Way2slow

Thermostat should bring the water up to approx 135 - 145 degrees. Not sure if you consider that warm or hot but it can be very uncomfortable coming out of the pisser.

I would get the OEM service manual for your specific model. You can order them from any dealer and they only cost approx $30. The OEM is much better than the Clymer in almost all areas. As for a motor being a motor, that's not quite the case when comparing two stroke and four stroke motors. Yes, they both have spark plugs and pistons, and require the proper mixture, compression, ignition at the proper time but they use two totally different principles to make power. The biggest thing about fixing it yourself is knowing your limitations. Get in over your head and you can screw up a hellavalot more than you could hope to save. Outboard parts and labor are EXPENSIVE.

Value wise, that tracker won't be worth beans after you do the mods. Making a boat built for an inboard boat into an outboard, doubt many people would care for it once you decide that's not what you want.

Also, make sure the hole and hose where the visual stream comes out is not plugged by a dirt dobber. They luv ready made holes and it's very common for those to be plugged by one. In areas where they are prevelant, it pays to stick a nail in them when the motor is not in use.

You don't have it in enough water to keep the pump from cavitating and sucking air so it's not going to pump. With that said though, for the age of the motor, I would not put it in the water without a new water pump impeller. Impeller will cost $30 or so, whole kit normally about twice that. As for a do-it-yourself job, if you have any mechanical skills, it's not a big deal to replace it. The shift rod should disconnect under the back of the carb, and take the bolts hold the LU in under the anticav plate. Take the trim tab off, sometimes the hide a bolt under it. I don't do much with black motors so can't be exact in how to do it. Be sure not to loose the tab that locks the impeller to the drive shaft when you slide the impeller and get the right fold on the blades when you put the housing down on the new one. A good coat of Lubriplate 105 assemply lube on all the blade tips and inside the housing helps things going back together.

Well, first off, any heat is wasted power so if the wire is getting warm you are running the TM at a reduced power but the battery is still putting out the current for a higher power. What it boils down to, why buy a 50# TM if your going to run it on too small of wire that the resistance is going to 40# pounds of thrust because the other 10# is being wasted in the cable heat. Same with going cheap on the connectors, if they are heating up, the TM is not producing full thrust and you're increasing the chance of a melt down. Remember also, any time you're looking at charts for the proper size cable, with most of those charts you have to double the number of feet because you have two lenghts of cable, one positive and one negative. If you have one of those 12/24 system at the front and four cable going back to the battery, you may have to figure four times the length, depending on how it's wired. I run nothing smaller that #6 battery cable and if running large than 60# TM, I run #4. I also use nothing but the Harrison Connectors, either the 50 amp on #6 cable or 75 amp on #4 for big motors. I also run large heavy duty copper or silver plated connector that are crimped and soldered.

You will probably to find a remote control for that older motor. The cable actually connects to that lever and has a bracket that holds it to the side of the motor. What are you doing about the gas, the same remote also does the gas. It seems sinse it's tiller steering, you'd have to be with the motor to use the throttle and steer it.

There was no pick but sounds like you were running a connector that was bad or too small. What ever the case, you definetly had a bad connection. You may be one of the many that are going to these big trolling motors and fail to realize just how much heat is generated by too small of wiring, and too small of a connector or a bad connection. I see people using their original 30/40 amp plugs that came in the boat and plugging 70 and 80 pound thrust TM into them and then wonder why the plug/receptical melted or is getting hot very hot. An oxidized connector that only looks discolored can easily cause a 1/2 ohm resistance. A 1/2 ohm resistance on a a large 24V TM running on high and pulling 50 amps is going to generate 15 watts of heat in that area. Crab a small 15 watt light bulb after it has been on for a few minutes and see how big of a blister you get. These big TM's everybody is going to these days need at least #4 battery cable (some sell it as marine cable) and a good 75 amp connector. None of those twist lock things like you see in so many of the older boats.

Since it is the single hose tank, I would not spend the time or money on a steel tank. Too many problems associated with steel and aluminum tanks

Ranger was one of the first to go to 6 ga cable, so it's possible you may already have 6 ga. Now, if it was me going to that size motor, I would buy a length of #4 ga cable. I would run one #4 and connect the two #6's (provided that's what it has) together in parallel, this will make them equivilant to a #4 and save you some money. If it does not have #6, I would run two lenghts of #4. You will also need at least a 60 amp breaker for the 71 and probably a little larger for the 82, check and see what the manufactor of the motor you're getting recommends for the size motor.

