[Bigbobcat]

Hi,

I am looking into buying a pontoon boat with a 2006 Mercury Bigfoot 4 stroke EFI 40 horse power motor. The pontoon boat was used for 2 seasons (2006 & 2007) and winterized in the fall of 2007, not used since fall 2007 and now sitting on 4 concrete blocks.

How can I check this engine if (a) Launch it to the lake and test drive it, what to check ? (b) On the ground, what to check ?

Any input is appreciated (NEED INPUTS ASAP), please give more details and use plain language as I am new to boating.

Thanks

[chrisg]

BigBobCat, first off, I just noticed you are new here, so welcome.

The is LOTS of good info on this site, just have to look. I asked a simular question not long ago, got some good advice. I dont know how to link to a thread, but when I find it, I'll let you know the location.

[chrisg]

my posting is called "Help with buying a motor from Classifieds please" and under the mercury/mariner forum, a while ago, so you will have to look through some pages. Are you buying from an individual, or dealer?

I got some good advice with checking out the motor, but basically check for physical damage, condition of prop, take it out for a run, check compression, check lower unit oil condition, etc.

[Bigbobcat]

Hi Chris,
Thanks !
I haven't found the thread you suggested but will try to find it again.

There is no physical damage to the Merc Bigfoot 4 stroke 2006 motor, I will do a test drive, but how can I check the compression & lower portion of the motor ?

Thanks

[Bigbobcat]

How can I check:
(1) condition of prop
(2) take it out for a run, then check for what ? Noise ? What am I expecting for a 2006 Merc Bigfoot ? What to look for ?
(3) check compression, how ?
(4) check lower unit oil condition, how ?

Thanks !

[Bigbobcat]

Oh, I am buying it from an individual, not from a dealer !

[chrisg]

For the prop, physically look at it if it has dings, bent, etc. Compression requires a compression tester and someone with knowledge. (I'm taking the engine I'm looking at to a marina to check over, as it cant be started without hookups ( not on a boat). Otherwise take it out and see how it is.

I found the thread:
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=273806

Also, check out the NADA web site to check prices of used items ( boats and motors) http://www.nadaguides.com/


Also, a 2006 is not that old, so they may be OK If they run.

As a side note, instead of adding more replies, there is an edit button to add more stuff to your reply. If now I can just know what to do to add the emoticons inside the text body!


Just in time to put them away for winter!

[Bigbobcat]

Hi Chris,

Thanks ! I just found the thread too, it was hidden at page 11 of Merc/Mariner Outboard ...

It's a 2006 Merc Bigfoot 4 stroke 40 hp, the most the owner would allow me to do is to test drive his pontoon boat, I am not allowed to take the motor out to the marina to have it checked out

So I hope it will be ok after test drive it. But what noise or how quiet am I expecting ?

Also, I am planning to crank up the speed (high rpm) to see if it runs smoothly, any thought ?

Thanks !

[chrisg]

Also, not to scare you, but the pontoon I bought, the motor had internal issues ( it was old also) I did not know untill I took it in for hard starting. you can read my Sauga (SP!?) in the forum.

[chrisg]

Originally Posted by Bigbobcat

Hi Chris,

Thanks ! I just found the thread too, it was hidden at page 11 of Merc/Mariner Outboard ...

It's a 2006 Merc Bigfoot 4 stroke 40 hp, the most the owner would allow me to do is to test drive his pontoon boat, I am not allowed to take the motor out to the marina to have it checked out

So I hope it will be ok after test drive it. But what noise or how quiet am I expecting ?

Also, I am planning to crank up the speed (high rpm) to see if it runs smoothly, any thought ?

Thanks !

I would think 40HP is small for a pontoon. All the pontoons I saw that are small are being run at full throttle just to get them to move. I would think that that would cause the motor to wear ou faster. But you will have to wait for others with more knowlage on motors to answer that. Give it a day or so for others to pipe in.

Good luck, Been there, did that.

[Silvertip]

Condition of the prop: Look at it! Bent, folded over, pieces missing = bad.
Lower Unit Oil Condition: Look at it! Remove the drain screw and check what comes out. Water = bad. Chocolate color = bad. Oil color = good.
Compression: You need a compression gauge.
Engine Oil: Its a four stroke just like your car. Pull the dipstick and check it. Low = bad. Dark oil = bad (lack of maintenance), Clear oil = recently changed, over full = idiot didn't read the manual.
Don't need to splash it to run the engine. Hook hose to muffs and start it. Any alarms immediately or after warm up? If so = bad. If not = good.
Then test drive just like you would a car. Knocking, clicking, chugging, failure to start, failure to idle = bad. Good hole shot, good speed proper RPM at wide open throttle = good. Don't buy the story when the owner tells you it just needs a simple adjustment and it will be perfect. That simple adjustment generally turns out to be not so simple and costs you a ton.

