don't think I'll need to unhook the steering...is this ok?

Should I be worried about water temp and pressure if I'm still with in the factory adjustment range? I have one more hole...should I just put it all the way up and be done with it?

My prop is a 3 blade Tempest Plus SS 21P. I'm anticipating that I will rev higher at WOT, gain more speed, allow more hull to get out of the water when trimmed up, and eliminate some nasty chine walk...are my expectations accurate?

What should i torque the through bolts on the transom to?

Should I do this myself or should I just take it to the shop?

Thanks, I know there are a lot of questions there, but maybe I can save myself some pain down the road by tapping into the knowledge pool on this board. Thanks once again.

Sam I am

[cmpulse170]

Folks-

I'm about to undertake my first wrench session on the Pulse. I'm going to raise the motor to the second from the bottom adjustment hole. I'm currently on the top hole and this new adjustment will leave one left before it's maxed out at top factory adjustment holes (Max engine heigth). I have a few questions before I attack my prized Pulse and would appreciate any tips and answers to my questions:

I ordered the eye bolt that attaches to the fly wheel for lifting the motor. Will the motor be balanced when I lift it from that eye or will it want to "topple" once removed from the transom? I'm using a 2000 lbs winch so the weight should not be a problem...the guys at the marina said it probably weigh around 800 lbs.

No worries the motor will hang straight down

I'm planning on siliconing the four through bolts...anything special I should worry about there?

Make sure you have plenty of silicone in the holes. I used 3m 4700.


I don't think I'll need to unhook the steering...is this ok?

No need to unhook the cables. I added a jack plate to mine without unhooking the cables.

Should I be worried about water temp and pressure if I'm still with in the factory adjustment range? I have one more hole...should I just put it all the way up and be done with it?

I would add a water temp and pressure gauge if you don't have one already. You should be ok with the next hole up, not sure about all the way up.

My prop is a 3 blade Tempest Plus SS 21P. I'm anticipating that I will rev higher at WOT, gain more speed, allow more hull to get out of the water when trimmed up, and eliminate some nasty chine walk...are my expectations accurate?

To gain more speed you need a jackplate and try different props. As for the chine walk I don't think you'll ever get rid of it totally, it depends on the hull ,driver, setup etc. I'm sure others will chime in on that one.


What should i torque the through bolts on the transom to?

I know I torque mine pretty tight, but didn't have a torque ratchet to tell.


Should I do this myself or should I just take it to the shop?

You can do it with some help tightening the bolts.

Thanks, I know there are a lot of questions there, but maybe I can save myself some pain down the road by tapping into the knowledge pool on this board. Thanks once again.

Sam I am

Hope this get's you started.

[Jimboat]

Sam - raising your motor on it's manual mounts will almost always help to increase your speed. It may even help your chine walk. The suggested jack plate would make engine height adjustments much easier and will alow much more range of adjustment too.

When raising the engine higher on the hull, you should ensure that you've always got sufficient water pressure. the best way to do this is by using a water pressure gage.

Note that there are many contributing factors to the chine walking of vee hulls and vee-pad hulls.

check out the article on "Chine Walking" (http://www.aeromarineresearch.com/chine%20walk.html), as it may help solve your problems there, anyway.

/Jimboat

[Blizz]

You will have no problems with water pressure even if you go to the bottom hole. We always mounted our motors that high and 25 years later some are still running without ever needing a rebuild. If you raise it anymore than about 2 1/2" then you will have to start watching more.

[Sam I am]

CM-

You are the man and thanks to all who rang in. I know the Hyd. Jack Plate is the way to go...I think I'll have that done this winter, but this is quick fix (hopefully) to an unsafe condition. I'll let you know how it works out.

Sam

[supergenius74]

800 lbs ha ha, sorry i couldn't resist.
I'm not sure i would go to a marina that thinks that a 175 merc weighs 800 lbs. try 400 lbs. It's reallly not that heavy, at least in my opinion, I have by myselft lifted my old evinrude 140 off the transom of my old mx and that engine weighed 330 lbs.

[Sam I am]

yeah, the dry weight is 400 lbs on the motor. So I guess he's a "little" high. I'd love to see you lift it though. :poke:

[supergenius74]

I can't lift a V6, but I can do a V4. I am a pretty big guy, 6 ft 240, but it takes me an my buddy to do the V6. I did a V6 powerhead only does that count? :bigthumb:

[Sam I am]

It's all good! I can lift my 3 yr old, a 2 month old, a diaper bag, a duffel, a back pack, AND a pack and play. THAT'S RIGHT BABY!! Who's yer daddy?!

