older contender question

[jawz12]

Thanks for the advice. I have already mounted the ladder. I will be keeping an eye on it, until the local boat store...the ONLY boat store, gets some starboard in. Then I plan to cut a couple isolation pieces so the bracket doesn't touch the aluminum. I can isolate the bolts as well. No biggie.

No chance of it leaking water there. It's a single thickness of aluminum. No air chamber.

Updates on the motor probably not possible. Yamaha would have to send me the parts and instructions. I don't think they are going to do that.

When it dies, it dies. I will replace it with probably a pair of Suzukis or similar.

Oh by the way I found a great product for the powerhed corrosion. Actually, the people at Brownies Third Lung include a little can with their hookah support kit.

It's called Corrosion X, made in the US. Fantastic stuff. Living here in this climate I have been through WD-40, CRC, Marvel Mystery Oil, Slick 50 aerosol, SailKote, 3-in-1 oil, and anything else on the shelves that looked like it had a chance of working.

I could take steel wool, or 220 grit paper, and take the rust off my drill press table and upright. It is inside a garage on a work bench. I could spray that newly sanded and polished metal with any of those compounds, and within three weeks, it would have layer of light rust on it. Even untouched. Planes, chisels, pliers..everything here is in a constant battle with rust. Aluminum is fighting the oxidation too. Forget WD-40. They sell it here by the gallon, and it's next to useless. It's a solvent, not a lubricant. I am not even sure WHAT it is good for, here. There are better solvents. I think I went through two or three cans the first year I was here, til I wised up. I think the last can I bought is something like two years old, now, and still almost full. Oh, I do use silicon spray for some stuff, but not for rust.

Try Corrosion X. There is some stuff made in the UK that works basically the same way, and that's called ACF 50.
They are not oils. Totally different. If you google up either product, there are explanations on how they work, wicking and replacing moisture, etc.

Try either one of those next time you have a rust or corrosion issue. I have not seen anything else that works. An expat here who runs a paint store was nice enough to order me some. I am using it all over the place now. It has probably saved the latches on the sliding glass doors...

the acf 50 stuff,that's corrosion block,it's made by lear research...i didn't reccomend wd40...
you didn't answer the question concerning the anitfouling paint...
just trying to give you some good advice...

[Questsportfishing]

they make corrosion block stuff that works pretty good now days. I use some neoprene washers on my stuff and delerim plastic products. we custom made a two step ladder on the back of our platform and it still looks great. I like being able to shed my fins and come up with my tank even and know my ladder is wide and comfortable to climb. the armstrong and garlicks both have great mounts though. thse stainless fold down / slide together things tend to bite people in the butt latter on it seems.

[kitebuz]

Corrosion X also makes a heavy duty version (HD) that stay on verticle surfaces better (more sticky).

On your engine height - the cavitation plate should be raised up 1" from the height of the running surface at the transom for every 12" of setback the bracket creates. Is the 300 a 25" or 30" leg?

The top two bolts do not have to be attached to the bracket. You can mount the motor on the bottom holes only (highest possible setting) if need be (1 per corner - 4 bolts total).

As Jawz points out - you should be able to see the cavitation plate above water while planing and running level.

Those rpm are too low - check to make sure your engine height is about right (you'll pick up a couple hundred rpm raising an engine), and start looking at your prop & prop pitch. What prop are you running now? It should be turning right around 5500rpm w/ and an ave. load. Limit is 6000rpm.

I doubt you will have an issue w/ the ladder - if you see one start, you can always add spacers.

[Gringo]

Good questions, and good advice.

Short answer is that I really don't know much about the engine. I didn't buy it, and have no paperwork on it. All I have is the model and serial number. Ditto the prop.

I will have to try to measure it and see if it is a 25 or 30" leg. Once I figure out what to measure.

I will have to hop in the water and see if I can figure out what the prop is. I may have to remove it. All I know is that it's three blades and stainless.


Hey, any excuse to hop in the water is okay with me.

[gottaflylee]

Corrosion X also makes a heavy duty version (HD) that stay on verticle surfaces better (more sticky).

On your engine height - the cavitation plate should be raised up 1" from the height of the running surface at the transom for every 12" of setback the bracket creates. Is the 300 a 25" or 30" leg?

The top two bolts do not have to be attached to the bracket. You can mount the motor on the bottom holes only (highest possible setting) if need be (1 per corner - 4 bolts total).

As Jawz points out - you should be able to see the cavitation plate above water while planing and running level.

Those rpm are too low - check to make sure your engine height is about right (you'll pick up a couple hundred rpm raising an engine), and start looking at your prop & prop pitch. What prop are you running now? It should be turning right around 5500rpm w/ and an ave. load. Limit is 6000rpm.

I doubt you will have an issue w/ the ladder - if you see one start, you can always add spacers.

For what it is worth, this is a 2 stroke, not a 4 stroke...5200 to 5400 should be max RPM for it...

Also Gringo, get you serial # off the motor and try going to the Yama site and see if you can get the specks from there...

[Gringo]

I been busy with that motor for a big part of two days now. I found out that the poppit/water control valve housing had basically disintegrated over time. I am not real happy about it, as this Yamaha only has 150 hours on it. But water began spraying all over the place, and got worse suddenly. People looking at the spark plugs tell me they definitely show signs of water in the cylinders.

Anyhow, Sunday I managed to find this damage:



That thing on the jack-in-the-box spring is my poppit valve cover. I don't have a clue how it broke, it's hard to get to. Obviously, it's never been hit or damaged by external force.

Yesterday I found out that the poppit valve housing on our old hurricane-wrecked outboard is the same, so I salvaged it. But then today when I went to put it on, I found out that this thing was totally corroded and fell apart in pieces. Obviously it had been cracked and going south for some time.



The poppit valve itself is cemented into the block. This valve has not opened in some time. I was not able to get it out today. I have a plan, though.



The mating surface there is no longer flat. Corrosion has eaten parts of it down into the casting. I am thinking I will take a sanding block and flatten the high spots, and then use something to fill in the little holes. What do you think, permatex or JB Weld?




These are the two housings, the one I salvaged from our "old" 150, and the one that fell apart on the 300.


The top one has 200 hours on it, the bottom one 150.

[kitebuz]

wow - that almost looks like some kind of electrolisis to be so bad.

If you haven't already, get on the horn w/ Yamaha marine directly w/ your serial #, and find out exactly what updates were made to your engine. You are right in the zone when they were wrestling with issues on the HPDI 250/300, but sounded like they got them resolved with updates. Otherwise, your head (on the engine ) is a ticking time bomb if you have one w/ the potential issues w/out the updates.

[Gringo]

Getting on the phone doesn't work for me. I tried their web site, but no email contact info at all. Kinda behind the times, I think.

I checked the oil pump yesterday, and fortunately it's not one of the recalled ones. Now I am trying to track down any info on some exhaust baffle thing I read about.

I just ordered the parts to completely replace these, including the exhaust cover.

[kitebuz]

Try Skype - you can make Int. calls to landlands for fairly decent rates.

You want to know which updates / service bulletins were called for, and which have been performed on your engine. 1 call w/ the serial # will give you the info.

[scalez]

Bingo on the Skype deal ! Cheap or free --- even free video conferencing ! You gotta be willing to put up with some time lags and occasionally not the best connections in remote or very remote locations thru the satellite uplinks.

Call Yami but no more pressure than is on the poppet cover seal, polish it the best you can, use a make-a-gasket to seal and go for it. This would be unrelated to the salt in the cylinders thing so that may be a much bigger problem down the road.