How site has helped me w my boat maintenance (2001 Sunsetter LXI)

[gary_tenison]

Not familiar with the boat or the guage issue, but if the plastic plugs you are referring to are what we call "Christmas tree fasteners" AND they stick through to the backside of the supporting panel, you can use SS washers with the correct inside diameter on the backs of them for more grip. Almost like a nut on a bolt.

Otherwise, like you said previously, you can replace them. If they go into fiberglass only, the holes will most certainly be larger than they started and you may need to go bigger with the fasteners.

Edit: If the fasteners don't stick all he way through the panel, you could take fender washers and drill small holes in the outside, place the large center hole over the existing holes in the support panel, and use flat head screws to hold them in place. You may have to grind one or more sides flat so they don't stick out past the trim panel if they are close to the edge.

Interesting idea. Thanks!

[gary_tenison]

Interesting idea. Thanks!

I have a new update to add. Although my boat was running well...It began to run a bit rougher just at startup. It seemed fine when warmed up. I decided to give it TUNEUP. New plugs and on a whim I figured new distributor cap and rotor. Wow...am I ashamed. I had never changed the dist cap. It was a corroded mess. Contacts were crusty yellow and klooked ready to snap off inside the cap. Wow...I waited wayyyyyy too long. It is amazing the boat ran fine...678 hrs on the dist cap...geez. So recommend not to over look this thing...

[Pistol Pete]

Hope your new cap and rotor have all brass contacts not, silver.

[gary_tenison]

Hope your new cap and rotor have all brass contacts not, silver.

Yes, happily it does. Got it from skidim. The old one was not brass. It was a corrroded mess. BTW I picked up 200 rpm with the change of plugs and dist cap.

I have the 2001 Indmar Monsoon GM w EFI. Do I need to check timing? Idle mix ? or other issues? I am unclear whether to ECM is doing timing and idle mix automatically...

Thanks

[RTS]

I have the 2001 Indmar Monsoon GM w EFI. Do I need to check timing? Idle mix ? or other issues? I am unclear whether to ECM is doing timing and idle mix automatically...

Thanks

Yes, the ECM handles the timing and mixture. The only thing you can check is the base timing, but you'll have to take the ECM out of the loop to do so. There is a prodedure for that on the site somewhere.

But it sounds like the tune up you did is all you need to do.

[gary_tenison]

I am giving this a bump so it shows up in searches as it covers so many maintenance issues in one post. I intended it as a catch-all for forum users. I don't log in much and didn't realize the search engine is cutting off the older posts. ANyhow, forgive me if I broke any rules bumping this... Gary

[Malibuzer]

I am giving this a bump so it shows up in searches as it covers so many maintenance issues in one post. I intended it as a catch-all for forum users. I don't log in much and didn't realize the search engine is cutting off the older posts. ANyhow, forgive me if I broke any rules bumping this... Gary

This is a great post Gary. I hope you have everything worked out. It takes a good man/woman quite a bit of time to detail all the issues and fixes we use.

Good for you..............better for the crew!

Merry Christmas.

Trent

[Levi900RR]

Gary,

Im glad you bumped this thread. I have never seen it! What a great thread.

PS you need to hang out on here more often!

[gary_tenison]

Finally joined ...now i am paying member. I couldnt add picks before I joined so now I will add a few pics. Being a non-paying member, this thread disappeared once it got over a year old and I couldnt update it with my latest maintenance upgrades. So I am pulling it up and adding to it in the interest of capturing what i have done to the boat.

The big new add-on, posted elsewhere, was new seats. My stitching was pulling away, cracking, and ripping along the bead line on my seats. So I contacted CHEE Moua, listed here on site in many places, [email protected], and asked him if he would do my seats.

He told me that the materials on my boat, I guess early 2001 and prior, were thin material, and he had an exact color match but with material twice as thick. He said I would love it but I was worried about the change. In the end I mailed him the front three cushions and the observer cushion and when I got them back I was ecstatic. It looked better than new and it was perfectly done.

