1987 Looper v4 140 RPM only 4000

[nymack66]

From what I can see it was welded and painted over a long time ago, I measure the broken rod it is exactly 30 " long on the workbench , I will order a new one tomorrow

[THEFERMANATOR]

The part number is 333005 and should cost you $63.34 for a new one. I only have 25" model ones in the shop right now. Maybe a member here has a 20".

[nymack66]

Yes ! My shift rod is here , I will install it this weekend , I however measure it up to the broken rod I was having issues with in regards to the length , It is indeed 1/4 of inch shorter , So as I assumed the v6 large gear case was too long, however it snapped and the new replacement is here , Wish me luck !!
Hopefully it all works and my engine will increase its RPM to 5k plus

[THEFERMANATOR]

Just make certain to set the length on it right. If not you will DESTROY your lower unit. That shift shaft needs to be within 1 turn of the adjustment or else it will only partly engage the gear. If you hear any slippage or jumping when in gear, DO NOT RUN IT HARD! Ease it back to the ramp and find out why. This was a lesson learned the hard way for me. And start off with a 15 or 17 pitch prop. 5K+ shouldn't be an issue, but ideally on a small bore looper you want 5600-6000 with a moderate to heavy load at WOT.

[nymack66]

Shift rod and new seals installed , bolted up like a glove , Tested in driveway hooked up to the garden hose, Verify complete shift into gears both ways spun it in gear to complete stiring up the old oil then shut her down to do a lower oil change low and behold water in the oil all milky stuff drain it and flush her dry and clean , I expected this since when I remove the old shift rod I felt the rod loose and free i knew the o ring was bad hence the proactive move in ordering one with my new shift rod.
I did not test in the lake as yet!!
I did notice an increase of "driveway idle" increase from 1200 RPM to 2100 since I bolted up the new V4 gear case is this normal ? I am guessing the v4 is less torque to spin verses the v6 gear case that was remove?
Note the original 1200 rpm is driveway idle not in water it drops to approximately to 900 RPM shifted fine.
I am wondering if I drop it into the lake if the idle will drop to an acceptable rpm for shifting or should I plan on adjusting the RPM down ?

[THEFERMANATOR]

I have mine set so it idles at around 1300 on the hose, and idles at 600-650 in gear. You want to keep the idle speed down some if you can, the V4 gear case clunks pretty loud on shifting if the idle is up there. Your current idle speed on the hose though can fluctuate alot. My engine with the 85 carbs idled up around 2200 on the hose, but dropped back to 750 in the water. You have to have it in the water at the correct ride height to properly set idle speed.

[nymack66]

Thanks a million guys , Boat ran like it should , Low and behold it was the damm lower unit it was a v6 all along , New v4 lower unit runs like a rabbit , No stalls etc , I am running a new Aluminum prop 13 x 19 , I am only hitting 4,900 RPM at WOT , (increase by 1000 from V6 unit) While I am very please I may downsize to a SS prop I have 13 3/4 x 17 this hopefully push me over the 5k RPM at WOT ,
However an important issue pop up , I install a new Temp sender and gauge for the first time (no previous benchmarks) I notice at WOT the temp jumps to 180 degrees and pulling back to under 4 k rpm instantly drops it to 140 degrees. New T-Stats and water pump , Strong water discharge (not as strong as the v6 ) just my observation. I am wondering if it might be the impeller since I use the one from inventory , I am not sure how old it is but a visual on it looks good.
Note I have double sender on this block this is starboard side , I will connect the port side and observe the readings on it tomorrow.
Bottom line is I am very happy with the progress on this engine at this point. I am almost there I can smell it.
If any one on this site needs that V6 lower unit I will trade it for a V4 or something just let me know. I have a new spare cdi engine harness also.