Bought a 1998 Pro-line 241 I/O

[Chas0218]

So I just picked up a Pro-line I/O, I'm not new to the car engine world or the outboard world but am new to the stern-drive world. I picked up the boat cheap, cheap enough that I could gut it and make my money back on the trailer alone. The guy just wanted to get rid of it. In the bad section you'll notice that the motor has some issues, he said it is having fuel issues. Anyone have any input on the I/O Pro-lines or I/Os in general?

 

The good:

Solid boat never been slipped or bottom painted

Composite hull

Lower unit and upper housing perfect (I retract this statement, Upper housing has a bad input shaft bearing)

Aluminum trailer

Newer garmin echoMap DV 7" or bigger

 

The bad:

Motor isn't running right

Trailer needs some work (brakes and re-wiring) 

Edited May 9, 2019 by Chas0218

[Gill-T]

Carb or fuel injected?  Pull plugs and see if there is any water that comes out. See if plugs are rusted. If the block is not cracked it may be a simple fix like a carb job or ignition coil. Take it to someone who will sea trial the repairs otherwise you are wasting your time. Hank in Port Bay and Anchor Marine on Grand Island are two that come to mind. 

Edited March 22, 2019 by Gill-T

[guffins fisherman]

It is a year newer than mine, so that means it has the FIST hull.  A definite good thing.  Is it the 5.7 LX?  Same power as mine.  Pretty tough engine.  Probably needs a carb rebuild or adjustment to start.  Ignition tune-up too.  Plugs are a bear on the 5.7.  Be careful.  If you're going to troll with her, get that carb dialed, or it will load up bad.  Put big bags out the sides and keep them on short leads, or she will wander horrible.  Weight in the bow helps too.  

 

Hope that helps.

 

Matt.

[Todd in NY]

Could also be the distributor, ignition, or the fuel delivery system. If you choose to take it to a marina, I've always done business with Spicer's in Clayton. They are very thorough and they sea trial the boat before they consider it fixed. They also charge much less than other marinas. I've never done business with Chaumont Bay Marina, but they seem to have a good reputation.

 

I hope this boat gives you many years of reliable service.

Edited March 22, 2019 by Todd in NY

[Chas0218]

2 hours ago, Gill-T said:

Carb or fuel injected?  Pull plugs and see if there is any water that comes out. See if plugs are rusted. If the block is not cracked it may be a simple fix like a carb job or ignition coil. Take it to someone who will sea trial the repairs otherwise you are wasting your time. Hank in Port Bay and Anchor Marine on Grand Island are two that come to mind. 

My Father in Law bought it and didn't take a close look. He said it did have a spark arestor on it. I'm not sure if the EFI engines came with that.

2 hours ago, guffins fisherman said:

It is a year newer than mine, so that means it has the FIST hull.  A definite good thing.  Is it the 5.7 LX?  Same power as mine.  Pretty tough engine.  Probably needs a carb rebuild or adjustment to start.  Ignition tune-up too.  Plugs are a bear on the 5.7.  Be careful.  If you're going to troll with her, get that carb dialed, or it will load up bad.  Put big bags out the sides and keep them on short leads, or she will wander horrible.  Weight in the bow helps too.  

 

Hope that helps.

 

Matt.

It is a 5.7 but not sure if it is Carb or EFI. My plan was to start it see what is going on and go from there. Worse case scenario I have a a complete long block in my garage I'll convert to the Marine motor. Might be a little much for that boat though it's a 383 out of my camaro (500hp with current cam and able to spin out to 6800rpm).

2 hours ago, Todd in NY said:

Could also be the distributor, ignition, or the fuel delivery system. If you choose to take it to a marina, I've always done business with Spicer's in Clayton. They are very thorough and they sea trial the boat before they consider it fixed. They also charge much less than other marinas. I've never done business with Chaumont Bay Marina, but they seem to have a good reputation.

 

I hope this boat gives you many years of reliable service.

I'm not a marina kind of guy I do all my own work on my cars and boats but I appreciate the info. If I don't end up having time to get into the motor I'll take it up to Clayton. My buddy also recommended them.

 

 

FWIW the available I/O engines for this boat were the following but I do know it is a Mercruiser:

Merc. 5.7L B2 250

Merc. 5.7L B3 250

Merc. 5.7L EFI B3 250

Volvo 5.0 GlOP 250

Volvo 5.7 GSIDP 280

 

Out of these engines with all the research I have done over the years on Pro-Line boats I've never seen one with a Volvo. I know about assumptions but I would assume that the listed engines that are EFI are the ones that have EFI after them or the Volvos.