I mailed him the original seat assemblys (the whole cushion) in a uhaul box (perfect fit), and he removed the skins and replaced them on the cushion and mailed them back. I included within the box, money for cushions and return shipment money. He proved perfectly trustworthy...I was a bit worried about sending cash...but I have faith in my fellow man. I think he would take a check but I dont write checks. I am a cash and an electronic payment guy...and since Chee is a check or cash guy I thought that was the way to go.

Anyhow, I gathered up the other cushions and sent them in too and he turned them in a week. It looks amazing. From Mich to California costs me about 150 bucks each way for the two boxes. But it was worth it. I shipped fedex ground.

I will eventually post pics.

Next task is a stereo system. I met a fellow Mailbu owner, and site member, on Lake Higgins over the fourth of july, and he has installed an amazing stereo system for which he gave me the basic plan. I will do it in the spring. JL speakers in 6 places and JL sub run by two hot Alpine amps with about 1300 watts...it sounded amazing and now I must have one... I will post it when I do it.

By the way it was LS1Boarder I think

[Slayer]

Finally joined ...now i am paying member. I couldnt add picks before I joined so now I will add a few pics. Being a non-paying member, this thread disappeared once it got over a year old and I couldnt update it with my latest maintenance upgrades. So I am pulling it up and adding to it in the interest of capturing what i have done to the boat.

The big new add-on, posted elsewhere, was new seats. My stitching was pulling away, cracking, and ripping along the bead line on my seats. So I contacted CHEE Moua, listed here on site in many places, [email protected], and asked him if he would do my seats.

He told me that the materials on my boat, I guess early 2001 and prior, were thin material, and he had an exact color match but with material twice as thick. He said I would love it but I was worried about the change. In the end I mailed him the front three cushions and the observer cushion and when I got them back I was ecstatic. It looked better than new and it was perfectly done.

I mailed him the original seat assemblys (the whole cushion) in a uhaul box (perfect fit), and he removed the skins and replaced them on the cushion and mailed them back. I included within the box, money for cushions and return shipment money. He proved perfectly trustworthy...I was a bit worried about sending cash...but I have faith in my fellow man. I think he would take a check but I dont write checks. I am a cash and an electronic payment guy...and since Chee is a check or cash guy I thought that was the way to go.

Anyhow, I gathered up the other cushions and sent them in too and he turned them in a week. It looks amazing. From Mich to California costs me about 150 bucks each way for the two boxes. But it was worth it. I shipped fedex ground.

I will eventually post pics.

Next task is a stereo system. I met a fellow Mailbu owner, and site member, on Lake Higgins over the fourth of july, and he has installed an amazing stereo system for which he gave me the basic plan. I will do it in the spring. JL speakers in 6 places and JL sub run by two hot Alpine amps with about 1300 watts...it sounded amazing and now I must have one... I will post it when I do it.

By the way it was LS1Boarder I think

Congrats on becoming a paying member!! That's great.

I would love to see pics of what Chee did for you.

[cbmalibu98]

Great post, I have had boats I/O all of my life. But when I purchased my Malibu almost 6-years ago it was a whole new world. I have really enjoyed some of the veteran malibu boat owners who will take the time to share their knowledge on almost any subject boating related. For the most part there is no question too dumb to ask. So I would like to make a shout out to all who help make this site the resource that it is

CB

[martinarcher]

Chee is the man. He re-did the Sunsetter and recently I sent him a damaged skin in the mail and he made me a new one. He's super reliable, fast, and does wonderful work. Anyone who has seen the interior of my boat and doesn't know Malibu's guesses it's a 07+ boat.

