fountain mercury Express Cruiser 2005, Operation, Maintenance & Warranty Manual

Page: 11 / 92

8. Always monitor water pressure gauges. Loss of water pressure
increases engine temperature and can cause severe damage to the
engine(s).
9. Always monitor oil pressure gauges. If the oil pressure drops, severe
engine damage could occur.
10. Check all bilge pumps before each outing, and before leaving your boat
moored to be sure they are fully functional, both in automatic and man-
ual modes.
11. Do not leave the boat unattended or uncovered for long periods of time,
or leave attached to mooring buoys in foul weather. Excess rain or
high winds may cause sinking. Once bilge pumps run down the bat-
tery, bilge pumps will no longer operate and the boat will sink if water
continues to enter the boat.
12. Review the performance report for proper trimming of the boat. Tests
are based on calm water operations. Rougher water requires substan-
tially different trim as shown in the owner's video manual. Usually as
the water gets rougher, the tabs will need to go down and the drives will
need to go in.
13. Always operate the blowers for at least 5 minutes before starting the
engine(s) to insure that all gas fumes are removed. Gas fumes are
heavier than air, and must be forced out of the bilge area.
14. Check the warning buzzer for sound to insure proper working order of
this warning device.
15. Always start the boat with the drives and tabs in the down position.
16. Always start the boat with the shifters in the neutral position.
17. Always allow the engine to idle in the neutral position, and to attain nor-
mal operating temperature before shifting gears to prevent engine and
gear damage.
18. Do not launch the boat if the drain plug is not installed.
19. Always wear your safety lanyard while under way.
20. Never trim the outdrive(s) out past 5.5 while on plane, and never inde-
pendently trim the outdrives to allow more than 2 marks of trim separa-
7