 

I forgot to add that the owner said it has a Vortec V8 from a Camaro so I was assuming EFI based on the Vortec but they make Carb manifolds for the LT1 and LS engines. This is also a Florida boat so I doubt the block is cracked unless from corrosion. For the year it is in better shape than a lot of newer Pro-Lines.

Edited March 22, 2019 by Chas0218

[Chas0218]

Ok so got some info from my father in law. It's carbed 5.7 vortec with Bravo I outdrive. The motor is a vortec not sure what the camaro part meant. Here are some photos to accompany what I have been able to find out through my Father in law.

[mr 580]

I think you will be happy with the Proline 241 Hull.  They used that same design for quite a few years on several models.  My 25 Walk is very similar.  One thing I found out was Proline dimensions only reflect the fiberglass length and don’t include a bracket. So with my outboard and bracket I pay for a 28 footer in storage.  You’ll also want a plexiglass windshield to go between hardtop and windshield otherwise you’ll get wet.  Real happy with my Proline.  Regarding the PO comment on Camaro, I’d look closely at carb, starter, alternator and ignition to be sure they were correct marine components and not auto pieces.  Enclosed I/O require spark suppression and are different.  Best wishes with the project.

[Chas0218]

8 minutes ago, mr 580 said:

I think you will be happy with the Proline 241 Hull.  They used that same design for quite a few years on several models.  My 25 Walk is very similar.  One thing I found out was Proline dimensions only reflect the fiberglass length and don’t include a bracket. So with my outboard and bracket I pay for a 28 footer in storage.  You’ll also want a plexiglass windshield to go between hardtop and windshield otherwise you’ll get wet.  Real happy with my Proline.  Regarding the PO comment on Camaro, I’d look closely at carb, starter, alternator and ignition to be sure they were correct marine components and not auto pieces.  Enclosed I/O require spark suppression and are different.  Best wishes with the project.

Yes, I have been doing some research and the motor cover serial number comes up as a 5.0L but has all the 5.7 badging. They didn't offer this boat with a 5.0L so I'm not real sure what is going on with that motor cover. I think I need to just pull the motor and go from there. I don't mind fixing someone else's screw ups I like things to be right and like you said safety is #1 concern.

[mr 580]

Think you are wise to plan on replacing major components.  Would be a good idea to pull out drive when you first get started and some engine fasteners.  That should give you an idea what you might be dealing with from possible salt issues.  For a few years I had an I/O that had seen some salt.  Everything you touched crumbled or broke mechanically or in electrical system.  I trying fixing it until I had enough and sent it down the road.   

[Chas0218]

21 hours ago, mr 580 said:

Think you are wise to plan on replacing major components.  Would be a good idea to pull out drive when you first get started and some engine fasteners.  That should give you an idea what you might be dealing with from possible salt issues.  For a few years I had an I/O that had seen some salt.  Everything you touched crumbled or broke mechanically or in electrical system.  I trying fixing it until I had enough and sent it down the road.   

If it gets to the point where nothing is worth saving I'll be putting a transom bracket on it with an outboard. I'll sell the outdrive if need be. The outdrive is in really good shape betting it was replaced at some point as there is barely any corrosion anywhere. The engine was replaced not long ago and hasn't seen much use since so I wouldn't imagine it coming apart too hard. 

 

Now that I've said it she is going to be a total b****. 

[Chas0218]

Well got to work on the boat a bit. Seems that she wont turn over and just clicks. The slave solenoid is doing the clicking so im going to try and replace that first. Otherwise it's the starter, hoping it's not the starter because I'll have to pull the motor.

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[Sk8man]

Could also be a dirty (e.g. corrosion) or bad battery connection to starter.

Edited April 13, 2019 by Sk8man

[SylvanTroller]

Tap the starter with a hammer while cracking if replacing the solenoid doesn’t work.


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[Xxx]

Id advise not striking the starter with a hammer as that year starter is a pmgr starter. Permanent magnet gear reducted its magnets are glued to the case and will shatter if hit just a tad to hard. Its not like the old field case type. The brushes are in a all metal backing plate. If your getting a clicking its either a low voltage problem or a bad ground. Must always a bad ground. If you can jump the aux solenoid and go directly to the main solenoid to see if the solenoid even pulls in, if it does then test the aux solenoid to see if its putting juice to the starter solenoid, rememer that solenoid needs its own ground also. If need be pm me and i can help you with it. 23 years of being self employed in the starter & alt. business.