I can't wait until I can quit hauling all that crap around.

[cmpulse170]

It's all good! I can lift my 3 yr old, a 2 month old, a diaper bag, a duffel, a back pack, AND a pack and play. THAT'S RIGHT BABY!! Who's yer daddy?!

I can't wait until I can quit hauling all that crap around.

Sam i've got a 4 yr old and when we go somewhere everything but the kitchen sink goes with us. I feel your pain.:cheers Just going to the river/lake it takes an hour before we even leave.:brickwall:

[Mark]

Nothing to lifting a motor off. Your only concern might be prop ventilation. (A jackplate setback moves the motor back into cleaner water where it can get more bite as you move the motor up.)
Try it and then decide if you need to move it up or down one hole. Use silicon to seal the bolts since you are experimenting. Once you get a jackplate (manual is probably fine) seal the holes with 3M 4200. The #1 cause of a rotten transom is poorly sealed bolt holes.

[LAAllison]

Silicone is NOT a good bolt sealer. I don't know if 4200 is a silicone but if it is don't use it. Silicone cures to a single mass and once any part of it turns loose you've allowed water into your transom. On my Enchanter all the holes in the transom were leaking and after I took the motor off I pulled the silicone off in big chunks, was moisture under the clear silicone. You need a sealant that remains sticky,maybe 5200 or a good urethane. I'm using 5200 now. JMO

Art



If it's slow it must be an OMC.

[Mark]

3m 4200 is the removable version of 5200 which is non-removable. Both are polyurathane and are the only way to permanently seal transom bolts. Silicon is fine if you are experimenting with differently holes...it will seal, but may break loose over time. The polyurathane is really hard to get off if you taking things apart again.

[cmpulse170]

Sam after rereading my original post I used 3M 5200 on the transom holes when I added the Jackplate. I mistyped on my original post. My Bad.:o

[PapaMaC]

800 lbs ha ha, sorry i couldn't resist.
I'm not sure i would go to a marina that thinks that a 175 merc weighs 800 lbs. try 400 lbs. It's reallly not that heavy, at least in my opinion, I have by myselft lifted my old evinrude 140 off the transom of my old mx and that engine weighed 330 lbs.

evinrude 140hp 330lbs? must've been the old ones rated at the motor... my 120 johnson weighed 370 and it was the same engine/mid/lower as the 140

[PapaMaC]

I had no problem getting my 120 off with a 2ton rafter winch and putting the 150 on with a hydraulic engine lift (other than engine height). I'm going to be lifting my 150 back off to seal the bolts up and put the engine up a little higher before I get her wet. theres existing hooks on the powerhead that work fine with keeping level and I use a 1/2 ton load strap.

[Sam I am]

...and found out some very interesting things. The biggest thing I found out was that one of the through bolts was stripped and had almost no torque on it. I'm no expert, and while I don't think it was the sole cause of my instability problems I'm pretty sure it wasn't helping.

Anyway, I took the motor from the top adjustment hole to the bottom adjustment hole. I think the motor went straight up about 3 inches. The center of the shaft looks to be about 3 inches below pad now...so that should help a lot.

The motor steers A LOT easier now. The cables don't have such a drastic bend in them coming out of the hole in the splash well...now they go straight and level to the engine. And lastly, there is now about 3 inches of space from the top edge of the transom to the motor.

I did not install a temp or pressure gauge for the H2O...so I hope I don;t turn my motor into a big anchor.

So what do you guys think, how big a difference should I see. The speedo was showing 64 @ 5800 RPM at WOT. I know speedos aren't accurate, but it should at least accurately show the increase in performance in mph. I'm thinking my handling issues will be gone completely.

I'll let you know tomorrow after I drop her in the lake.

Sam I am

[hotdaddy27]

I don't know what type of speedo you are running, but considering your boat should theoretically get "higher out of the water" now, a "pick-up" type guage will be even more inaccurate.

JMO.

Good luck.

[JW]

...

Anyway, I took the motor from the top adjustment hole to the bottom adjustment hole. I think the motor went straight up about 3 inches. The center of the shaft looks to be about 3 inches below pad now...so that should help a lot.

The motor steers A LOT easier now. The cables don't have such a drastic bend in them coming out of the hole in the splash well...now they go straight and level to the engine. And lastly, there is now about 3 inches of space from the top edge of the transom to the motor.

I did not install a temp or pressure gauge for the H2O...so I hope I don;t turn my motor into a big anchor.

