1977 1150 6cyl

o'hill

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Hello all, this is my first post and really glad I found this forum. I picked up an old bass boat with a 1977? (serial # 4735457) 1150 115hp inline 6 with tilt and trim, stainless prop and looks like new wiring, new hoses on the trim unit and pretty well kept.Looks like someone had just put new rubber lines and new control cables and other new wiring parts. Boat needs to be cut up and disposed of but motor and trailer look pretty good. Motor looks really clean outside and under the hood, BUT I don't know diddly about boat motors and the guy (an old friend of mine) that I got it from (free) said all the motor needs is a new starter and a good boat. He took the starter off to get a new one about a year ago and don't know what he did with it. Anyway... I can buy a starter by the motor serial #, but before I do I wanted to turn the motor over by hand. So I put the control straight up at 12 o'clock and the prop now turns both directions freely which I would guess means it is in neutral. So I have the wrap off and the top cover and trying to turn the engine by hand with the flywheel and only moves about 1/8" either direction. I put it in gear and pushed the prop with my foot and flywheel turns the same 1/8th inch. Can't get it to turn over by hand. I put a rope on the flywheel and can't turn it. Doesn't feel like the engine is froze solid, since a push on the prop with my foot does transfer to the flywheel, but just enough to see it move about a couple hairs. I'm wondering is there anything I'm missing? Like is there something that could be holding the motor from turning? Does the motor have to be all the way down in the run position or is there a safety lock or something. I removed the plugs and shot a small shot of wd40 into each cylinder and tried to turn with the plugs out and still will not move other than a hair back and forth. The flywheel is still in exactly the same position as when I started will only move back and forth about 1/16 or 1/8th".
Anybody got any idea what this could be? Gotta start somewhere!
thanks
rob
 

CVX20SPRINT

Petty Officer 1st Class
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Sep 9, 2009
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Re: 1977 1150 6cyl

Sounds like you have at least one stuck piston.Even if all the pistons were stuck the crank would still move a small amount,which is what it sounds like what you have.
 

o'hill

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Re: 1977 1150 6cyl

Ok thanks! I was afraid of that. I am going to separate the top from the bottom right at the top of the center section and see if it will turn then and if not I will know for sure the problem is in the top-end and like you said most likely a stuck piston. If that's the case then I will probably just have a parts engine. Hopefully separating the top from the bottom is just unbolt and drop and not alot of loose parts in there at that section? I am waiting on a manual to come in the mail, but have a little slack time right now so am going to try to split it this evening.
thanks for your input
rob
 

Sunfish12

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Feb 6, 2011
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Re: 1977 1150 6cyl

Put a breaker bar on the flywheel nut, keep working it back and forth while spraying Seafoam in the cylinders. Do this before you start tearing anything apart.
 

o'hill

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Re: 1977 1150 6cyl

I replied but don't know where it went. I'll get seafoam tomorrow and keep this updated. When I first took the plugs out it is clean and smelled like gas and oil in the cylinders, no rust or corrosion and not dry, so maybe it's not stuck too bad....I hope I hope I hope!
Thanks for the help.
 

mr 88

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Re: 1977 1150 6cyl

Like sunfish said soak the heck out of her while she is laying on her back,do that for a couple day then hit her up with the breaker bar.Marvel Mystery oil would be something to add along with the seafoam.
 

o'hill

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Re: 1977 1150 6cyl

ok, I'll get started on that tomorrow. I had already removed the lower unit, so if I can get her broke loose I'll put a new impeller in as well. I'm guessing this has been sitting awhile, so probably needs one anyway.
I'll keep you posted on my luck with it. Sure is a nice looking motor hope I can get it to free up. I can get sea-foam at walmart and I think I have some mystery oil, so will lay it on it's back and put a lot in each cylinder to soak. I'm very impatient may not be able to wait several days but will try. : )
thanks for all the help
rob
 

SleekWolf

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Jun 3, 2011
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Re: 1977 1150 6cyl

If you end up with a parts engine PLEASE let me know! For your sake I hope you don't but I really need some parts. Thanks and good luck. Keep us posted. :)
 
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o'hill

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Re: 1977 1150 6cyl

Well Good News! I sprayed some mystery oil and more wd40 in last night to let it soak overnight. I was intending to go get more mystery oil, wd40 and seafoam this morning, but decided to put the breaker bar on it "just to see" if it would break free with a few light bumps. I bumped the breaker bar with my hand a few times and it broke loose. So I'm all smiles today so far. Thanks for suggesting that, a breaker bar never crossed my mind. I sprayed a heap more mystery oil in there (that I already had) and turned it over by hand about 50 revolutions just to let it get all oiled up in there. Next I put my finger over each hole and turned it over to see that there was at least some compression on each cylinder and it is, meaning that each piston is moving and no broke rods or anything like that. Now I figure I need to get a starter so I can turn it over fast enough to check the compression on each cylinder. I have a compression tester but will have to order a starter since there are no marine stores close by and they would probably have to order it anyway. I see the starters on ebay for about everything from $70 to $270, (if anybody has any experience with cheap starters feel free to clue me in) I will probably buy a cheap one to keep the cost down till I see there are no major issues with the motor. After I get the starter and see that the compression is good and that it is firing on each cylinder, then I will buy an impeller / water pump kit, and if needed fuel pump and carb kits. I will also need to change the oil in the lower unit and if anybody can think of anything I'm forgetting, please let me know. Also if this is not the order of how I should go about all of this let me know. Also I noticed the choke solenoid plunger was hanging loose, so I will stick that back in and touch it up to a battery to see that it will pull up like it should. I'm sure I will need to rebuild the carbs and fuel pump, but want to see if it'll crank and run first once I get the water pump kit and lower unit back on, so I can put it in a tub of water. Once I get it running I want to do everything needed to get it ready to use and reliable. The plugs and plug wires look good but they are weird looking autolite plugs so not much I can tell about them. I'll see that each is firing and also get new ones once I see that I can safely spend more money on it. First things first....
thanks again
rob
 

