New Member Just Purchased Used Sun Tracker

[samuelschumaker]

Hi all, im a new member from northeast Kansas, I just purchased my first boat (Other then small aluminum fishing boats), its a 2002 sun tracker party barge 18. I bought it as a fixxer upper as the interior was pretty much shot from sitting outside most of its life, i have it all stripped down to the bare deck, just waiting for my carpet and seats to arrive later this week, I Have a few questions about the outboard, im dont know a whole lot about them, but i am a small engine mechanic and have basic mechanic abilities. Its a tracker mercury 50 hp, appears to have electric tilt, it has a rocker switch mounted on the side of the ob that says trim but im not sure how that works, my questions are, where do i check the lower end oil and what kind of oil is recomended in them, and, to replace a prop i am assuming i just take the large crown nut off of the back and it will slide off? I was thinking about trying to find some kind of service manual or maybe like a clymer repair manual for it because im not sure how long ago the impeller was replaced and i figure i can probly handle changing it myself? It has oil injection for the two cycle oil and i will probly leave it that way as apposed to mixing it and blocking that off, i have read pretty good things about mercury's oiling system. What kind of two cycle oil do most guys run, the guy that had it before ran super tech from walmart, i imagine its not the greatest oil and switching now may not make a difference anyway. If anyone has any advice for a newbie then i would love to hear it, Thanks, Sam

 

[craigmack]

Re: New Member Just Purchased Used Sun Tracker

With a good battery conneted the trim switch should tilt the engine up/down. The prop nut should have some sort of retaining mechanism (cotter pin/tab washer) that would need to be released first to allow the nut to turn. As for changing the gearcase lube there should be a screw near the cavitation plate and one near the skeg; remove both to drain the lube. To fill you'll need to fill from the bottom hole until lube drips out the top hole then before removing the filler hose from the bottom hole put the upper screw back in and then you can put the lower screw back in. You'll have to contact a Mercury dealer for the correct gearcase lube to use for that engine. I would think any marine 2 cycle oil would work as long as you mix the correct ratio for that engine.

 

[Old Screwball]

Re: New Member Just Purchased Used Sun Tracker

There is a trim /tilt switch on the engine. The owners manual is available on line. Good luck

 

[Silvertip]

Re: New Member Just Purchased Used Sun Tracker

Any lower unit gear lube will be fine for your engine. It doesn't make any difference if its a 2- or 4-stroke. Make sure you pull the correct screws for drain and vent. The drain/fill hole is down low on the bottom of the prop shaft housing. Many people screw this up. Think about how anything drains. You put the plug at the lowest point. So get down and look under the prop housing. Then look at the side of the same side of the lower unit for the VENT screw. On most Mercs it even says VENT. And yes -- you fill from the bottom until fluid comes out the vent. Insert the vent screw, then pull the filler and quickly insert the fill/drain screw. New washers are always a good idea.

 

[samuelschumaker]

Re: New Member Just Purchased Used Sun Tracker

Thanks a lot guys, i seen somewhere else on hear about filling from the bottom and i was a little confused, i have done lots of service to gearboxes and stuff like that where you fill from the top until it comes out the sight hole. This is the same idea i guess but you just fill from the bottom and im guessing quickly put the plug back in the bottom after you put the vent plug back in, Makes sense. So is trim and tilt the same thing? Im confused, it has electric tilt and it has a switch on the console for that, but it also has a switch that says trim on the ob itself. I thought trim adjusted a large flapper thing up and down on some outboards and tilt was just the tilt of the engine from up to down into the water? One more question, when removing the carpet i noticed theres two holes kind of between the rear seat and drivers seat area, both have plastic fittings in them that go down under the floor and just make a 90 degree turn. They are hose barb fitting but they point towards a floor brace so theres no way a hose can be put on them. Are these just drains for if water gets on top of the floor? Thanks

 

[craigmack]

Re: New Member Just Purchased Used Sun Tracker

Flapper thing? Yes, tilt and trim are the same. The throttle trim switch is used when driving the boat as it's a very bad idea to hang off the engine while moving, especially if you're the only one on the boat! The trim switch on the engine is when it's on a trailer and you're working with the engine; think convience.
Not sure about the fittings you are talking about but it could be for that I suppose, though they don't sound like they're large enough to be effective. Most fences are raised a bit to allow water to drain off under them but mabye being an older boat your fences aren't raised.

 

[RustyShackleford]

Re: New Member Just Purchased Used Sun Tracker

Welcome to the Sun Tracker family!

 

[samuelschumaker]

Re: New Member Just Purchased Used Sun Tracker

Lol, now i see why theres two switches for the same thing, the fences lay directly on the rub rail on this model. The two fittings are probably about an inch in diameter. Im gonna put them back just like they were with the new carpet. The flapper thing i was referring to isnt on this outboard, I noticed it on my father in laws cobalt boat, i assumed it had something to do with trim but i didnt know. Its right above his prop and it lays horizontal, its a large flap and it has cylinders that control it up or down. I figured this was called your trim and the tilt was the lifting of the entire out drive but i have no idea what im talking about, lol

 

[craigmack]

Re: New Member Just Purchased Used Sun Tracker

Oh, I think you're referring to a trolling plate.

 

[lncoop]

Re: New Member Just Purchased Used Sun Tracker

Oh, I think you're referring to a trolling plate.

On a Cobalt I'd be more inclined to think trim tab.

 

[craigmack]

Re: New Member Just Purchased Used Sun Tracker

I was going by the statement "Its right above his prop and it lays horizontal" whereas trim tabs are attached to the boat's transom on both sides of the engine but you could be correct.

 

[craigmack]

Re: New Member Just Purchased Used Sun Tracker

Like this one...