MrGiggles

Already got a head gasket, powerhead gaskets, thermostat, and controls on the way. I haven't found a lot of NLA parts, but the gaskets are high. Wonder if it's only the Yamaha made 4S Mercs that don't have any parts available. This is a baby Verado, without the supercharger.

Yep. General rule of thumb on a three ring piston is to clock each ring gap 120* apart when you put them in the block. I saw it mentioned in the service manual for the Merc but I forget what it said. Im going to run the injectors down to Sho-me speed and have them cleaned and flow tested.

I don't think I've ever seen a 4S with pinned rings. I thought it was exclusive to 2 strokes, so the ring gap can't migrate into a port opening, where bad things could happen. These are not pinned, in my last pic you can see both ring gaps, they're free to rotate.

As far as I can tell it's installed the same as the others. There is no marking or any sort of bevel/chamfer on it. This is #3.

I agree with you there. I think it's wonderful that they're stepping up to address the way wages have stagnated for decades, but simply raising the minimum wage is not the way to do it. It's a slap in the face to many.

I'm not sure how long it was ran with a dead/dying hole. I'm sure as it was failing it began to burn more and more oil. The middle ring is stuck because if how badly the ring lands are eroded.

Took a little time after work today and pulled the powerhead. The bearings in the bottom look perfect. Got a couple photos of #4 after I pulled it out.

During years like this when you find that 100 year old swamp oak loaded with acorns, while everything else is bare, you've got a honey hole on your hands.

I was going to get the flywheel off and get the rest of it pulled apart, but my puller is too small. I was tempted to get after it shadetree style, but don't really want to add a new flywheel to the parts bill.

I'll know more when I get the powerhead laying on the table and the piston out. I'm sure Mercury's software has an injector contribution test function that would allow you to check them (by energizing them for a few milliseconds and measuring the drop in fuel pressure), but about all I could do is rig them up on the motor and see how they spray. I pulled #4 out of the rail and there isn't anything obviously wrong with it. Leakdown test showed all of the leakage going into the crankcase, not through the valves.

You want to share your process? I always field dress immediately when possible, get it hung up hide-on for few days (indoors out of the sun) when temps allow. Even still, some just don't turn out well.

It was cheap enough that I could put those on Ebay and make a little. Any idea what torched #4?

Burger is always medium well. Medium rare for everything else.

I haven't really figured venison out. Some is very mild and tasty, some is so metallic and gamey that I can't hardly stand it, just cooking it stinks up the house. I process all deer the same way, doesn't really make any sense to me. I will eat the backstraps by themselves, the butt roasts make good jerky, the rest can go into the grinder as far as I'm concerned.

Started off by verifying BPS's diagnosis. Compression test showed 175, 175, 175, and 60. Borescope down #4 showed cylinder damage, to what extent wasn't readily apparent. So I got it all stripped, powerhead is still sitting on the leg but everything is undone to lift it off when the time comes. Kept looking for the head bolts until I realized the girdle bolts are like 18" long and secure the head from the bottom. The bores are magnetic, so the block has liners. In theory a quick hone to knock the glaze off and a new piston would put it back in service, if the bottom end is decent. The cam bearings and top end were beautiful. The scuffing in the cylinder is very, very minor. There is also the cause of this mess in the first place, which I'm not sure of. #4 must have been really lean to break up the piston like that. Plugged injector? When I get some more time, I'll yank the flywheel off and pull the crank girdle, and push the #4 piston out of the bottom and see what the bearings look like. Regardless, I think the powerhead is coming off, since I think it would be next to impossible to get everything timed right as-is.

The adventure continues, thanks Mike. Go ahead and get it outta your system, Wrench.

I pulled some cranks around last night. Ended up with 6 short walleye and 1 bass in a couple hours. They were pretty scattered, but I did pin four in one spot. Running ~100ft of line out, no weight, Flicker Shad 7s, black/chart and blue tiger were the ticket today. Running 13-14ft down in 16-21 ft.

Ditto. Trim down, hammer down if you're going against the waves. Opposite if you're going with them.

I hear with a drone you can get the bird's eye view of Springfield's finest.

Went to Denver in January 2019. I'm not really a city person but it was fun nonetheless. Rented some snowmobiles and rode around the mountains in Winter Park. Good times. It is definitely expensive.. If I remember right dinner for two at a steakhouse was well over $100, no alcohol either.

Wonder if you could use some nylon guitar string or piano wire and rig some up Richard Gene style.

Think they are getting hung by the hook? Where I fish the ned, I think I lose them because they get caught in the rocks, not because the hook is getting snagged. Weedless crappie jigs are the best thing ever for brushpiles though.

Pretty much what Wrench posted, get a test light and start pokin'. Start at the trailer plug. If nothing there, check the fuses. Most newer vehicles have separate fuses for the trailer circuit (if it has the factory tow package) so a short in the trailer won't kill the lights on the vehicle as well. That is the year range of Chryslers with TIPM problems, hopefully that is not your issue but it could be.

I peaked early. Drank like a fish my senior year of high school. That summer was fun, wouldn't trade those memories for anything. Once I turned 21, the luster kind of wore off.

I'm not that crazy about them either. The one in Springfield is just a tourist trap. The prices for weights and jigs and stuff are super high too. But, they carry a lot of stuff that you can't get anywhere else. If anyone ever goes through Clinton, I highly recommend Everharts.