zelatore
01-30-2009, 07:58 PM
Finally got around to testing the new SM exhaust and Zieger steering today.
I won't keep you waiting: +2 mph, still has some chine walk at high trim but better.
Now the details:
'01 22C
Stock 502 mag/B1 with 162 hrs
1.5 ratio, Mirage+ 25p.
About 63*, mirror calm
Previous best was 72.2 @ 5000
Today I saw 74.4 @ a bit over 5000 - say 5075-5100. Never hit the limiter (5200?)
I was running solo, full-to-the-rim gas, no back or passenger seat but a tool bag so call that a wash.
The steering feels a little different than I expected. It's rock-solid - I can take my hand off at any speed and it doesn't move. However, and I believe this is just the nature of the system, there is an odd weight to the steering. It doesn't feel 'bad', just different than I expected from my past experience with both powered and non-powered hydraulic systems on our yachts. It's almost as if when you first turn the wheel you go over a small hump to start the movement. No sensation of air bubbles, so that's good.
When I trim it out for that last mph I still get some chine walk, but it's a no drama event now. I don't have enough power to drive though it since I'm nearly maxed out at that point anyway, but it doesn't seem to be a growing oscillation like in the past. I can however feel it scrub speed.
There was a fair bit of debris in the water, so I didn't spend much time at WOT or looking at the tach. I felt like if I could get the trim 'just right' and loose the chine walk, I'd probably pick up a couple tenths more, but probably not enough to reach 75 mph.
The bad news is my temp gauge and speedo have gone away. I suspect the speedo is from removing the drive to replace a shift cable, and the temp is probably me bumping a wire under the dash or in the bilge while doing the steering/exhaust. I'm sure they will be pretty easy fixes.
There are some worries though. I've got a rattle at the back of the motor at low rpm/idle both in gear and neutral. At first I thought it might just be the internal flappers, but it sounds too 'heavy' for that. Sunday I'll try to fire it up and stick a broomstick or something in the exhaust to hold the flappers open and see if it's still there, but I'm afraid it might be a coupler. I don't think it's a U-joint as it doesn't seem to change with steering and the U-joints looked/felt OK (and got fresh grease) when the drive was off for the shift cable. I've never heard a bad coupler on a stern drive, but it seems a likely candidate. NOT looking forward to pulling the motor to find out!
On the positive side, at least it would give me a chance to detail the bilge...if you consider more work a positive.:wink:
Lastly, it seemed to have a bit of a rough idle. May simply be the old gas. Fired right up in the driveway before, and at the ramp, but when I got back to the dock after running it wouldn't start. Cranked, spit, then just cranked. I gave it a few minutes then cranked it while playing the throttle and got it to fire. I started it again a couple of times with no issues. I'll have to think on this one a bit.
More projects to come this spring....and there will be a new prop in the near future as well, so I'll have a chance to experiment with something other than that Mirage+....it's been pretty good to me but I know a lot of people here don't much care for them, so maybe I simply don't know what I'm missing.
I won't keep you waiting: +2 mph, still has some chine walk at high trim but better.
Now the details:
'01 22C
Stock 502 mag/B1 with 162 hrs
1.5 ratio, Mirage+ 25p.
About 63*, mirror calm
Previous best was 72.2 @ 5000
Today I saw 74.4 @ a bit over 5000 - say 5075-5100. Never hit the limiter (5200?)
I was running solo, full-to-the-rim gas, no back or passenger seat but a tool bag so call that a wash.
The steering feels a little different than I expected. It's rock-solid - I can take my hand off at any speed and it doesn't move. However, and I believe this is just the nature of the system, there is an odd weight to the steering. It doesn't feel 'bad', just different than I expected from my past experience with both powered and non-powered hydraulic systems on our yachts. It's almost as if when you first turn the wheel you go over a small hump to start the movement. No sensation of air bubbles, so that's good.
When I trim it out for that last mph I still get some chine walk, but it's a no drama event now. I don't have enough power to drive though it since I'm nearly maxed out at that point anyway, but it doesn't seem to be a growing oscillation like in the past. I can however feel it scrub speed.
There was a fair bit of debris in the water, so I didn't spend much time at WOT or looking at the tach. I felt like if I could get the trim 'just right' and loose the chine walk, I'd probably pick up a couple tenths more, but probably not enough to reach 75 mph.
The bad news is my temp gauge and speedo have gone away. I suspect the speedo is from removing the drive to replace a shift cable, and the temp is probably me bumping a wire under the dash or in the bilge while doing the steering/exhaust. I'm sure they will be pretty easy fixes.
There are some worries though. I've got a rattle at the back of the motor at low rpm/idle both in gear and neutral. At first I thought it might just be the internal flappers, but it sounds too 'heavy' for that. Sunday I'll try to fire it up and stick a broomstick or something in the exhaust to hold the flappers open and see if it's still there, but I'm afraid it might be a coupler. I don't think it's a U-joint as it doesn't seem to change with steering and the U-joints looked/felt OK (and got fresh grease) when the drive was off for the shift cable. I've never heard a bad coupler on a stern drive, but it seems a likely candidate. NOT looking forward to pulling the motor to find out!
On the positive side, at least it would give me a chance to detail the bilge...if you consider more work a positive.:wink:
Lastly, it seemed to have a bit of a rough idle. May simply be the old gas. Fired right up in the driveway before, and at the ramp, but when I got back to the dock after running it wouldn't start. Cranked, spit, then just cranked. I gave it a few minutes then cranked it while playing the throttle and got it to fire. I started it again a couple of times with no issues. I'll have to think on this one a bit.
More projects to come this spring....and there will be a new prop in the near future as well, so I'll have a chance to experiment with something other than that Mirage+....it's been pretty good to me but I know a lot of people here don't much care for them, so maybe I simply don't know what I'm missing.