tune up how to
Printed From: CorrectCraftFan.com
Category: Repairs and Maintenance
Forum Name: Boat Maintenance
Forum Discription: Discuss maintenance of your Correct Craft
URL: http://www.CorrectCraftFan.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=10136
Printed Date: January-19-2025 at 4:16am
Topic: tune up how to
Posted By: shawnmc
Subject: tune up how to
Date Posted: April-13-2008 at 12:57am
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I am learning to try to do most of the maintenance on my boat. I have never done a tune up.
Is it too hard to learn and do i just need to let the marina do it? If someone could point me in the right direction I would really appreciate it. sorry for the basic question. |
Replies:
Posted By: nuttyskier2002
Date Posted: April-13-2008 at 6:03am
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Shawn, have you changed spark plugs before? How handy are you with tools and what is your background. Also it would be helpful to now the year model of your boat. Many things talked about on this site are easy for some and near impossible for others. ------------- 95 Malibu Echelon w/Mercruiser 350 Magnum Skier Former boats: 88 Ski Centurion Tru Trac II 59 Chris Craft Capri (woody) |
Posted By: shawnmc
Date Posted: April-13-2008 at 10:25am
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i have changed spark plugs. I am no mechanic by anymeans, but follow directions well.
1986 SN Ford 351 PCM thanks |
Posted By: LaurelLakeSkier
Date Posted: April-13-2008 at 5:40pm
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For an engine tune-up, along with changing spark plugs, you will need to change ignition points/condenser and adjust the points with a feeler gauge first and then a dwell meter (assuming it hasn't been converted to electronic). Depending the time since the last tune-up, you may also need to put on a new distributor cap, rotor and plug wires. Once that is done, ignition timing will need to be checked....this will require a timing light and tachometer.
An oil change, transmission fluid change, new impeller would also most likely be in order. As was mentioned earlier, the difficulty factor will depend on your experience and tools that you have available. If you do try it on your own, most around here will be willing to give suggestions and help but it could end up being a bigger project than you want to take on. |
Posted By: Barracuda
Date Posted: April-14-2008 at 3:10pm
Shawn, performing your own tune up can be a very rewarding task. I encourage you to learn the process and try it yourself. It will help you be in tune with the performance of you boat 
The guys on here will help you out if you have any trouble or need any help along the way. And if you really end up in a bind, then you can always take it to a pro anyway. But, I really don't think that will happen to you. -Brad ------------- Former: http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=759" rel="nofollow - '86 Nautique http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=507" rel="nofollow - '65 Barracuda |
Posted By: tullfooter
Date Posted: April-14-2008 at 4:47pm
Whew! I thought the mc in shawnmc stood for something else. 
Steve ------------- Play hard, life's not a trial run. '85 BFN '90 BFN White Lake, Michigan |
shawnmc wrote:Posted By: shawnmc
Date Posted: April-14-2008 at 5:01pm
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would it have been mastercrap?
nope....part of my last name. |
Posted By: bkhallpass
Date Posted: April-14-2008 at 5:06pm
Hey now. Of the three responses you got, 1 owns an MC, and the other a Bu. Lot's of good guys with knowledge out there even if they did walk into the wrong show room when they bought a boat. 
I'm no mechanical genius myself, but you can get through a tuneup if you want to. You need some basic tools, and you'll need to invest in or borrow a timing light and a dwell meter. There have been lots of guys who started out with no knowledge, and the group here walked them through it. BKH ------------- Livin' the Dream |
Posted By: backfoot100
Date Posted: April-14-2008 at 5:33pm
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No need for a dwell meter if you can't find one. They're getting harder and harder to get a hold of these days. A feeler gauge will suffice for a dwell meter but the meter is definitely more accurate.
Once you do the tune up, you may be interested in upgrading to an electronic ignition. Then you don't have to mess with points, condenser, feeler gauges, dwell meters or anything else like that in the future. Just change plugs, wires, cap and rotor when needed. Much easier. ------------- When people run down to the lake to see what's making that noise, you've succeeded. Eddie |
Posted By: eric lavine
Date Posted: April-14-2008 at 8:40pm
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Lets back up a little and start with the basics cause I know there was a guy on this site at one time that thought there were only 4 spark plugs on the engine and didnt change the 4 on the other side. so the first question is: you do know that there is a total of 10 plugs on the engine ------------- "the things you own will start to own you" |
Posted By: eric lavine
Date Posted: April-14-2008 at 9:04pm
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that one gets a dundee award ------------- "the things you own will start to own you" |
Posted By: shawnmc
Date Posted: April-16-2008 at 11:18am
| do i need to just buy a tune up kit from ski-dim or do you recommend getting everyhthing from a local parts store? |
Posted By: 79nautique
Date Posted: April-16-2008 at 11:50am
well that depends if you really want to pay the shipping cost for the same stuff. ------------- http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=756&sort=&pagenum=1&yrstart=1979&yrend=1979 - 79 nautique |
Posted By: shawnmc
Date Posted: April-16-2008 at 12:02pm
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that was my question.