You place it in the cell, squeze and release the bulb and let if fill with enough water to float the bulb but not too high or it will hit the stopper in the top of the tube. When you are sure the bulb is floating off the bottom and not up into the top, you read the line that's at water level.

Easy enough to diagnose the problem. Get you a hydrometer (something like this http://www.remybattery.com/Products/Standard-Battery-Hydrometer---00199__00199.aspx and check each cell in the battery. They all should be very close to the same and a good fully charged battery is going 1.260 to 1.300, depending on the manufactor and the electrolite they used. Most deep cycles are going to be 1.275 or higher. If they are not all coming at least into the green and reading within one line of each other, the battery is not reaching full charge and the charger is just going to keep on cooking it trying to get it there. Do this test 24 hours after the battery has been taken off the charger. Right after charging can give abnormal high readings, however if it's never getting into the green, then no need to waste the time later on.

Are there one or two hoses going to that tank? That third post sticking out makes it look like one of the old 50's model tanks. When refering to two hoses, I'm talking about one hose but it's actually two made together so there are two openings in each end. The reason I ask, if it has two hoses from the motor to the tank you will need to do a lot of converting to change to a different tank. The early outboards that ran two hoses didn't have a fuel pump. They used one hose for the motor to pressurize the tank and the other for the fuel. You can't convert to a plastic tank because the pressure is subject to blow it up like a ball. You will need a add a fuel pump to do away with the pressure line.

What size 12 volt motor does it have and what size 24 volt motor are you looking at. Are you considering a 12/24 or a straight 24. How many cables go from the battery to the front for the TM and what size are they? What size circuit breaker is in it now? This all determines how much converting you're going to need to do. Changing to 24 volt could be as simple as adding a second battery if the 24 volt motor is going to have a similar amp draw as the 12 volt. If you only have two wires, a 12/24 needs three so you will need to add another. If you plan on going to a much larger motor on the front, the existing cables will probably need to be upgraded to a larger size and a larger circuit breaker installed. All this is more than easy enough for most anyone to do.

My Break-procedure on a powerhead that is bored and installed new pistons. Two hours in the tank at 2,000 rpm on 40:1 gas/oil ratio. One hour on lake varying between 3,000 and 3,500 rpm, trying to never stop so heat stays in motor. One hour varying between 3,500 and 4,500 rpm, again, not stopping so heat stays in motor. One hour cruising at 4,500 and kicking it up to 5,500 for short 15 - 20 second burst, extended those to 30 - 45 second burst toward end. One hour at 4,500 - 5,000 kicking it to WOT for 15 - 20 second burst and extending those to 30 - 45 seconds toward end of hour. For the next four hours, I pretty much cruise at 5,000 or so rpm and start making short WOT runs and gradually extending those to a couple of miles at the time. After I get 10 hours, I run it pretty much how I please, at WOT for as long as I please. During the break-in I'm doing plug and piston checks dozens of times to make sure my mixtures are right. Especially everytime I take it to a higher RPM. I also run EGT's in my motors so I'm constantly monitoring those. If it's a motor I have plenty of piston clearance and primarly just replaced the rings, I take it easy for the first hour, working into WOT runs toward the end and then run the crap out of it.

A lot depends on the motor. The early DFI motors (all makes), were rushed to market and suffered a number of engineering design problems. Mercs had some problem with plastic oil pump drive gears Some where because the early Oil injections were not that reliable and people still try to running the original pump system 15 - 20 years later. The mid 90's OMC's had problems with the ring locator pins coming out because of a design change and the fact the port side runs hotter than the starboard side. They also had issue's with the top main bearing retainer coming loose when they went to the lighter rods and pistons. A field mod came out for that but many didn't get it. The vast majority are due to operator ignorance. Old gas and modern outboards don't mix but people constantly leave their boats sitting for months on end and think they can just go to the lake with that same gas that's in it and the gummed up, dirty carbs that it causes. The loss of octane causes detonation that destroy pistons, the dirty carbs leans a cylinder and melts the center out of the piston. Then you have those that think a water pump should last the life of a motor and fry the power head because they didn't think it was necessary to replace it every few years. Throw in those that don't even know what decarbing a motor is, much less do it every 50 hours and you have your answer. 10- 15% are probably because of manufactor design problems, the rest are because of the idiots (I guess you could say the unknowing) operating them.

