Help with an old Mariner

[Shannon S.]

Hello All,

I recently purchased an old (I think it's a late 70's model) 8 hp Mariner. The guy I bought it from said it ran great. He even had it in a barrel of water when I got there so I could hear it run and it did run fine. I bought it because I thought it was a pretty good deal ( $325) and it came with a gas tank. My only concern was this guy said he had the motor for 3 years and hadn't done any work to it. I have worked on other outboards before so I knew I could work on this thing. My plan was to replace the water pump impeller and maybe do a carb rebuild. However, much to my dismay, upon getting this thing home and scouring the internet I've found most of the parts for this motor are no longer available. I can get the impeller but there are very limited parts available for the water pump and zero parts available for the carb. I am already starting to regret this purchase. I guess my quesitons for help would be:
Besides the impeller, are there any seals and O-rings I should replace in the water pump?
If I cannot get carb parts for this thing, is it possible to outfit it with another carb?
Thanks.

 

[racerone]

Some will argue-----There is very little that goes wrong with outboard motor carburetors !!-----Run the gas out each time you are done boating and carburetor will rarely need anything done to it !

 

[roscoe]

Welcome to iboats.

There may be no aftermarket supplier of carb parts, but Mercury may still carry them.
Contact a Mercury dealer directly, or try Mercruiserparts dot com

Since Mariners have been completely out of production for a decade, it will be tougher to get parts.

 

[racerone]

Post pictures----It may be a Yamaha product as well.

 

[Shannon S.]

Sorry, site won't let me post pics. Here's the serial #. I don't know if that will help with anything.

Serial #647 S 27392

 

[flyingscott]

That is a Yamaha built motor. Mercury will be the only place to get most parts. You can try to figure out which Yamaha model it is and try to get parts that way. That is really well built motor and is an excellent motor. I always thought it was a better motor than the Merc 7.5/9.8 motors and it was a much better running motor.

 

[Bonaventure]

Yeah, if it runs, leave the carb alone. Sometimes the carburetor can just be cleaned to resolve issues.

 

[Mohawkmtrs]

Are you sure the serial # is correct?

I don't see any 8HP starting with "647"...

Could it start with "655" or "677"?

 

[Shannon S.]

Are you sure the serial # is correct?

I don't see any 8HP starting with "647"...

Could it start with "655" or "677"?

Starboard side of the bracket that clamps to the transom has a tag that says:
Mariner 8
647 S 27392
Made in Japan

 

[flyingscott]

Yamaha built mariner, I had the same motor. If you take the carb off be very careful with the fuel line as the plastic nipple can break. If I remember right a carb kit is not available but the individual parts are.

 

[Mohawkmtrs]

Scott's right...it's Yamaha built, I went back to check Marinshopen and they only list the 655 and 677 numbers...sorry I couldn't be of more help.

 

[flyingscott]

My 8 hp was a 647 serial #. When I called mercury they could only narrow it down to an early 80s model roughly 80-83

 

[Shannon S.]

I ordered an impeller, gasket and backing plate for it today. I guess I'll leave the carb alone for now. I took a flashlight to further inspect the carb and noticed it is a Teikei carburetor which is indeed used on Yamaha outboards from what I gather.

Scott, It's interesting Mercury narrowed yours down to an early 80's model with the 647 #. Mine does have a sticker on the shaft just below the head that say "Ohio outboard 1979". I figured mine was a late 70's model.

Thanks for all the help guys.

 

[racerone]

There are many older motors running just fine.-----Parts are available but you can not get them overnight by flashing your plastic card.-----Many older motors are built to a better standard too !!