thanks |
Posted By: shawnmc
Date Posted: April-16-2008 at 12:59pm
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Chris(79),
Thread Jack I am also going to change my circulating water pump. It started leaking and the guy I talked to said that once it is leaking he recommended changing the whole thing vs. a seal. Can you use the same one at autozone since it is not marine grade? I thought i could just take it off and take it to autozone. When I called he said average price was $40.00 This is the one at ski dim. Thanks as always for your comments. CIRC PUMP FORD BI-ROTATIONAL Item :WP-2225MN Unit Price : $119.99 |
Posted By: 79nautique
Date Posted: April-16-2008 at 1:28pm
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where ever you get it it needs to be bi-directional or the correct directional pump, makes no difference being marine. ------------- http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=756&sort=&pagenum=1&yrstart=1979&yrend=1979 - 79 nautique |
Posted By: shawnmc
Date Posted: April-16-2008 at 1:50pm
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79,
called oriely's. cast iron bi directional water pump for 1986 351 ford was 19.99 Aluminum was a little more expensive ski-dim and mwcc. is this too good to be true? |
Posted By: 79nautique
Date Posted: April-16-2008 at 1:54pm
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no
------------- http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=756&sort=&pagenum=1&yrstart=1979&yrend=1979 - 79 nautique |
Posted By: baumanmt
Date Posted: April-18-2008 at 12:10am
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What is the expense and work involved in the electronic ignition, I want to swith my 84 SN over. ------------- gb842001 |
Posted By: LaurelLakeSkier
Date Posted: April-18-2008 at 1:07am
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Price for the parts will be in the $100-$150 range.
If you don't mind getting the information from another site, check this http://www.tmcowners.com/teamtalk/showthread.php?t=3533 - Link for some pretty good step by step photos. |
Posted By: baumanmt
Date Posted: April-18-2008 at 1:45am
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Thanks thats a great post- it looks easy, I just need to figure out what all I need to order from skidim, one kit was 450.00 and some things were only 100.00 , not sure what a commander 351 uses. ------------- gb842001 |
Posted By: RT1963
Date Posted: April-18-2008 at 1:52am
| If you get the complete distributor kit (Distributor,Coil and wires) make sure you know the rotation of you motor. |
Posted By: 79nautique
Date Posted: April-18-2008 at 11:07am
if your going that route there are a lot of other options that are much cheaper than what Skidim sales. The conversion kit they are talking about is not replacing the whole dist. just the points in the dist. ------------- http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=756&sort=&pagenum=1&yrstart=1979&yrend=1979 - 79 nautique |
Posted By: azeus17
Date Posted: April-18-2008 at 12:44pm
I am in kind of the same boat as Shawn. I want to do the tune up myself. I have the plugs and wires, that is no problem. The distributer is the concern. I am not familiar with dwell. I can do the timing, no big deal. I read that if you convert to electronic than you don't have to set the dwell? Converting has me concerned as well, though, because it seems just as many people are complaining about thier conversion as there are people praising it.
Boat is running pretty good right now. Should I just leave well enough alone and just replace the plugs and wires? As someone else said, I don't want to leave anything on the table, but I don't want to be messing with it for the next month. I would rather be skiing.  ------------- Boats: Current: 02 SANTE Sold: 89 Sport Nautique |
Posted By: Hollywood
Date Posted: April-18-2008 at 3:32pm
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Why is everyone replacing their wires so often??? ------------- |
Posted By: azeus17
Date Posted: April-18-2008 at 3:48pm
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I, for one, have never replaced mine. From the looks of them, the PO had not in a while either. ------------- Boats: Current: 02 SANTE Sold: 89 Sport Nautique |
Posted By: 79Tique
Date Posted: April-18-2008 at 3:59pm
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I think unless you have reason to believe you need plug wires just keep the ones you have. They can be old and work just fine.
As long as they are quality, they can be 10 years old and be fine. ------------- Work to live, not live to work. |
Posted By: azeus17
Date Posted: April-18-2008 at 5:07pm
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It is completly possible that mine are original. And trust me, they look like they are. Both the plugs and the wires look as though they have seen better days. They are in pretty bad shape.
My biggest question was, if the boat is running pretty good (starts right up, runs strong, no misses or backfires) should I mess with trying to upgrade/rebuild distributer? Again, this looks as though it has not been done in several years. ------------- Boats: Current: 02 SANTE Sold: 89 Sport Nautique |
Posted By: azeus17
Date Posted: April-18-2008 at 9:28pm
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If I did want to upgrade to the electronic ignition, are these the parts I would need?
BREAKERLESS IGNITION KIT 87 UP Item :RP173072 Price : $149.50 Also, I was going to get this new cap: DISTRIBUTOR CAP PRESTOLITE W/SCREWS 87 UP Item :RA108003 Price : $19.25 Is that it? Anyone done this? Results? Is this new distributer basically the same thing as I am talking about doing, except whole new assembly? MALLORY 5.8 BREAKERLESS LH 351 Item :RA107025A Price : $294.00 Sorry for all the dumb questions. Have not ever had to mess with a distributor. ------------- Boats: Current: 02 SANTE Sold: 89 Sport Nautique |