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Engine Maintenance


jberkal4

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Bought my new 17' 21 VLX and its safe to say I am in love.  Wave rivals that of my buddies 16' G23 at half the price and way easier to tow.  Obviously I'm not telling you guys things you don't already know lol! I do have a question as to what y'all are doing to keep the engine running at peak performance? Any additives to the gas? Certain octanes? Anything would be helpful.  Im running the 6.2L 410 engine in there

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No additives needed and I don't really know anyone that does. Just run the recommended octane and use stabil for winter layup. Congrats on the new boat and post up some photos!

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1 hour ago, Steve B. said:

If you have a warranty, do only what it says, exactly as it say's it.

Steve B.

Good advice right here. Goes for any high dollar item you may buy also.

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2 hours ago, Nitrousbird said:

I'm sure you are excited about buying Malibu's new entry boat, but I wouldn't start saying it rivals the wave of a G23...

The unexpected GAMECHANGER! :lol:

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Use gas that doesn't have ethanol in it.  Not only does it help the engine run better, you wont be letting other parts(fuel pump, fuel line, injectors) potentially gum up with ethanol.

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1 hour ago, Arick said:

Use gas that doesn't have ethanol in it.  Not only does it help the engine run better, you wont be letting other parts(fuel pump, fuel line, injectors) potentially gum up with ethanol.

I don't buy into that at all.  I have nearly 600 hours on mine.  It has had only a couple tanks of E0 in it ever - and only because I was doing a lake house vacation and the gas cans were not keeping up with our fuel use so I had to get fuel on the water.  Runs great - these motors are designed to run on E10.  Mine even lived on a lift from '01 - '10 on a piece of water with no fuel, so it had to get E10 from land pumps. 

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+1  I use E10 99% of the time as said everything in the system is made to see E10. E10 does fine if its not standing for a long time. Even in non boat use I have not had any issues with E10 I do use Sta-bil in fuel that will or can sit for three months or more.  Don't like it in small tools and mowers but it still gets used in them. The fuel line in them have shown deterioration.

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What I have learned, since 1962, about boat engines.....the more you use them, the better they run.  Never had an E-10 issue. My parents 1962 Merc outboard is still running fine even w/E-10.  Picture in "pics of your boat on the water"  in general discussions, posted on Feb. 28, 2016.  Take a look.

Edited by electricjohn
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The only place I have had deterioration from E10 is in my MG, weedeater and lawnmower.  Boat has over 850 hours with mostly E10 in the tank, as mentioned use stabil if the gas will or can sit for a while. 

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29 minutes ago, electricjohn said:

What I have learned, since 1962, about boat engines.....the more you use them, the better they run.  Never had an E-10 issue. My parents 1962 Merc outboard is still running fine even w/E-10.  Picture in "pics of your boat on the water"  in general discussions, posted on Feb. 28, 2016.  Take a look.

Which is funny statement from a resale point of view... I use the crap out of my boat (200 - 300 hrs per year)... Salesman states that I missed the trade in point since I am at almost 900 hours... Boat is immaculate and looks newer than most boats newer than it... However... I have too many hours and that scares people away... LOL... I would rather buy a boat with high hours and maintenance history than a boat with low hours.. Once they sit.. things go wrong...

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2 hours ago, kerpluxal said:

Which is funny statement from a resale point of view... I use the crap out of my boat (200 - 300 hrs per year)... Salesman states that I missed the trade in point since I am at almost 900 hours... Boat is immaculate and looks newer than most boats newer than it... However... I have too many hours and that scares people away... LOL... I would rather buy a boat with high hours and maintenance history than a boat with low hours.. Once they sit.. things go wrong...

Sorry about de-railing another thread. Again. But, this ^.  Its the only way I can afford my 'bu's. My experience has shown these type's of boats to be very reliable and value oriented.

Steve B.

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I really see attitude shifting on hours over the next couple years.   As surfing has become a mainstream,  even more than wakeboarding,  people are putting a lot more hours on than previously.   i have friends with almost 400 hours on thier 17 G23 already.   They average 6-700, but looks like this year is ahead of the norm. 

They do basic maintenance and have no issues.   so maintain the boat,  and USE it, and you should have no problems

Edited by DarkSide
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16 hours ago, Nitrousbird said:

I don't buy into that at all.  I have nearly 600 hours on mine.  It has had only a couple tanks of E0 in it ever - and only because I was doing a lake house vacation and the gas cans were not keeping up with our fuel use so I had to get fuel on the water.  Runs great - these motors are designed to run on E10.  Mine even lived on a lift from '01 - '10 on a piece of water with no fuel, so it had to get E10 from land pumps. 

Maybe not so much for a new boat.  But my 94 echelon had some issues with the fuel line, fuel pump and carb.  Previous owners ran ethanol fuel through it.  I'd rather pay the little extra money and get none ethanol fuel, get better performance out of my engine(very minimal) and not have to worry.

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9 hours ago, robbennett said:

400 hours would take 100 days to put on if you went out 8 hours a day. That's a ton of riding! Do they leave their boats running when not in use? 

LOL... They surf virtually every day.  She is a pro rider, so she rides every day. She has a couple sponsors like soulcraft and boat bling, but no boat sponsor. They also use the boat to teach wakesurf lessons.

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On 12/05/2016 at 7:02 AM, jberkal4 said:

Bought my new 17' 21 VLX and its safe to say I am in love.  Wave rivals that of my buddies 16' G23 at half the price and way easier to tow.  Obviously I'm not telling you guys things you don't already know lol! I do have a question as to what y'all are doing to keep the engine running at peak performance? Any additives to the gas? Certain octanes? Anything would be helpful.  Im running the 6.2L 410 engine in there

Congratulations on your new vlx, how about some pics!:thumbup:

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28 minutes ago, DarkSide said:

LOL... They surf virtually every day.  She is a pro rider, so she rides every day. She has a couple sponsors like soulcraft and boat bling, but no boat sponsor. They also use the boat to teach wakesurf lessons.

Do they have a gas sponsor?  I want in on that. :cheers:

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Just today my 2015 LSA failed a compression test!  It has a leaky valve.  Indmar came back with 1. what fuel is running  2. what oil, brand, weight, etc. 3. oil change interval.  (boat has 153 hours)

So follow advice of @Steve B. do exactly as manual recommends

Edited by DarkSide
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1 hour ago, DarkSide said:

Just today my 2015 LSA failed a compression test!  It has a leaky valve.  Indmar came back with 1. what fuel is running  2. what oil, brand, weight, etc. 3. oil change interval.  (boat has 153 hours)

So follow advice of @Steve B. do exactly as manual recommends

Curious.  What fuel does the manual recommend? 

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