o'hill

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Re: 1977 1150 6cyl

Is there anybody that can give me the correct starter motor part # for a 115hp model 1150 serial # on motor housing and on transom is 4735457. I want to order one but want to make sure I get the right one. I don't have the old one to get a # off of.
I would appreciate any help.
thanks
rob
 

SleekWolf

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Re: 1977 1150 6cyl

That's great news! The starter motor # is 50-898265010 or 898265010. One just sold on ebay for $12, but that was rare to go so cheap. I was bidding on it for a spare and someone sniped me in the last 10 seconds... GRRR
 

o'hill

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Re: 1977 1150 6cyl

Thanks for the numbers. sometimes I reply on here and it disappears. I probably hit the wrong button. I'll keep you posted with progress. I will probably buy one of the knockoffs since I don't want to wait forever for another to go through ebay. I'm sure as soon as I buy a new/ aftermarket one a good used one will go through for 10 bucks. I'm looking to buy a new impeller too if you see one that will fit. I gotta get a parts book for numbers.
rob
 

o'hill

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Re: 1977 1150 6cyl

Thanks again! Man... you guys are alot of help. I took the impeller out and it looks about like new,very shiny and pliable, but I don't know much about impellers so guess I should put in a new one.It slide off of the shaft pretty easy so don't know if it should fit tighter? anyway, # on it is 18-3017 SII and it also has an "XX" marked on it? Is your motor in the same serial # range as mine? 4735457 , I'm trying to figure if this motor is a PT, PTO or anything other than what's marked on the serial # which is just numbers and no letters.
Nice boat you got there.
rob
 

SleekWolf

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Re: 1977 1150 6cyl

You're welcome! But all the info I've given you so far is what I've learned since I bought this boat. LOL I'm pretty clueless on impellers and such myself. I just got mine to fire up for the first time 5 minutes ago! I'm excited...BUT... there is fuel squirting out of what appears to be a jet on the top carb. I'm sure this is not normal :( So I shut her down immediately. I'm unsure of my serial #. I'm not sure if I'm looking in the right place. The serial # on the transom mount is 4123328, but the serial # stamped on the motor (on the cylinder head) is 423676L???
 

o'hill

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Re: 1977 1150 6cyl

Mine has the numbers in the same places as yours. They match on this one. I would guess the one on the motor block would be the main one, but someone may have changed out parts over the years?
(Yea lookout with the gas leak, a guy up the road from me burned his whole shop down yesterday working on something. He said it went up in a matter of minutes because he had fumes in the building. Another guy I knew was working on something under his carport and had a open can of gas under his window air unit and it sucked the house full of fumes and blew the house up.)
Does your motor have the choke plates on front of all 3 carbs or just the top 2 ? wondering cause this one don't have it on the bottom one. not sure if it's missing or was never one on it?
 

SleekWolf

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Re: 1977 1150 6cyl

Yeah, I'm guessing this mount/power tilt/trim unit originally had a 1400 or 1500 bolted to it, since the tilt/trim motor has a warning on it that it should only be used with a merc 1400 or 1500. As far as the gas, I got an anser on another threat... stuck needle or float. That's what I was guessing. I'm working on it outside so the only thing I'd blow up is the boat and possibly myself lol. Yep there are only 2 choke plates. None on the bottom carb. So apparently that's how they were built.
 

o'hill

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Re: 1977 1150 6cyl

I need a boat like that! looks really cool!
 

SleekWolf

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Re: 1977 1150 6cyl

LOL Thanks, but at this point it looks better from a distance. The paint is pretty bad and the transom needs re-glassed. Nearly the whole thing needs to be rewired. I had to rewire the engine just to get it this far. But as far as the looks and shape I love it. It's a Sleekcraft Aristocat...best guess 1977 or 1978. I've yet to find an HID or any specs plate on the hull. I can't wait to get it out on the water! I've wanted a boat like this all my life :)
 

o'hill

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Re: 1977 1150 6cyl

Looks lean and mean! It is definitely something I would want to fix up if I had it. This motor I have came on a bass boat that I pulled way around back before anybody could see it sitting in my yard. I don't thing it's worth the gas it'll take in the chainsaw to cut it up. Maybe I could spray a little clear-coat on it and set it out by the road so maybe someone will steal it before daylight and realize it wasn't worth stealing. hehe! I'm surprised the back end didn't fall off while I was pulling it home. Only had a few miles but every bump I hit I looked back to see if the motor was still there. well, take care and good luck with your project. If this motor doesn't work out I'll give you a shout.
 
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