2001 Tango engine swap

[Bilmon]

Good call on the oil lines, I would also throw a kit in the block mounted fuel pump while you have it torn down, they are cheap. I also had to replace one of the reed blocks. Damn thing was over 100 bucks but at least came with reeds already on it, rest of mine were ok so I just stayed with stock

 

[Blkrvrbart]

Thanks @Bilmon for the heads up on the fuel pump kit. I’ll get that on the way, too.

 

[Blkrvrbart]

Ordered the driven gear and bushing for the oil pump. They were loaded up with compressed chunks of metal and the shaft on the gear looked warped and scored.

 

[Stomp10]

@Blkrvrbart I was thinking that all the fuel and bleed lines needed replacing on mine too as they are all original. I am for sure going to now!
Mine also came with stainless reeds as stock and I had ordered a set of Boysens as replacements before I found quite a few discussions about reeds at screamandfly.

I would read through those as it seems there are a couple of options in aftermarket manufacture to consider.
I apparently didn't do my own due diligence prior to making the purchase, but I'll be sticking with the Boysens for now since I already have them in hand. Still beats stainless steel chunks being aspirated when the old ones fail. Maybe I'll get lucky and find that they have already been replaced.

I am having space issues in the garage right now with 2 boats parked in there making it tough to get anything accomplished. The hull is filling up with inventory for upgrades, like a box of mineral wool insulation panels for the engine compartment and misc boxes of garage overflow sitting in there making it really claustrophobic.
Looking around for stuff I can throw away to make room and making some progress on that.

The old boat for sure needs a new water pump impeller for immediate needs and possibly a fuel pump and for sure a carb rebuild. My son and I are working on finding time to get this done so he can tow that one home.

Also hoping to get dollies under the wheels on the SugarSand trailer so I can get some lateral movement of the trailer in the garage. Hopefully get that done this afternoon cuz I think its going to be a bit warmer.

Anyway appreciate you sharing your journey on this rebuild. Helps me to confirm things I need to take care of on mine.

 

[Blkrvrbart]

@Stomp10 I’ll be replacing the fuel and oil lines, too. Might as well while it’s out and accessible.
I researched a couple places and jumped on the Mercury Sport Jet FB page when I was looking at reeds. Same thing as you were thinking, why not go synthetic so you don’t have to worry about the metal reeds cracking and sucking a piece in. I bought Chris Carson reeds. Very helpful and knowledgeable people. They told me about the “stuffers” they also make. Stuffers are an extension block that pushes the reed block deeper into the motor by about an eighth inch. I asked if this is more of a performance enhancer or a longevity enhancer. They said more performance, so I opted to not do the stuffers. I’m looking for longevity.
So where did you get the mineral wool batts? Are they foil lined or have any finish to them? The old foam on mine is brittle or gummy, from age and exposure to petroleum products. I’d appreciate a line on where you got those.
Whenever I have the Sugar Sand in the shop I put the trailer on dollies. I can move it anywhere space allows by myself that way. They’re just the small cheap HF small wood furniture dollies. I put a trailer dolly wheel block (kinda like a donut) on the one for the jack.
Received a bunch of parts today. Expecting snow Saturday, and I’m in the middle of my second ever kidney stone episode, so I’m not working on that tonight. I’ll be fortunate to get the plow on the Jeep.
Thanks for listening to me, and stay safe out there.

 

[Stomp10]

The batts are 1" foil faced 2'x4'. Bought them from Grainger's. I think you are close to me. I'm in Bolingbrook. Took one day for me. I ordered from their ebay page. Foil encased might have been better but more $$$. This should be fine for my needs. I'll aluminum tape the edges and the cuts. It will look great. Attached a shot of the invoice for you

Same with me too. The old foam insulation was a nasty cleanup. Yeesh! Tear that stuff out first before you start your install so you have a clean environment. The powder that goes flying is really nasty. Can't wait to get all these "chores" done so I'm ready for spring!

Still waiting on the DNR for the registration. Hoping there's no glitches with that process. Keeping my fingers crossed. Almost at the 5 week mark and I'm nervous cuz it was an out of state sale....

Still have to order the bleed and fuel lines too as well as a new bilge blower.

No problem listening,Bart. Anytime.
Hope you're on the mend with the kidney stones soon. Sounds painful, get well soon!

