New 25hp Merc w/no power

Motor is a 25hp Mercury 2stroke (2003yr) 50:1. Motor only has 14 hrs on it but has given me several problems.<br /> <br /> *Motor does not accelerate when in drive <br /> (slow/idle is only speed) all the time<br /> *When in neutral/start postition motor sounds <br /> very loud and smokes alot.<br /> *When in N/Start postion or already in <br /> gear and want to go back to N/Start position, <br /> Tiller handle is extremely hard to turn.<br /> *Having forced the tiller to either <br /> accelerate or decelerate the motor jumps <br /> erratically. (Gears are not smooth)<br /> *At times, motor has more speed than usual <br /> but sounds extremely loud, (very <br /> accelerated/forced) and again smokes alot.<br /><br />Motor is still under warrenty & currently under repair at a Mercury Dealership. Motor will not be looked at or worked on until June 28, (dealer is backed up). I simply would just want some info about these problems.<br />(Motor has only been used 11 times and flused about 18, water pump works fine, good flow).<br /><br /> Thank You,

Re: New 25hp Merc w/no power

Sounds like your linkages are binding? Or have come loose? Hard to see from here.

Re: New 25hp Merc w/no power

I had the exact same problem with my 2001 25 horse Merc. What happened with mine was, when I had the lower unit off installing a new water pump impeller, a metal washer that slips down on the shift shaft didn't get put back on when I reinstalled the lower unit. This was causing in the shift shaft to bind and cause the other linkages to slip. The throttle linkages are small pullies and cables on this model engine. If you've replaced the impellor or had the lower unit off for any reason I'll be willing to bet that this is your problem. Mine did exactly what you are describing. Did purchase the engine new? Did this start all of a sudden?

Re: New 25hp Merc w/no power

efhenry <br /><br />This motor was bought brand new, and I have not had any work done on it (no lower unit repair or impeller work). It happened suddenly while on the water. Do you think warranty covers this type of problem?<br /><br />Thanks,

Re: New 25hp Merc w/no power

Yes...warranty will cover this problem as long as you have not personaly or had some other non warranty entity work on the motor. In additon ALL Mercury outboards are NOT permitted by Mercury to be sold "In The Box" anymore. They MUST be tuned up and test run before handing over to the customer regardless of HP rating. Some dealers are not doing this and are risking thier Mercury retail sales distribution.<br /><br />By the way, did you run double oil the first tank at least?

Re: New 25hp Merc w/no power

I would think warranty will cover whatever is wrong as long as its still within the warranty period. It is possible that when the engine was assembled that the washer I'm speaking of was omitted for some reason or another.