Maintenance

[GT40]

Hey all. Thought I would post this question to the group as (I think) it would be helpful for everyone to know. I bought a '99 GT40 direct drive earlier this year and I believe that it was maintained pretty well, but have no records to go by. I've put about 45 hours on it (total of 343 now) & have begun to do some of the maintenance on it. So far I've done the oil & filter, fuel filter, & have cleaned out the tranny cooler screen off the raw water intake. I'm going to do tranny fluid next. What else do you think I should do? I don't have any cooling issues at all, but am still considering checking the impeller. The boat runs very smooth so I wasn't going to bother with checking the shaft alignment. The only other items that I can think of are:

spark plugs (& possibly wires)
distributor cap and rotor
clean flame arrestor
lube steering assembly (back by rudder under engine)

Also, have any of you run better spark plugs than the manual recommends, like either some Bosch Platinums or Splitfires?

What do you guys think?

[M3Fan]

Well the impeller for sure. Even if the old one is fine, you'll have a spare for emergencies. Use some degreaser to clean the spark arrestor (removing it first of course). I don't know if you'll be able to really "lube" the steering assembly because there is no zerk fitting on it, but it never hurts. Check the belts for wear and tightness.

As for the plugs, replace em. Cap and rotor should be fine. Better plugs won't really do anything with this ignition system. Wires should be fine.

You may want to check your strut bushings for wear. Those can go every 300 hours or so. See if there is any play in the drive shaft if you wiggle the prop up and down.

[GT40]

M3Fan,
Thanks for the reply, very informative. I'm new to inboard boats so please forgive the ignorance on the next question - are strut bushings the same as the drive shaft bushing? Is it something that (if needed) I could replace myself or am I better off going to the dealer on that one?

As far as plugs go, the manual just recommends either Motorcraft or Autolite plugs (ugh). Can I use a better plug like NGK?

Thanks again, a lot of that info is really valuable stuff to know.

[M3Fan]

Just use the autolite plugs. The strut bushings/shaft bearings are the same thing. They are a "cutlass" bearing which means that they are basically a hard ring of rubber that is between the spinning shaft and the strut that holds the shaft right behind the prop. You need special tools to hammer them out and remove the shaft, etc. and it is a big process. Then you have to make sure the shaft is aligned and all that stuff. Pretty big job. I would upgrade to an ARE shaft if you are doing this, it is dual tapered and much easier to take out than the stock shaft. If you want to do it, then it is a good way to become VERY familiar with your boat and a good learning experience. I would ask the Skidim guys what tools you need exactly.

[XH2Oskier]

I don't know if I saw it mentioned here or on another board, but you might want to consider checking/changing the brake fluid on your trailer.

[GT40]

Thanks guys. As soon as I asked about the strut I figured it out. Looks good - no play or movement in the shaft at all, but I'll keep an eye on it. Just did all of the service on the trailer (brakes, bearings, tire balancing) so it's good to go. Good tip on the brakes, though - one of our brake pads was cracked & the fluid was empty! Everything else was pretty straightforward, haven't gotten to the plugs or impeller yet. The tranny fliuid I just pumped out & put exactly the same amount back in. I've read in other areas that you can't get all of the fluid out by doing it that way & my manual doesn't say how much fluid the tranny is supposed to hold. Any advice on that? (I only ask because the fluid looked pretty dark - not milky at all, just dark like it hadn't been done in a while & it would be nice to at least get most of it.)

Thanks again for all of the help on this.

[M3Fan]

It should hold 2 quarts exactly. Check it when it is warm with the engine off and it should read between the lines on the dipstick. Changing it using your method should be fine- it doesn't have to deal with combustion or carbon like motor oil.

[GT40]

Sounds like I was able to get a little more than half of it pumped out. I'll just change it again before I put the boat up for the winter (probably early-mid November) & that ought to be good until this time next year.

Thanks again for everything.

[NautiqueJeff]

... I would upgrade to an ARE shaft if you are doing this, it is dual tapered and much easier to take out than the stock shaft. If you want to do it, then it is a good way to become VERY familiar with your boat and a good learning experience. I would ask the Skidim guys what tools you need exactly.

Yeah, those A.R.E. shafts look pretty good. Check out the link below for more information.

http://www.elberts.com/Syscomp.GIF

http://www.elberts.com/system.htm

[NautiqueSooner]

Please change the impeller for sure! Dont let a $20.00 dollar part ruin your whole year with blown head gaskets! And if your new to tournament style boats do not run the motor out of the water. Such as blowing out the water left in the exhaust after you pull it out of the water. I see so many people do this, and all its going to do is burn the impeller up! Let the water drain out as you pull up the loading ramp.