[Slayer]

Great post, I have had boats I/O all of my life. But when I purchased my Malibu almost 6-years ago it was a whole new world. I have really enjoyed some of the veteran malibu boat owners who will take the time to share their knowledge on almost any subject boating related. For the most part there is no question too dumb to ask. So I would like to make a shout out to all who help make this site the resource that it is

CB

Great post!! I agree 100% with you on that, CB.

[Oberon]

Gary,

Great update. I met you on Tue sand bar at Devil's Lake last month. Your boat really does look great...it inspired me to clean mine up a bit.

Cheers,

John

[gary_tenison]

Hey John! Yeah I was going to mention seeing another member but I had forgotten your name ! I am sorry. Anyhow, I am really happy with this site. I learned so much about caring for my boat and there is no way we all would be able to do so many improvements and fixes without sharing what we have done. I will continue to add to this thread as I work on my boat...and I have to get around to sharing pics now that i am a paying member. I am headed to Coz to scuba dive Sat for a week (fun), then to brazil for a week(work), then I may get some pics up. Thanks

[srintx]

This is one of the best posts on this site in a long time. I echo your thanks to these people and their willingness to share their experience.

DITTO!

[gary_tenison]

Hey guys....been a year of chaos and I am finally settled in so I wanted to post to let the Crew know I was alive.

Moved from MI to CT. So now I run my boat on the CT river. Recently ran from Hartford to Old Saywell...wow it was pretty. Boat runs amazing still ...but I barely ran it last 12 months. Kids are in college now so o more family camping and skiing trips. Bummer for me..

We also put the boat on Otis Reservoir in the Berkshires of Mass. This past weekend. Man that's a pretty lake too.

I will start to lurk here again....consider this a bump of my boating life story...boat sill runs great and looks like NEW... Over 700 hours.

I love my Bu

[gary_tenison]

Hey everyone. I am settled at Otis Reservoir now. I live in CT but have a camper at Otis. I have been recently advising a friend on an inboard for his house on Otis. His name is Eric. I suspect he will buy a Malibu too and begin to hang out with the Crew here. I am glad to see this post is still alive and I have referred him to it. Since it details most of the work I did to my boat over the years.

Hello to all !

[gary_tenison]

Oh. I should have said. The one change I made was to add an Evolution custom boat cover. Wow. Wish I would have done this when boat was new !!!!! This cover is fantastic and really protects your boat. Awesome for trailering. Awesome for popping on quick when you are in the water. Clearly the best cover money can buy.

Edited August 5, 2014 by gary_tenison

[gary_tenison]

Ok. Did the steering cable, or rudder cable, on my friends 1999 sunsetter LXI. It takes the same cable as my 2001 sunsetter LXI and I bought one for my boat too...but my steering is only slightly harder to turn then it used to be so I haven't done mine yet but his was extremely hard to turn. You had to use two hands...it was like turning a 1952 semi truck.

So we bought the cables on skidim.com for about 200 each. Sat morning we tackled his boat. First pulled the back seat and then turned the wheel until the rudder tiller arm was fully forward (for best access). So here is what we learned. Leave the top nut on the tiller arm. Remove the bottom nut. I believe it's a 1/2" nut. So use a socket set.

This is the key point here....the threaded bolt that runs through the tiller arm has a hex nut machined in the center of the threaded bolt. This is part of the bolt. If you turn that nut in the center, you are turning the bolt. Got that? So leave it alone unless you need to slip a 9/16" wrench on it to hold it, in order to remove the top or bottom nut.

Key point two...the bolt is inserted into the tiller arm from the bottom of the tiller so the top surface of the body hex nut hits the underside of the tiller arm....then the steering cable arm, which is stiff, more rod than arm, inserts on the bottom of the bolt, and because it is so stiff it presses up on the bolt hex and presses it against the bottom of the tiller arm. ...

So, you simply remove the bottom nut and then press down on the cable end at the bottom of the bolt end while LIFTING up the cable itself on the other side of the adjusting tube ( the threaded tube that the cable goes through prior to reaching the tiller arm). This is key. If you lift there and push down on the cable/rod end, you can clear the bottom of the bolt and nudge the tiller arm away from it, then when you let go of the rod end it will be off the bolt. That was the hard part to figure out...for us.