[Bigbobcat]

Hi Silvertip & Chris,
Thanks a lot !

Here is what I know: The pontoon boat was winterized in fall of 2007, on 4 concrete blocks since fall 2007, ground pole of battery was sitting at back of pontoon boat and disconnected.

>Condition of the prop: Look at it! Bent, folded over, pieces missing = bad.

Looked at it, no bent or folded over or pieces missing

>Lower Unit Oil Condition: Look at it! Remove the drain screw and check what comes out. Water = bad. Chocolate color = bad. Oil color = good.

I don't know if the owner will allow me to remove the drain screw or not but will insist on checking it before paying

>Compression: You need a compression gauge.

How can I do it ? I don't know how to do it

>Engine Oil: Its a four stroke just like your car. Pull the dipstick and check it. Low = bad. Dark oil = bad (lack of maintenance), Clear oil = recently changed, over full = idiot didn't read the manual.

I will check the dipstick and check it as you said. But it was winterized in fall 2007 and never back to the water since fall 2007, what colour of oil will I expect in this condition ?

>Don't need to splash it to run the engine. Hook hose to muffs and start it. Any alarms immediately or after warm up? If so = bad. If not = good.

The owner will have someone to run the engine with hose to muffs, I THINK !
I only recalled he said his people will run a hose or something to test the engine on land (not on water).

How long or how many minutes should I let the engine run before I will know the engine is good after warm up (ALARMS) ?

Question: In what situation will the engine alarm ? Overheating ?

>Then test drive just like you would a car. Knocking, clicking, chugging, failure to start, failure to idle = bad.

Will check those. Failure To Idle, does it mean it when it is in neutral, it dies ?
- Knocking, clicking, chugging: At what speed ?

>Good hole shot, good speed proper RPM at wide open throttle = good.

"Good hole shot": Can you explain ?
"good speed proper RPM at wide open throttle": Can you be more specific ? Any example ?

>Don't buy the story when the owner tells you it just needs a simple adjustment and it will be perfect. That simple adjustment generally turns out to be not so simple and costs you a ton.

I will keep this in mind !

[Silvertip]

Compression gauge screws into a spark plug hole. You spin the engine over on the starter and the cylinder pressure (compression) is read on the gauge. All cylinders should be well over 100PSI and within 10% of each other on a good engine.

Hole shot: Hitting the throttle, the engine should respond instantly with no lagging or misfire, coughing etc.

Lower unit repairs are expensive. If he won't let you remove the screw, have him do it. Place a small container under the lower unit and remove the plug for just an instant. 1/2 oz of fluid loss is all it will take to tell if water is present or the lub is discolored. If water comes out (any amount) the lower unit is leaking and needs seals.

Engine oil is the same color as the oil in your car. Nearly clear when new to dark when used.

Alarms sound for low oil pressure (really bad situation) and overheat (not good either). Overheat can generally be fixed with a new impeller, thermostat, and bypass valve. Overheat alarm should sound in less than five minutes at idle but it can also occur at high speed and not at idle.

Any boat with any engine combination requires a propeller that allows the engine to run at or near the manufacturers recommended wide open throttle rpm. For your engine that is 6000 RPM. So with an average load running wide open the tach should read somewhere between 5500 and 6000 rpm. If it reads less than that, the prop is wrong or the engine is not making full power. Chances are its a wrong prop. If the engine revs higher than 6000 rpm the prop is also wrong and requires more pitch.

Good speed on that boat will be in the 18 MPH range with a light load. I have an 18 foot four-corner fish with a Suzuki 40 four stroke and it performs just fine. If you are after speed, doubling the HP will likely get you into the mid 20 MPH range and double fuel useage. I cruise very comfortably at 4400 - 4800 rpm so no, you don't need to be wide open to make headway.

[Captain Trips]

You might want to check and see if the motor is still under factory warranty also. I bought a toon this summer with a 06 90 hp and am still under the three year warranty on merc 4 strokes. All I had to do was log onto their web site and ask how to transfer...quick and easy!