 

[Stomp10]

EBay auction #
253053597604

 

[Blkrvrbart]

Thanks for the info on the rockwool batts. I might check with one of my insulators, they might have some duct wrap around. While the engine is out I just want to renew what I can without it in the way.

The state sent mine through no problem. It was titled in Michigan by the previous owner. The trailers in Michigan are titled as part of the boat and the owner is sent a plate for it. Not so lucky here, are we.

 

[Stomp10]

@Blkrvrbart Registration and title arrived this week!
I was getting panicky cuz I was hitting the 7 week mark.... thinking about how the heck am I going to fix this if it gets turned down?
It was really having a negative impact on my general attitude but, I'm a happy camper now! Just need to unsnarl the trailer reg now and I'm good to go. Really not anticipating any problems with it but then again, I will be dealing with with the Illinois Secretary of State....

Hope you're feeling better Bart, and able to get around enough to get your install moving forward. Spring is fast approaching!

 

[Blkrvrbart]

@Stomp10 glad you got your numbers. I took the title and bill of sale for the trailer to the DMV in Peoria one day at lunch time, and I was done in 10 minutes total from walking in to walking out. Nobody else was there (a Wednesday at lunch) and the lady who took care of it all was super. Walked out with the plates and sticker, title came 5 weeks later. I will say for the mess we have at our state level of most things, the DMV folks I have dealt with are top notch. If we ever meet up I’ll have to tell you how it went with them when I mulched my wallet on the zero turn. We had fun with it, might as well instead of being grouchy. ?
While I was down all my parts came in. Hope to get the carbs rebuilt and all reassembly done in the next couple of cold weeks. Then to findcc V a reputable Merc shop locally who can balance the carbs and verify the warranty on the long block. Then I should be ready for a good long break in day in late April!

Have a great weekend!

 

[Blkrvrbart]

Got the reed valves rebuilt last week. Chris Carson Performance aftermarket reeds. They fit and seal nice. Should have some time next week or so to finish the assembly and carb rebuilds.

 

[Blkrvrbart]

Reinstalled the reed valves last week. Had them all torqued down, went to install the intake manifold, and had to untorque all of them to install the manifold. That’s probably in the manual, if I would have read it. Torqued everything back down, started working on the carbs. @Bilmon got the fuel pump rebuilt. You were right, that was simple and quick. In the middle of rebuilding the carbs now, should finish the last one today. I’ll get some pics.

 

[Blkrvrbart]

Got the carbs rebuilt and installed. Next week the rest of the assembly will happen. The process has been enjoyable so far!

 

[Blkrvrbart]

Pretty much finished the reassembly. Still uncertain what caused the regulator wires to burn, but one of the last things to be done is to test the stator and new regulator. Should I prelube the cylinders before the initial cranking? I’d like to give it every advantage I can.

 

[Blkrvrbart]

@Stomp10 I picked up some duct liner insulation from one of my hvac subs. Hoping this weekend to reinstall the engine, but before I do the engine compartment will get reinsulated. The old foam is brittle and falling apart, the stuff I chose has a fire retardant black exterior with a one inch fiberglass mat base. Got the hood reinsulated last week with it. The engine is ready to drop in, and tonight we’re going to be at 7°, so I can move the boat back into the shop without leaving ruts.

I found some Stabil fogging oil that I’ll probably use on startup. Seems like that first few cranks on initial startup could be devastating. The startup procedure states 40:1 premix and oil injection should be used in the first ten hours, but until the fuel mix hits and the oil pump is well primed, I’m still a little nervous about that. More to come!

 

[Blkrvrbart]

Well, the engine is in. Reinsulated the engine compartment before dropping the motor in. It went pretty well. Hardest thing about it is getting the very back mounting nut threaded back on. Couple more things to hook up and then we wait for warmer weather.
@Bilmon break in day is coming!

 

[Stomp10]

@Blkrvrbart This is looking great right now. Nice job on the insulation too!
Seeing your process documented like this gets me asking questions about my own so, I have to ask, what kind of adhesive you used on the insulation?
You said yours is a 210? If its a 210 It looks pretty much the same as the 175.