Now, unscrew the big silver nut, using a big crescent wrench, from where the cable enters the big threaded tube. You may have to drop a plumbers wrench on that threaded tube to stop it from turning as you try to loosen then silver nut. We put a plumbers wrench on it. When you get it off, you can then tie a nice rope through the rod end bolt hole. Now you are ready to pull the cable out.

Then go up to the steering column under the dash, and using a 7/16 socket, unscrew the four nuts holding the steering column pinion to the rack, (the rectangular metal box running left to right at the bottom of the steering column)....remove the rack. The rack is actually the far end of the steering cable.

Now simply pull the steering cable up from under the steering wheel area, pulling slow and steady. You may have to be patient and pull and twist and jiggle but you will eventually pull the cable up and out.

Now tie the rope from the old cable onto the new cable end and have someone pull the rope end from back at the tiller as you feed the cable down under the dash into the floor. We removed the little side vent in the engine well area on the drivers side and reached in and helped the cable over an area where it got stuck. You may need to push and pull and move it back and forth a bit to get it back through to the rear...then run it through the threaded tube, press down on it, while lifting up the cable in front of the tube, and swing the tiller arm bolt back over the rod end and let it move up onto the bolt as you release it...now bolt it down. Now tighten the silver nut. Bingo

Now reconnect the other end to the steering column. Then take for a test drive, turn the wheel so it is straight at 30 mph, or so, and stop the boat...then using your 7/16 socket, drop the rack back off the pinion, turn the free turning disconnected wheel until it looks perfectly straight, centered upright, and retighten the rack...bingo you are done.

I think I could do it in 60-90 minutes now. But I am ashamed to say it took us three hours. Access is tough...laying on your belly in back of the boat reaching under to the tiller arm. Man it wasn't fun. But I bet we saved a bundle compared to a stealership. And we did a good job. Also lubed the zero fittings on the rudder under there.

Hope this helps !

[boc777]

Great post! I totally agree. I have not been on here very long, but it has already saved me several trips to the dealership, $$$, and hours off the lake! This is a great group, lots of knowledge and also a sense of humor. Glad to be a part of it!

[gary_tenison]

Just to keep up the info on my boat exprience, I am adding to this thread, which is a record of my boat issues, since I bought this boat new at the Detroit boat show in 2001...2001 Malibu Sunsetter LXI fuel injected 350. 

Boat died on lake. Boat would turn over when key was turned, but would not start. In the end, it seems that my COIL developed a fault and fried my electric control module, which is mounted on the same plate that the distributor cap is mounted on...if you remove the distributer cap, you can see the two small screws that hold on the electric module...

My suggestion for owners of this old sunsetter lxi, is to replace the coil and the elec module both together if your plugs do not show a spark...if you only replace the elec module, a bad coil will simply fry it again. 

For more details on what happended here, see my other post about boat dying on lake george. 

Thanks,

Gary

[gary_tenison]

ok - I havent used my boat at all in two years...so now my fuel pump gave up the ghost...I plan to buy the indmar replacement kit from SKIDIM...I had hoped that there was a fuel pump replacement sticky post but I dont see one...seems like lots of folks have done this but I dont see a good description?  

[John I.]

https://www.themalibucrew.com/index.php?/forums/topic/64215-fuel-pump/

 

 

[gary_tenison]

thanks John. Yes, I had read that before. I am not convinced that my fuel pump is bad. I tried to check voltage across the electrical connector on the fuel pump and I dont read any voltage when key switch is turned on...I pulled the pigtail off the pump and stuck by probes into each clip when switch was on and got nothing. Checked power up at the pos and neg terminals on the alternator backside and got 12.5 there so something is not right...shouldnt I have gotten 12V off the pump pigtail?