m_cogs

I'd love to try to answer this, but need more info. Which bulkhead fitting? What is it for? You mention the drive, in the bellhousing?

Hey CeeJay! Congrats on your purchase. I have a 2002 248 BR. I love it! My head has a model similar to this. My brackets look line this. There was a large hose connected going to the outside top of the boat for a pump out. Plus a smaller vent hose. I capped both of those. to make the toilet portable. It is only used for "emergencies". Enjoy your boat! If you have any questions about it, let me know, I've had mine for 15 years.

I have a 2002 248 LS BR that I have had for 3 years now and I have no idea how much fuel the tank can hold. I have read that the capacity is anywhere from 34 gallons to 87 gallons. What I do know is that I have put in about 30 gallons when the guage read 1/4 full. At one point I was going to try to siphon the gas out but I couldn't get a tube down the filler hose into the tank. Any ideas from The MOST or other owners? Thanks!

From Chicago it is great to see the fireworks off Navy Pier. The downtown tour is often nice - the lock isn't too bad. After that, head south to the beaches of Miller, Wells beach, Dunes, & Beverly Shores. The water gets crystal clear. Less industrial. Check the marine report before heading out. 1-3 foot waves is my limit...perfer ZERO though.

I know that it has been a while, but did you have just the pin replaced (and u-bolt) or the ginbal ring too? What was the total cost?

Has anyone have the steering pin for the Bravo 3 replaced? When I brought my 248 in for wrap, the mechanic was showing me the play in the drive unit. Has anyone done this themselves? I have been reading up on this and am going to investigate in a few weeks when I unwrap. Being a "Jack of all trades and a master of a few", I was going to do this myself. Also, I'm not sure if I should go with a new ring and pin. I would like to hear if anyone had some experience with this.

My wife and I life in SW Chicago Suburbs. We trailer our 248 LS BR and put in at East Chicago. We love to cruise the Chicago River ND along the shoreline. We often visit the beaches of Miller. I have heard that Saugatuck is really nice and not too long of a trip. Does anyone know of places to go, places to stay overnight, marinas with transient slips?

I just want to share an experience I had recently with my 2002 248LS Mercruiser 350 with Bravo 3 drive. I was putting into Lake Michigan in Portage and right after the launch, the engine would not start. I quickly determined that there was no spark. Long story short...it was the pick-up sensor in the distributor. I picked up the new part and replaced the faulty one. The sensor uses a hall effect transistor and a magnet to sense when to fire the coil. In the old part, the transistor leads are exposed and showed obvious signs of corrosion along with an exposed circuit board. The new part was all sealed with silicone or epoxy. This same thing happened to my brother-in-law's boat (Baja with twin 454's) when we were a mile offshore. Luckily he had 2 engines so we were able to get back to port. So, how does this help you? First, If you have an older boat, you should find out if you have the Thunderbolt Ignition. Then see if you have the newer sealed unit. I do not know what year Mercruiser switched to the newer part: #87-892150Q02. If you have the old part (take it out and look underneath), you should swap in a newer one. I was able to get one for $50 locally. It was easy to install in about 30 mins. I also changed the rotor and cap too. For $50, it is definitely better than having to get a tow.

This got me thinking...I have a 243 BR and I know (think) I have one. I think it is between the 2 floor lockers. My question is how do I access it? I know it works, but it seems to pump bilge water too.

Beaslyrb... I looked into the downloadable user manual found here: http://www.montereyboats.com/forum/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_id=171 on Page M29 there is the layout of switches for the 248. They also have the wiring diagrams which should be helpful to troubleshoot problems. Enjoy!

I have the same boat in a 2002 model. Now I do not have a windshield wiper, but I think all the other options are the same. But right not, the boat is shrink-wrapped and in storage. I have found some schematics on this site which you may try to look for. They will help in the troubleshooting. The switches do control the fresh water pump and the front lights. Another switch toggles the red/green and white stern lights (alone-anchor). Left side is the blowers, horn and I thought something else. Next month I should be ready to un-shrink the wrap and start the spring cleaning. I'll check back then.

Last summer I purchased the same boat from a private party. It is in really good condition, just a few scratches. The previous owners were not "boat people". The engine started right up after being stored from the previous fall. It has the same engine with the Bravo III duo prop. The boat has plenty of power for tubing/skiing. It also handles well in a chop. We went out on Lake Michigan with 1-2 ft waves. If you have any technical questions, let me know.

I have a 2002 248LS BR and my fuse block is located inside the helm. The access is through the seat backrest just in front of the helm. The seat folds down and there is a snap on cover. This will expose the wiring for the switches and gauges.

Thanks Jeff! You did exactly what I was going to do, but I figured that the portipotti is only going to be used for "emergencies". So I disconnected the hose from the pump-out fitting and bought a threaded fitting and cap for the porti-potti tank and turned it back into a "portable" potti. I just take it out and into the house to dump. But I did find out (during the summer rains) that the drain in the head goes to a sump under the front floor compartment. What I am looking for now is a replacement transom shower spray handle. Thanks! Mike