If I could ask what size were your oil bleeder lines? I'm guessing 1/8" but I'm unable to find it specified anywhere, so I'm taking the easy route and asking the resident expert now. Also the same question on the fuel lines. looks like 3/8" but the fitting on my tank was oozing gas and it seemed to be a loose fit. On the other hand, 5/16" seems too small for this size engine. It could be the stock fuel line was stretching or ballooning or whatever that stuff does when it gets old. Enough to confuse me though. Especially when you can't find the specs for it. If its in the manual, I'm blind I guess... It tells you how long each piece is but not the diameter.... Also did you replace the check valves too? After seeing the aftermath of your grenaded engine, I'm thinking I don't want that to go another year on 23 year old components....
One last question....

If I take the airbox off of the carbs, open up the throttle plates, would I be able to see the reed flappers and ID as either stainless steel or composite? Trying to keep it as simple as possible this first year of ownership... Catch up on the misc maintenance items, hopefully get another season out of it before having to do anything major to it. Don't want to take anything apart that I don't have to yet.
It ran great for the test drive.

Also have a boat filling up with new part inventory and no time to get it all done. Also in the middle of a Bathroom remodel at home and short staffing at work that's crampin' my boat repairs. The clock just keeps running and its almost March already!

Apologies for bombarding you with questions but, I appreciate the time you have taken to share this journey with us all. You have helped me to figure out a lot stuff on my own Tango.

 

[Stomp10]

@Blkrvrbart This is looking great right now. Nice job on the insulation too!
Seeing your process documented like this gets me asking questions about my own so, I have to ask, what kind of adhesive you used on the insulation?
Yours is a 175hp too? Or is it a 210? If its a 210 It looks pretty much the same as the 175.

If I could ask what size were your oil bleeder lines? I'm guessing 1/8" but I'm unable to find it specified anywhere, so I'm taking the easy route and asking the resident expert now. Also the same question on the fuel lines. looks like 3/8" but the fitting on my tank was oozing gas and it seemed to be a loose fit. On the other hand, 5/16" seems too small for this size engine. It could be the stock fuel line was stretching or ballooning or whatever that stuff does when it gets old. Enough to confuse me though. Especially when you can't find the specs for it. If its in the manual, I'm blind I guess... It tells you how long each piece is but not the diameter.... Also did you replace the check valves too? After seeing the aftermath of your grenaded engine, I'm thinking I don't want that to go another year on 23 year old components....
One last question and I should be all set.

If I take the airbox off of the carbs, open up the throttle plates, would I be able to see the reed flappers and ID as either stainless steel or composite? Trying to keep it as simple as possible this first year of ownership... Catch up on the misc maintenance items, hopefully get another season out of it before having to do anything major to it. Don't want to take anything apart that I don't have to yet.
It ran for the test drive.

Also have a boat filling up with new part inventory and no time to get it all done. Also in the middle of a Bathroom remodel at home and short staffing at work that's crampin' my boat repairs. The clock just keeps running and its almost March already!

Apologies for bombarding you with questions but, I appreciate the time you have taken to share this journey with us all. You have helped me to figure out a lot stuff on my own Tango.

 

[Stomp10]

@Blkrvrbart Ahhh never mind, found the oil bleed tubing part in the mercury catalog. I still have no idea what size it is tho. lol

 

[Blkrvrbart]

Hey @Stomp10 glad to help if I can. The bleeder lines you found were probably the same thing I bought, which were the Merc stock number. I did figure out along the way that on quite a few parts your engine model number makes a difference.

The manual doesn’t give the fuel line sizes. My fuel lines between carbs were 1/4”, from the carbs to fuel pump was 5/16”, from tank to fuel pump is 5/16”. The previous owner had used 3/8” on both the tank to pump and the pump to carbs, so it had been leaking slightly. If you measure the tubing diameter that’s the size line you need, not the tension bulb diameter though.

The check valves were already installed in the reman block I bought, but I did check them to make certain they were working.

If you remove the breather and hold the throttle open you still can’t really see the reed valves. They are bolted to the inside of the intake manifold, then the intake bolted to the block, then carbs installed. The intake is curved up or down towards one cylinder or the other, so it blocks the view of the reeds. The closest picture I have to show that is attached. If yours are stock, probably safe to say they are stainless.

Hope this helps you and anyone in the future to not be afraid to do this. If you have the factory manual, you’re careful and in no hurry, and can read a cookbook well enough to pull off baking a cake, you got this. The parts are not cheap, but it’s all going to work out in the end. I don’t intend to impress anyone either, but I couldn’t find much info when I started this endeavor so it needed to be put up here. So thanks for hanging with me here, we’ll get through it and be on the water before you know it.