My first V20

[Destroyer]

By electric anchor you mean an anchor winch? Several good ones on the market. Powerwinch makes several good ones, but they are not cheap. Search eBay for ideas of brands and availability, then search Craigslist. A lot of times you'll find good deals on Craigslist whereas eBay usually costs more. And of course your local marina and Wests can also point you in the right direction for what you'll need.

[scook]

I have a 170 and had some experience with fixing the internal water pump. Look for any sign of coolant in the bilge - it’s hard to spot where it leaks out if the seal is bad. As I recall there’s a weep hole around behind the pump near the distributor.

Don’t forget to drain the heat exchanger. One winter where you are will destroy it if you don’t - it’s around $1000 from Mercury and mine was around $500 getting it through an online guy who supplies the OEM part direct from the manufacturer. If you end up needing one, let me know and I’ll hook you up.

Welcome to the site - it saved my sanity when I was fixing my water pump.

[Destroyer]

Originally Posted by scook

I have a 170 and had some experience with fixing the internal water pump. Look for any sign of coolant in the bilge - it’s hard to spot where it leaks out if the seal is bad. As I recall there’s a weep hole around behind the pump near the distributor.

Don’t forget to drain the heat exchanger. One winter where you are will destroy it if you don’t - it’s around $1000 from Mercury and mine was around $500 getting it through an online guy who supplies the OEM part direct from the manufacturer. If you end up needing one, let me know and I’ll hook you up.

Welcome to the site - it saved my sanity when I was fixing my water pump.

And remember that draining the outdrive does not mean you drained the engine block.

[Dschaffer]

Thanks again for the replies. I am hoping to get some time this evening to run the motor on the hose. Let's hope it's something simple! The boat runs excellent except for this mysterious coolant leak. I think I'm going to go with the electric trim tabs. My tilt/trim pump oil is mixed with water and has proven difficult to find out where from. I like the idea of fewer hydrolic hoses. I'm hoping to find heated indoor storage for the winter. If that happens, I'll be working on a number of things that I'll be sure to post about on here. Thanks again.

[cfelton]

Years ago I got a Clymer manual off ebay cheap. Its helped me out a lot. If you have to buy any parts shop the internet thoroughly! Ive had good luck getting stuff from Ebasicpower! Also found some good used parts on ebay. I lucked up and found a complete motor that was frozen up from lack of winterizing. Got it cheap and with a little work got it running. If you need anything just ask. I've spent many hours looking for different parts, glad to help. Oh and congrats on the boat, looks great!

[Dschaffer]

Originally Posted by cfelton

Years ago I got a Clymer manual off ebay cheap. Its helped me out a lot. If you have to buy any parts shop the internet thoroughly! Ive had good luck getting stuff from Ebasicpower! Also found some good used parts on ebay. I lucked up and found a complete motor that was frozen up from lack of winterizing. Got it cheap and with a little work got it running. If you need anything just ask. I've spent many hours looking for different parts, glad to help. Oh and congrats on the boat, looks great!

I finally had some time to run the motor on the muffs and was able to find the coolant leak. It appears to be dripping from the front left bottom of the motor, behind the coolant bottle. The picture shows the area. I can feel bolt heads underneath. Could it be as simple as tightening them? I need to get a manual for this engine so I know what I’m looking at. Also, any idea why the bolts next to the plugs are rusting? Any thoughts on this are much appreciated.

[3 Squids]

Perhaps the bolts are in the water jacket themselves. I don’t know much about these motors but know many Chevy motors have multiple boats that must have thread sealant or coolant will leak out. Hopefully it’s as simple as that.