[Chas0218]

Thanks guys. Battery is good, no corrosion on battery or leads on battery. I'll check grounds. Cant get to starter to tap on it. They shoehorned this thing in there. I have about 3" of clearance around the sides of the motor. It hasn't been ran in a year so the starter might be set up. Jumping the slave did nothing so I'm guessing it's the starter solenoid not the slave but i will see.

 

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[MikeyP]

Saltwater and I/O's aren't a good match. Plan on replacing the engine especially if it's not an enclosed system. You will be better off in the end.

[Xxx]

Well i can vouch for that mikeyP i pitched the whole motor as the salt ate the power plant from the inside out. If it was flushed faithfully it will be a different story!!!

[MikeyP]

10 hours ago, Xxx said:

Well i can vouch for that mikeyP i pitched the whole motor as the salt ate the power plant from the inside out. If it was flushed faithfully it will be a different story!!!

Yep. I learned the hard way years ago too. Spent a lot of money replacing this and that and in the end the motor was basically eaten up from the salt and had to be replaced. Should of done it earlier than I did.

[wicked walleye]

Check to make sure you have a HEAVY ground from the battery to the engine block.  We replaced a 4.3 in our boat last week.  Starter did the same thing "CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK".  We didn't have the large ground going from the battery to the block.

[bout time]

Run a 8 gauge wire directly from your motor to the battery ground. Depending what side battery is on the easiest place to run a jumper is circled below. I had the same issue and replaced the starter and solenoid and is still was doing it. I didn’t see (think) any of my grounds looked bad. I added a “jumper” from the exhaust riser post to my negative battery post and it has worked ever since. Easier to try this before you try to access your starter



‘Bout Time
Mike

[Sk8man]

What I was mainly talking about was at the starter connection from the battery to it.

Edited April 16, 2019 by Sk8man

[Chas0218]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I'll try any and all for the tools o have at my in laws. After i get to my tools I should be able to get this thing figured out better.

So for an update. The starter looks somewhat new but not sure if it's a marine starter or not. I was able to get the starter to turn using the jumper method but the bendix wouldn't engage. I'm guessing it has set up. I pull the exhaust manifolds and plugs to take a look and see if there are any signs of foul play and they looked good.

I think something at the back of the motor is screwed. I got the starter to kick out twice (by pure luck) but sounded like it was grinding on the flywheel. So not sure whats going on. It is looking like i need to pull it all and inspect. Best case scenario right now is I'll need to replace some gaskets worst case new short block.

Anyone know where the neutral safety switch is?

I'll try and keep everyone updated with the progress.

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[wicked walleye]

So you do have a large ground from the battery to the engine block?

[Chas0218]

On 4/20/2019 at 5:43 PM, wicked walleye said:

So you do have a large ground from the battery to the engine block?

I do but it is at the back of the motor attached to one of the heads. There are 2 large gauge grounds one has got to be 6 gauge and the other a little smaller guessing 8 gauge.

 

I cut away the years of cobbled up electrical tape to chase wires. The main harness is all intact just stuff added and a couple splices. I will be putting wiring back to stock including new distributor. Seems like most everything is hooked up with a couple things I have to trace back to figure out why they were tapped in where they were. I found a service manual online (Mercruiser service manual 24) for the 2bbl 4bbl carbed 305 (5.0) and 350 (5.7) that I have been using for a reference on the wiring. 

Edited April 23, 2019 by Chas0218

[Chas0218]

Little update on the outdrive:

So I was able to do a little trouble shooting on the locked up motor. I got the boat home Saturday (34 hours in 2 days is a truck is a long time driving) I pulled the outdrive off and was able to turn the motor over by hand. Good news is the motor isn't locked up like the P.O. had thought. Bad news is something in the upper housing something isn't working correctly and won't allow the input shaft to turn. 

 

I pulled the upper and back cover removed the shift fork  assembly to get a better view. The gears look mint no teeth missing with a couple spots of surface rust (no pitting). Only problem is I can't get the input shaft to turn like something is binding. I'll pull the input shaft to see what the deal is with that.

 

When I pulled the upper housing from the lower it looks like the upper section didn't have much oil in it and what was in there was milky. The lower section has good oil that is not milky. The Bravo 1 fills from the bottom up like all others but shares the same fluid in the top and bottom housings. My thought was the guy didn't fill it from the bottom and when it started to come out the bottom hole they plugged it and called it done. Without having it apart I think the upper housing input bearing is toast and locked up the upper. I ordered the spanner wrench and should be in on Wednesday, I'll pull the input shaft and update.