www.iFourWinns.com

I am sold on a new pair! I have been reading about additives to revive them and I am ready to just toss in the towel and purchase a new pair considering I will be out on the water and didn't want to take a chance on internet fairytale quick-fixes. One fix that makes me laugh is to drain the batteries fill them with coke let them sit, then you drain them and fill them with new electrolyte. not interested in experiments when it comes to my safety on the ocean. I have also read to hook the uncharged battery in parallel to a battery that has a charge and it will trick the battery charger to charge the uncharged battery. I have one battery on a 2amp trickle charge right now I will check them in the morning.

Took the batteries into Store turns out the batteries are both fine and the weird up and down from the needle is that the batteries are charged. Duh!!! Jeez now I am on the boat reinstalling in my driveway, then on to the starter my next guess of what is wrong.

No luck getting the bolts out I sprayed them hopefully tomorrow I can get them out if not going to throw in the towel and drop her off at the shop. I feel like I am grounded the down time is horrible!

What store did you take them to? Just because the needle says they are ok, does not mean they load tested them.

Is the motor for the hatch working again, with the load of the hatch?

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2006 Four Winns 278 Vista.
Volvo Penta 8.1L, Duo Prop,
Kohler 5E Generator.

I took them to advance and he put a handheld computer on them. The hatch is opening and closing again finally but I took one battery out to access the starter and jeez do they have little people working at fourwinns it's impossible for someone 5-10 to get in there! Thank god for mechanics I say because I was thinking of cutting a hole in the damn thing to get to that starter. My mechanic said he would do it for two hundred I am good with that. The bolts are frozen in place with corrosion and the solenoid dropped a red thick cable off of one of the posts. I'm not messing with it anymore.

See this is my beef with modern boats, all that molded in fiberglass really restricts your access. I bet if you took off the riser and manifold on that side you could do it though. I can have my starter out in 15 min, once I remove the rear seats (5 min) and wood divider panels (5 min).
I looked at your model boat on the FW website, beautiful but the engine looks like it's in a hole. My old beater boat has wide open access. Why can't we have that in a modern boat?

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Some still do, my old 2009 stingray you could almost crawl under the engine, each side was wide open with the sunpad/engine hatch up. You could just step right in, it would take about five minutes to change a starter if you needed to. Now my old FW 248 was another story, not an easy boat to work on the engine at all.

This new one I just picked up is pretty easy access as well, you can crawl in next to the engine and get at everything, but the new exhaust manifolds with the cats look pretty scary money-wise if something happens to them. Always something..

Jafo4U, if the big red cable fell off the starter, disconnect the batteries and get it fixed. That big red cable comes right from the batteries and if it touches the engine or anything else grounded with the switch on the starter will be the least of your problems.

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2006 Vista 248 5.7DP - SOLD
2011 Crownline E6 - SOLD
2007 Sea Ray 260 Sundancer

I wrapped it in electric tape and tied it to the general area. The manifolds and risers removed would give me more room. Got me thinking since I can't even take the boat in to get serviced until the 26 of this month. I saw the bolts to the risers it's 4 bolts. Going to read up on the manifolds. Thanks For the advice
http://s1113.photobucket.com/albums/k50 ... 070335.jpg

Keep in mind if you want to do that, first you have to drain the manifold because if you break the seal between the mani and the riser taking off the riser, the water in the passages can run down the exhaust passage and into a cylinder through an open exhaust valve (bad). Then you will have to replace the riser and manifold gaskets. On a boat that new, it should not be a bad job, the manis are heavy though, probably like at least 45 lbs. I did this on my old 88 4.3 in June and it took me about an hr to each side. OMC used nice plated studs instead of bolts which had no corrosion and made it a very easy job. Whatever you do, do NOT break the starter bolts. That will result in an engine pull. And because the bolts screw UP into the bottom of the block, make sure you are turning them the correct way to LOOSEN (it's confusing sometimes, LOL).....I always take the ratchet and set it the right way to loosen/tighten in front of my eyes where I can see it for sure...

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Ok thanks for the advice hopefully friday I can get to it luckily I recruited my uncle a GM mechanic, he took a look at the clearance and said it was a horrible design! I am also figuring on changing the spark plugs since I saw some corrosion around the area and would like to get that sanded and repainted. With 180 hrs on the engine I am not sure if the spark plugs need to go so I am going to rely on what you guys tell me as far as the spark plugs. Another question how do you order the new gaskets with the serial number of the engine or is it the name of the engine and if you guys have any extra info that you want to throw my way don't hesitate I am definitely appreciative! Where do you guys get your parts from I am trying to just go online and have everything shipped or I actually have a West Marine about ten minutes away from my home. You guys are the best thanks again! Joe from Miami

You can order the gaskets by the serial #, for the riser to mani gasket I'd use an OE Volvo one, the mani to head you can use aftermarket. The spark plugs, just look at them, you probably don't have to replace them as long as it is running well.

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Not that I have an I/O in my boat, but I've had a lot of experience with removing and replacing bolts in high corrosion areas. My advice...use an anti-sieze product on all your threaded bolts and spark plugs. Permatex makes a great anti-seize product that is a silver paste and will last a long time, even on exhaust manifold studs with extreme heat. Trust me, if you ever want to get those bolts out again and do it easily, this is the way to go.

And I have never been able to figure out why manufacturers don't put this type of product on ahead of time. While I understand that if they don't, then dealers will have more work available to them when customers break stuf off. But at the same time, the Mfg's could use the product and shorten up their work times, and still charge the original labor hour rates. Go figure...

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1999 180 Horizon OB Fisherman Pkg
2013 Grand Cherokee 4x4 w/ 5.7 Hemi
San Antonio, TX

I see what you're saying kmack. Here's my take. It costs the manufacturers money to apply an anti seize type of product during assembly. During the short warranty period, IF a claim should arise, they wont have a problem with frozen bolts.

After the warranty is over,,,,they don't care,,,you pay

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07 Azure AZ200,
Previous boat,
95 278 Vista,
And a lot of others.

Ontario, Canada

That is true for the warranty periods. It's not like customer loyalty would count for anything, though. I'd buy a certain product all the time if I new the Mfg was making it easier for me to work on my own stuff!

Btw, with most engines having aluminum heads nowadays, I don't ever put a spark plug back into a head without anti-sieze on it. Or any other type of steel bolt.

And trust me, an 8 oz. container of anti-sieze will last you a very long time! I've had mine now for over 15 years and I use it on everything. Still have half the container left - it doesn't go bad.

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1999 180 Horizon OB Fisherman Pkg
2013 Grand Cherokee 4x4 w/ 5.7 Hemi
San Antonio, TX

I've got a bottle of Permatex "Marine Anti-Seize" that actually does have an expiration date on it. I don't see any difference in the consistency of it, but who knows. Maybe because it's "marine."

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic