Any 1965 Mercury 50HP owners

[carbineone]

I have been looking for a short shaft motor in the 50HP range and thought I found a Chrysler 55HP but it was a long shaft.

So now I have found a 1965 Mercury Kiehaufer 50HP that was used last year and replaced by a new Mercury 4 stroke so his old Mercury Shortshaft one is for sale.It has a new waterpump and starter.

Comes with all the controls too.My question is I am completely unfamiliar with the 1965 Mercs and want some input from owners of them as far as dependability,power and maintenace.

Shortshafts are very hard to find so I am going to grab this one for 350.00 while I can because another may not come along for a while.

Anyway let me know what I am getting into and if they are a solid motor.tell me good and bad,I can take it.....Thanks

 

[carbineone]

Re: Any 1965 Mercury 50HP owners

Oh,heres a pic in case he is wrong about the year let me know that also...Bruce

 

[coolguy147]

Re: Any 1965 Mercury 50HP owners

i would say nothing is wrong with the motor running wise. like factory recalls or anything.

to check for a good running motor you need to check compression, gear oil, spark, and overall condition of the motor. missing parts or something strange and such. test run the motor? recommened in the water on the boat.

for its age few things ive found bad with the motor which you check is the wires insulation might be peeling off and corrosion are the 2 major things. corrosion not so much in the upper part the lower unit and bolts that are generally taken off. like exhaust manifold and such.

my mercury500. 1961. has had both problems. ive broken 5 bolts and one screw so far.

also when you look at the motor id check the motor mounts for good condition because oil from the carbs may have dripped down from use and ate the rubber away. move it around to see if it is stiff.

other than that id say it is a very good motor.

FAST

 

[carbineone]

Re: Any 1965 Mercury 50HP owners

Thanks,good info there.The compression is 120 119 112 116.Forgot to add this earlier.It can be run on the stand but its no longer on the boat.The guy that has it got it from his Dad when his Dad replaced his with a newer Merc because he liked the new four strokes quieter running and better fuel economy,he says it worked just fine though.All I can go off of is he sounds like a good down to earth ohnest fella from a small town but thats my impression only by talking to him...Do those compression numbers sound appropriate to you for a 1965? It should have new oil in the bottom as he put a new waterpump in last fall when he put the new starter in.He said his Dad was pretty loving of the Motor so kept good care of it and it appears in real good shape physically anyway...

 

[coolguy147]

Re: Any 1965 Mercury 50HP owners

those numbers are great.

id would run it on the stand then.

make him start the motor and watch how he does it will give you an idea on if he knows what he is doing.

prime gas till full.
choke up.
lift warm up lever all the way(do not rev above 2k rpm so once it starts then lower back down)
warm up and check idle and if it stays running.
then check water make sure it is pumping good and maybe put your hand on the top of the head. watch out for the flywheel. and see if it is getting hot. at idle those motors are pretty cool.

would suggest to run in a barral with a sufficient amount of water for the water pump. under load is the best to judge the running condition.

check idle.

i would still check gear oil for water and rust in it. if any reduce the price a lot because it might cost a lot to fix it.

also check controls like corroded batter cables and such. . they should come with the motor.

 

[Aqualift]

Re: Any 1965 Mercury 50HP owners

I've got a 65 Merc 500 short shaft with a long shaft conversion kit. Great motor so far. I've had it almost a year. Yea, those compression numbers are great.Only things I've done to mine is replace the water pump impeller, spark plugs, and fuel pump diaphragm, and shift shaft seal. I also cleaned the points and carbs. Wire insulation cracking and coming off and corrosion to bolts is typical, as mentioned above by Coolguy147.
Good power and reliable. Mine always starts right up with a few seconds of choke. Coolguy147's start procedure is a good one to follow.

Pic of my boat and 65 Merc 500.

 

[coolguy147]

Re: Any 1965 Mercury 50HP owners

not sure on how yours willl start up but mine starts as if it were warm when i start cold. weird but kinda cool.

 

[Sean-Nos]

Re: Any 1965 Mercury 50HP owners

All sounds good,like you said the short shafts are hard to find so at that price I would buy it for a backup,Got to love the old mercs.

 

[carbineone]

Re: Any 1965 Mercury 50HP owners

Thanks again everybody,I am going to by it but was going to have a friend pick it up and bring it down as it would save me the trip but I am going to just make the 14 hour roundtrip on my own as he says all he knows about boat motors is that they go on the back end of a boat and thats what makes them go.350.00 is alot of money for me so I just have to go check it out first myself...I will update you guys when we get it home and mounted on the little GW invader.It ought to fly compared to the current 28HP Johnson we have now.Now what to do with that?I suppose I should keep it for a backup just in case.Its just such a great running little 28 but just a tad underpowered for the 10 foot GW....Bruce

 

[coolguy147]

Re: Any 1965 Mercury 50HP owners

if your going to let the 28hp sit dormant for a while i would do it properly.

fog the motor. change gear oil then clean the carbs and free it of gas all the way. remember to not change your needles.

fogging is the most important part and gear oil if your in freezing areas.

50hp should be a good motor. you will love the silky smooth idle and screaming wide open. well the wide open part is mainly for my motor since it revs about 500rpm higher than yours

 

[trendsetter240]

Re: Any 1965 Mercury 50HP owners

Its just such a great running little 28 but just a tad underpowered for the 10 foot GW....Bruce

I'm sorry..did you just say that you are buying a 50hp for a 10ft boat.

Are you sure that boat can handle 50hp?

 

[carbineone]

Re: Any 1965 Mercury 50HP owners

Yes the little Invader is rated to 55HP actually.I talked to a guy a while back that ran one of these in the early 70s and he put a 80HP on one.He said it would do close to a hundred.I do know know if hes full of it but I have seen many with 60s on them and they do around 55-60 MPH with a 60HP.Heres a pic of mine if you are unfamiliar with them.Its kinda hard to see in my avitar and yes I have mispoke,its actually 10 foot 3 inches,LOL

 

[trendsetter240]

Re: Any 1965 Mercury 50HP owners

Oh man! That's not a boat thats a rocket!

 

[carbineone]

Re: Any 1965 Mercury 50HP owners

I hope it will be with the 50HP.This is only a estimate as I have not checked with GPS,mainly because I do not have one,but with me at 220lbs and the boy at 140lbs we are probaly doing maybe 30MPH with the 28HP.Hoping to get around atleast 40 to 45MPH with the two of us in there with 50HP and myself alone hopefully close to 50MPH.We will see....

 

[firsttimeboter]

Re: Any 1965 Mercury 50HP owners

I have just purchsed a 1965 merc 500 50 hp motor on an old fiberglass boat that I plan on restoring. the motor appears to be in ok condition minus the lower end where the prop threads are (as its cracked)
.it is currently on the boat without a prop, cable and controls are attached,. I have no clue when it was last running and am very new to boating and motors. Can anyone help me take the proper steps to see if this motor is worth fixing?
Im told to start with a compression test and go from there.
I will post some pics once i figure out how to.......

 

[redjmp]

Re: Any 1965 Mercury 50HP owners

Well I had a 65 65hp and it ran great except for the lower unit.
Those motors had a plain steel drive and propshaft that over time would wear a groove at the oil seals due to corrosion.
Even with new seals, the lower unit would always fill up with water.

I would steer away from those old mercs now and wouldn't buy an old silver or red band one.
The newer blue band ones from the 70's are just as cheap and more plentiful but they have stainless shafts...

 

[merc850]

Re: Any 1965 Mercury 50HP owners

Here are some points to follow: remove top cowling and check timing belt
I automatically replace them (see picture); available from dealer.
Buy a tachometer - on a boat that small you'll have to know what rpm you're turning and I'm guessing that you'll need a 25p prop.
Buy a manual, that motor has point ignition and and it will help to set it up - ebay sellers have them.
If not equipped you should use a Ride Guide type steering - maybe the seller has it.

 

[firsttimeboter]

Re: Any 1965 Mercury 50HP owners

I have a recently purchased an older boat I plan on restoring.
the boat came with this Merc 500 50 hp kiekhaefer motor.The top end has good compression and appears to be in decent shape. The bottom end however looks as if its been dropped or hit something.
I have removed the bottom end and am almost certain I will have to replace the whole lower unit. Is this going to be impossible to find or even worth fixing.
Any information on parts or tips would be apreciated.
Thanks

 

[redjmp]

Re: Any 1965 Mercury 50HP owners

Best to start your own thread and not hijack this one...

 

[JB]

Re: Any 1965 Mercury 50HP owners

What redjmp said.