So what do you guys think, how big a difference should I see. The speedo was showing 64 @ 5800 RPM at WOT. I know speedos aren't accurate, but it should at least accurately show the increase in performance in mph. I'm thinking my handling issues will be gone completely.

I'll let you know tomorrow after I drop her in the lake.

Sam I am


Just keep your eye on your pisser as you trim the motor. If you see the pisser starting to waver then trim back down until you get a steady stream. I think you'll find a lot less chine walk. You might gain more speed, but that depends on your prop. If your prop still has good bite now that it's 3" higher, then you'll gain speed. If your prop needed to be buried, and now you lose bite before you get good top end, you may need a different prop. You were at 5800 rpms before, you'll be higher now :eyecrazy:

[JUPITER PULSARE]

Sam I Am, before remounting your motor, I would install at least a manual 6" jack plate. They are very inexpensive ($150-$250) and will improve your handling by moving the motor away from the transom (cleaner water flow) and be able to lift more gear case out of the water (less drag). It should improve your chine walk issues. You can also buy water pickup "Scoops" from Mercury for about $45. to help retain water pressure as you raise the motor. They are very easy to install over the water pickup holes on the side of your lower unit...

[Sam I am]

Thanks to everyone for chiming in...here's what happened. I took it out this morning and trimmed it all the way down for the hole shot. I eased iinto the throttle and had a lot of cavitation. However, it did plane out. I kept a close eye on the discharge and moved toward WOT. Going wide open and watching the discharge is a lot easier said than done. I was trimmed up and flying, very stable, no more water at discharge, and then a horn went off. RPMs were 6000...I was already out of the throttle when I looked at the speedo dropping through 59. Trimmed back down, discharge resumed and tried another hole shot. Bad cavitation. So, it's now too high.

Pulled the boat out of the water, back to the hoist, and lowered the motor to the middle adjustment hole. Back into the water, and the hole shot was fine, no cavitation, discharge solid, wide WOT no problem and very stable. I then trimmed the motor up and the bow came up, the speed picked up, the revs went to 6000 and she got loose again, but this time it was controllable and didn't scare me into backing out of the trottle. But the horn went off again.

So, is the horn for revs or water pressure? I'm thinking revs...in which case I will have to go to a 23P prop rather than 21P. This is kind of fun, but a hyro jack plate will be going on before next season.

Oh yeah, went to the local mercury dealer looking for the scoops and they had no idea what I was talking about. They couldn't find them in the parts book either. If anyone has a part number I would really appreciate it. Thanks.

Sam I am

[cmpulse170]

Here you go, this is from my post for setting up the Pulse 170

Today I purchase the scoops from a Mercury Dealer. They actually had them in stock. For those that are interested in the scoops, they're called "High Speed Water Pickup" part #17280A2. I'm hoping to install them tomorrow. Now that i've added water temp and pressure gauges, water pump, thermostats and a jack plate hopefully i can get a few runs this weekend and play w/ the setup. Here's what they look like not installed.
Attached Thumbnailshttp://checkmate-boats.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1246&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1201221393 (http://checkmate-boats.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1246&d=1201221393) http://checkmate-boats.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1247&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1201221402 (http://checkmate-boats.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1247&d=1201221402)

[Mark]

I then trimmed the motor up and the bow came up, the speed picked up, the revs went to 6000 and she got loose again, but this time it was controllable and didn't scare me into backing out of the trottle. But the horn went off again.

So, is the horn for revs or water pressure?

If it is a steady beep it is your overheat alarm. You don't ever want to hear that alarm. You can destroy a motor in mere moments. Don't even run the motor that high till you get the scoops.
You really need to put in a water pressure gauge. They are only $30 and then you know long before the motor starts to overheat that you are not getting enough water.

[Reed]

I can't lift a V6, but I can do a V4. I am a pretty big guy, 6 ft 240, but it takes me an my buddy to do the V6. I did a V6 powerhead only does that count? :bigthumb:

Hmm, need a hand with the Merc again ?? Hey Shane, I will be on the water Labor Day Weekend I think Sat. ( Just finished putting the power head back together, re-packing wheel bearings and new rims/tires, All that is left is charging the battery, and re-wiring the new trailer) *Those V-6's are a lil heavy I have lifted one by myself about 10 yrs ago * ;)

[hotdaddy27]

Which "beep" was it?

[Sam I am]

...steady tone. So, if what i read was right, it was the overheat alarm. Like I said, I was alreadyout of the throttle and the horn went almost as soon as I did that.