Use a heat gun or hair dyer to heat them up and a plastic scraper to peel off the decals/numbers/letters. Then use some MEK solvent to wash off the glue that's left. You can get a pint of MEK in the paint department of Home Depot or Lowe's. As a precaution, it's recommended to use a solvent resistant glove when doing the MEK. It's not going to burn/blister your hand but is assorbed through the skin and long term use can cause liver problems. The MEK should not bother your paint.

Most feed and fertilizer places have scales, many won't even charge you to weigh it. You can park the boat on it so your Jeep is off it and get a quick weight and just add what you think your tounge weight is. If you want it exact, park in on the scales and disconnect from it. Just be sure you have your normal load, a tank of gas, batteries, TM and gear is going to add a good bit of weight.

I take my TM prop off everytime I get back from the lake. I do that because a lot of times you can damage a shear pin hitting the bottom or objects and I prefer to replace it when it gets bent. I also cover my boat and I don't have to worry about the prop cutting into my cover. It doesn't take 30 seconds to screw the nut off, pull the prop off, slide the pin out and stick it in the notch in the prop and place the nut over it to hold it and lay it on the bow so it's right there when you're ready to go next time. I'm refering to my MG, don't run MK so not sure what's involved with them.

Can just about bet it will rust if left in there for long periods and you have no way to vent the storage compartment. Morning sun is going to cause condensation on the underside of the lids and then the warmer sun is going to cause it raise the humidity to approx 100% inside the box. This makes a great rust generator, been there, done that. I leave mine in my storage boxes but having learned my lesson the hard way, the boat is covered when not in use, I keep a small vent blower blowing air under the cover and use my marker bouys to prop all compartment lids open before I cover it.

Just be carefull when you split the control box to get the old cable out and you don't let parts start flying. When you put the new one in, make sure it's adjusted properly in the control box. Get the neutral centers off and it can make operation a bit difficult.

I used a MinnKota 65 (28 lb thrust) for years on a 14' jon in small lakes. The only time I ever had any problems was when the occasional afternoon thunderstorm would create wind gust over 30 mph.

Make sure this is how it's wired first. http://www.reelschematic.com/motorguide/750.pdf As for running it on one battery in the 24V mode, that's no different than running it in the 12V mode because that's what you are doing when selecting it from 24V to 12V. Just understand the speed and power is going to be very slow, the same as it would be if it worked in both the 12/24 mode and you were running the 12V mode.

In 1965 I bought my first big boat, it was a new 15' GlassMaster with an 80 Merc. I towed it for almost two years with a 1962 VW Karman Ghia. Only had to replace the clutch once because the ramp was a little on the steep side and had to ride it pretty good to get the boat out of the water. Boat looked almost twice as big as the car when hooked to it. The thing about that was I only had to go five miles from my house to the ramp and other than the ramp, there were no hills to worry about.

If you can solder and it has a braided shield, it's no big deal to repair. Skin the out cover off approx 1 1/2" on both pieces being careful not to cut the braid just under it. Now use a pick and comb the braid out and fold it back out of the way. Now cut about 1/2 " off the center conductor and insulation. Trim the insulation back on the center condutor approx 3/8" on both ends. Tin both these conductors then lay them over each other and solder them together. Use black tape or silicon glue and cover those ends you just soldered until it's level with the insulation and then make a wrap over the whole exposed inner insulation and wrap a piece of aluminum foil around it to cover the area between the two outer braids/cover. Now you will tin each end of the braided shield, lay them together and solder them. Wrap the whole repaired section with tape for a good seal. Now, after all that, if it has built in temp sensor, those wires usually only have a couple of strands of wire and can be difficult. Also, the small diameter coaxil cable can be a challange if you're not good with an iron. They also make mini male/female connectors that can be used to splice them but finding the right size be a challange if you don't have a way to match the size to the coax. However, if you try and repair it and it doesn't work, what are you out of. You were going to have to buy a new Xducer anyway.