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Hello, I know nothing about fuel filters / water seps. I have a 84 montauk with a 85 johnson 90 vro. I have no other filter but the one in the fuel line inside the cover of the engine. I would appreciate any recommendations. I apologize if I did not search correctly and this info exists here. I did find lots of good info. This site makes working on my old boat so much easier.

Thanks, Pete

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Pete,

I would recommend a racor unit. They are a bit more than your average fuel/water filter how ever the will allow you to drain the water out with out having to remove the bowl.

http://www.parker.com/racor/gas.htmlr/gas.html

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Hey Pete!
Another fellow Hudson River Whaler! Cool!
Your question seemed like you debating if such a thing was necessary at all...
My feeling is ...YES!
Fuel tanks and modern fuels are the root of most motor evils...impurities...condensation..."stuff' in the tanks....
Fuel seperators not only filter the fuel from the tank but seperate any water that might be present as well before it hits the motor.
It's one of those filter things that gets changed out each year...but it's a small price to pay to keep that motor purring as we rendevous off Bannermans Arsenal this coming summer!
See you there!
Dan

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Thanks Jeff and Dan for your replies. This boat is new to me and does not appear to be used much or maintained for several years. The engine did run great and had good compression on all cyls.
The lower unit oil had a foul odor to it when drained. The lower unit did appear to have a good flow of water coming out from the pump. Any hints on what I should do to be sure the lower unit is ready for use?
The prior owner does not remember changing the water pump in the last 6+ years. This was a fresh water used boat + engine. I believe I should change the pump and perhaps the thermostats. Some posts suggest changing these every 2 years in salt water use. Is this complicated for me to do? I do have the tools and area to work.

Pete

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Replace the impellor...4 or 5 bolts should drop your lower end from the powerhead..the water pump assembly is right on top of that...pull the plastic cap and replace the rubber impeller...use a little vaseline to keep 'er lubed when you fire it up in the spring....
It's best to have a buddy there to wrassle the thing out and back in...beer helps....

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Pete,

Welcome to WhalerCentral.

Great suggestions from the other posters on the fuel filter and water pump impeller.
You idea of changing the thermostats is also a great idea.

If anyone buys a used engine (with or without a boat attached) I strongly suggest going through the things mentioned above plus a couple more items. (this is for 2 stroke motors, 4 strokes will be slightly different and not mentioned here.)

1. Replace Water Pump Impeller
2. Replace Thermostat(s)
3. Replace Spark Plugs
4. Replace Fuel Filter (or add one to the system)
5. Change Lower Unit Fluid
6. Read this article on how to check your Warning Horn System.
http://www.whalercentral.com/readarti...ticle_id=9
If your warning horns aren't functioning properly, you could burn up your engine the first time you take it out. Now that would be a sad day for anyone.

All of the above is a MUST for me and should be for everyone.....
After doing all of the above, then you know these items are new and the other items should be working properly.

Enjoy your Montauk. They are fantastic Whalers.

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Thanks All ! I'll get it together with your help.

Joe , I'll follow your posts re single fuel source for main and aux engines. I purchased a new left over 2003 johnson 4 stroke 8 hp to mount on my montauk.
I also have a new pate 27c fuel tank for under the seat. I believe I need to cut a new opening into the tunnel under the deck for the fuel line. I've seen threads on this out there. I'll dig them up as I go along.

Pete

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Pete-

Definitely go with the separator. I spent $1,000 and considerable down time with my 2001 Ocean Pro after I got water in the carburetors. Also, I'd suggest careful attention to winterizing. I use my boat about 200 hours a year and burned up an '84 VRO and had it rebuilt twice. With the Ocean Pro I've used carbon guard, an OMC product, and have had not problems with carbon build up in the cylinders.

I'd suggest you consider replacing the steering if it is original. I just replaced mine with a Teleflex Safe T QC (nfb) and the no feedback (nfb) feature alone is worth the less than $200 the unit cost. George

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Hello George,

A little tip here on the smileys...
If you go back and edit your above post, there is a box at the bottom you can check to "Disable Smileys"... Then the brackets ( ) that you use will not show up as smileys... Give it a try.

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Thanks George and Joe, I did winterize though not much of a winter here in NY yet. Wish I could use the boat and catch some stripers round NJ these days. They r still biting.........anyway... My steering is smooth and engine turns easily. This boat was not used much and was kept indoors. Is there maint to be performed on the steering cable ? oiling perhaps to preserve it ?

Thanks
Pete

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Pete-

I assume you have a mechanical system, not a hydraulic one. Anything I have read suggests that the initial lubrication is sufficient for the mechanical system with the exception of the tube which connects to the engine. A regular light lubrication of the rod to prevent siezing is a good idea(cleaning with a cloth sprayed with WD 40 should be sufficient).

For more information you might want to contact Teleflex directly. Their mechanical steering offices are in Pennsylvania. A telephone number for the company and this location are available on the Teleflex web site.

Good luck with your striper fishing. I've got to get out your way to catch one of those silver beauties. From all I have seen they are fished in much the same way we fish salmon in the Puget Sound. George

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Joe-

I rather liked the smileys. They didn't appear until I reviewed the message after I posted it. Yes, I have now disabled them. George

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Thanks much! I hope to be ready for spring fishing. This restoration is moving along slowly. Thats ok ..........
Anytime youre out my way I'd be glad to take you out striper fishing. I know a spot and a trick or three...............

Pete:)

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George,

Just for the record, you need to disable the Smileys in each post if you don't want them.
It doesn't matter to me, but when someone is trying to read your post, the smileys show up instead of the brackets ()...

If you want to get rid of the smileys in just the one post above, you need to go back and "Edit" that post and then disable smileys for just that post.

The next post you make will have the smileys enable by default. If you don't want them in that post, then you will have to disable them again for that post only....

Just a tip for you and anyone else that wants to know...

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Pete,
I'll go Striper fishin' with you...!
Can't wait! Those big fat mama's don't get to Kingston until May 10th or so....
They probably hit Cornwall/Garrison a week or two earlier...
Get your seperator on?
Dan

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Hello, I purchased a Racor 12r-rac-02. This is a 30 gph fuel flow. I had a local outboard mechanic tell me this is pushing the limit with my 90 hp for fuel flow and see how it works. This should work fine for a 4 cyl engine.
Does anyone have experience with this model? I believe its a new model. I bought it because its real small @ 5" + 1" for bowl clearence. It fits nice in the stern and has 4 ports. Convenient for an aux fuel tank on a seperate quick connect and my kicker.

I'm ready to fish with you yesterday. I'll catch on real quick to the river fishing and you'll like my gear....................

Pete

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Hopefully, you're not suckin' 30 gph...that'll make for a short trip!