Kiekhaefer "Rocket" 7.5 hp Outboard KE-4

timbo4011

Cadet
Joined
Nov 25, 2017
Messages
7
Hello everybody, I'm brand spanking new to your forums. Please call me Timbo. I recently acquired this Mercury outboard and I can't find out what year it is or little else about it. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks for looking.
 

timbo4011

Cadet
Joined
Nov 25, 2017
Messages
7
Thank you jbcurt00. Yes, my first six in my serial number are 466 and I know it's in that range of years,, but is there any way of pinpointing? It's got the "half helmet" (That's what I call it) engine cover that is also it's gas tank. In other words, the engine cover is not a full or complete one. It only covers half.
 

Chinewalker

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Joined
Aug 19, 2001
Messages
8,902
I'm sure there are year by year breakdowns for your motor somewhere, but you can ballpark it on where it falls in that range. Actual year isn't important for parts sourcing purposes, as they are all pretty much the same.

You are likely missing the lower cowling, which isn't uncommon. They were a pain to take off and put back on, the screws had a habit of getting lost (they dont float!), and some people thought they just look cooler with them off, so many people just left them off.
 

timbo4011

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Joined
Nov 25, 2017
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Thank you Chinewalker, that would make perfect sense and be all kinds of logical. Here I was so ignorant I thought it came that way. Thanks brother.
Would it be difficult to find/purchase the lower half or the whole shroud? Also a manual?
 

timbo4011

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Joined
Nov 25, 2017
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7
My reason for a manual is because the motor was obtained in a manner of not knowing if it runs. It was stored on a sawhorse (upright) and it turns over. I have every reason to believe it runs but from looking at images online, I think I may be missing some bits and pieces externally.
I guess I wouldn't have to have a manual if I could find a good blow-up of the motor.
 

timbo4011

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Nov 25, 2017
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7
Thank you Raceone. Was your reply meant to be a hyperlink?
I'm 62 and knowledgeable of many things, outboards are not one of them. At least not for the time being.
 

racerone

Supreme Mariner
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Dec 28, 2013
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36,284
I have no idea what a " hyperlink " is or does.-------Look for -----mercruiserparts.com------Click and click some more untill you find pictures of a KE-4 on that site !!
 

Chinewalker

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Aug 19, 2001
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8,902
As you might understand, iboats frowns on us posting hyperlinks to other boating/parts sites. That said, if you Google around a bit looking for Mercury KE4 parts, you should come up with a few possibilities.

The only cowling on your motor is the lower. The upper you refer to is the gas tank, and they were generally left in place as they tended to not run well without them. As for finding a replacement, they are out there. The turn up on eBay from time to time - be very sure you know what you're bidding on as many old parts sellers don't know what they have and many of the cowls look similar, but won't fit from one model to the next. For example, a cowling off a 7.5hp KG4 will NOT fit a 7.5hp KE4. And a 7.5hp Mark 7 cowling may fit your motor, but the lower edge cutout on the exhaust side may leave gaps due to the Mark 7 exhaust manifold being a bit larger. On the bright side, Mercury made a lot of them, and one is bound to turn up sooner or later. Although, what usually happens is you end up buying a parts motor to get what you need, then you have two, which will become four, and so on. As diseases go, there could certainly be worse....
 

merc850

Commander
Joined
Jul 7, 2010
Messages
2,026
Here's a complete one in 1975 that my friends owned, I think they still have it.
KE4.jpg2copy.jpg
KE42.jpgsmall.jpg
 

timbo4011

Cadet
Joined
Nov 25, 2017
Messages
7
Thanks once again Chinewalker, I can invision buying one off eBay where the owner thinks it fits my application, only to discover it doesn't.
I'll do some digging but I'm not sure how much time and money I want to spend on this.
Thank you guys for partially opening my eyes to the road ahead of me. You guys are great!

Merc850...that's a sweet outboard!
 
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