I took it back out tonight and had no horn, no problems, but I kept the motor trimmed quite low. I was able to get to wide open, but I can tell there is still a lot of bow in the water. When I trim it up, it really jumps forward, revs get higher and she really starts to howl. It actually sounds awesome. I slowed down trimmed up a ways and put it down for about 5 seconds and the rooster was specatular.

Next step: scoops and H2O gauges. Maybe a jack plate this winter.

[Mark]

Sam
Kinda playing with fire. You could also cook your impeller if it is not getting water. At 6000 RPM an impeller would melt in 5 seconds. Chances are there is enough water in there to lubricate it but I would check the impeller when you install the scoops. You can install them w/o pulling the LU but it is easier with it off and I highly recommend you check that pump.
Not being a smart alex...just trying to help.

[Sam I am]

Yeah...you're right of course. Will the scoops elminate the H2O intake problem or do they only help? If they don't fix it, then I may just lower it back to the bottom holes and live with the instability. At least it won't burn up.

Stupid question: I thought transoms were designed to an industry standard, or at least a ball park standard. So, if that's true, why make a motor with adjustment holes that can't be used...or is this a problem unique to my hull?

[cmpulse170]

Yeah...you're right of course. Will the scoops elminate the H2O intake problem or do they only help? If they don't fix it, then I may just lower it back to the bottom holes and live with the instability. At least it won't burn up.

Stupid question: I thought transoms were designed to an industry standard, or at least a ball park standard. So, if that's true, why make a motor with adjustment holes that can't be used...or is this a problem unique to my hull?

Sam when I added my scoops, the water pressure went up, so I had the ability to raise my engine w/o it over heating. Also if you add a jack plate and different prop you wouldn't need to over trim to get the bow up. Look at my post on setting the pulse 170 up, all the details are there.

[JW]

There sort-of IS an industry standard for transoms, but not how you think of it.

Checkmate, being a slightly more 'performance' oriented brand of family boat manufacturer, has always made it's transoms a tad taller so your motor already ran a bit higher than 'other' family boat manufacturers.

The Four Winns I owned in comparison had a transom cut so short, that I had to lift the motor ALL the way to the very lowest holes on my outboard for the LU to be at a 'normal' buried level. From the factory, the Four Winns was buried so deep at the top holes that my outboard was WAY too deep. Four Winns does that so you couldn't lose prop bite or water pressure no matter how high you trimmed.....................

So where I had to move my outboard on the Four Winns to the very lowest holes to get the propshaft 4-5" below the bottom of the boat, you do that on a Checkmate and you're way too high for a normal lower unit water pickup.

[Mark]

Yeah...you're right of course. Will the scoops elminate the H2O intake problem or do they only help? If they don't fix it, then I may just lower it back to the bottom holes and live with the instability. At least it won't burn up.

Stupid question: I thought transoms were designed to an industry standard, or at least a ball park standard. So, if that's true, why make a motor with adjustment holes that can't be used...or is this a problem unique to my hull?
The standard transom is 20". Checkmates are 22" so your starting point is already 2" higher.

[rowdy1]

Lets get back to hanging outboards without a hoist! I got a cooler full of cold ones for the guy that can bear-hug my 300 V8, on or off!

[Sam I am]

...but no pics.

OK, I got the H2O Pressure gauge and the H20 Temp gauge put in this last week. The shop called and told the temp gauge is a no go right now because of a bad sender. New one coming soon. But I needed the boat this weekend for guests so I took it knowing I'll be bringing it later this week.

The P gauge reads about 7 at idle and goes to 15 at WOT trimmed up. Never heard the overheat horn. The stability was better but still not great. But I could drive through the oscillation at WOT. Maybe I'm just getting better at driving.

I never got a magic pressure number out of the shop for minimum pressure. anybody want to enlighten me?

I also installed the scoop kit. Not too hard and must be helping since I never heard the horn. The shop confirmed that was the overheat alarm I heard and checked it to see when it would come on. It's set to go off at 180. I''m assuming F not C. They claimed that was pretty conservative and said as long as I didn't drive it for an extended time with that horn going off, than I don't have anything to worry about.

The boat picked up 4 mph to an indicated 65 according to the dash speedo while revs at WOT were 5800. It was a lot of fun!

Thanks for everyone's help in this matter and enjoy your winter.

Sam I am:thumb:

[Mark]

That's good news that you probably did not overheat the motor. You are not likely to run out of water now with the scoops. They really work well. 15 psi is perfect, 12 would be the minimum at WOT.

[hotdaddy27]

Good to hear that you are getting things worked out!:bigthumb:

Now you can raise the motor slowly and keep an eye on the pressure as you go. I never ran the scoops, but I have only heard positive reviews about them.