Mercruiser Restoration HELP! I'm a newbie

[Swordbearer617]

Well there you go. For exactly 1 cent I have purchased a Boat and trailer. Let the fun begin. Oh wait...I don't know ANYTHING about boats (except that they are supposed to float and if they don't that's a bad thing). In all honesty, my sheer ignorance means I can't even retrieve the thing. The boat is a Mercruiser 120 Stern-Drive and the engine is all the way down which means the prop (and possibly the bottom of the housing) will be dragging on the ground if I try to pull it out of it's current location. There is no battery in it and I am not even sure the electrical system is intact so my first question, oh gurus, is how can I get the prop up and out of the way so that I can at least tow the thing to my own property. Is there some sort of Hydraulic override that will let me raise it?

My plan for this forum is to document this project, start to finish, on Facebook and link it back here for comment. For starters, I would love opinions as to whether I should even invest the time and money to make this thing work. I was hoping to post the link to the Photo Album here so that people with far more experience then I could have a look.

Any help would be greatly appreciated at this point.

Thanks,

Stephen

Edit Here are some Pics

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.121786367919725.20835.100002650867544&l=dbf707b399&type=1

 

[boatnut74]

Re: Mercruiser Restoration HELP! I'm a newbie

First off welcome to iboats! We would like to see some pics of what you are working with! You are correct, you want to raise the drive before moving this thing. Sometimes you can pull the drive up by hand and use a strap connected to one of the towing eyes on the back of the boat to hold it up. You can also hook up a battery and raise it with the hydraulics (if they work). The tilt control will either be on the dash or the control lever, it all depends on how old the boat is. Or you can unbolt the trim rams and pull it up just be sure to tie up the trim rams so they don't drag on the ground. We are here to help.

 

[ErikF]

Re: Mercruiser Restoration HELP! I'm a newbie

If the tilt/trim pump and related systems are in mostly working condition you should be able to get it moving with a good battery, if the dash switch is disconnected or broken you can get the pump running by jumping from the "+" side of the solenoid to the next closest wire (blue I believe).

Otherwise you need to disconnect the rams, lift by hand and then tie it up.

Post some pictures and we can probably help you better.

-Cheers,

Erik

 

[greenbush future]

Re: Mercruiser Restoration HELP! I'm a newbie

Always nice to see a new boater, the learning curve on boating isn?t real hard. You might want to consider taking an experienced boater with you as you discover what you purchased, how to use it, and most importantly how to use it safely. Boats are really fun, but a simple bad move while boating can end up costing you a bunch of money, and you could hurt yourself or others too.
Send us pictures, we want to see your boat, the engine, trailer, and all the other stuff that goes with it. You came to the right spot if you want to learn about boats.

 

[SDSeville]

Re: Mercruiser Restoration HELP! I'm a newbie

disconnect the rams, lift by hand and then tie it up.

Likely what you will have to do. It will be heavy though. Make sure you have something strong (maybe a couple of heavy duty tie downs) to tie it up with.

 

[paultjohnson]

Re: Mercruiser Restoration HELP! I'm a newbie

Couldnt you talk em down on the price? Just kiddn' good luck with 'er

 

[Swordbearer617]

Re: Mercruiser Restoration HELP! I'm a newbie

Simplest of all solutions: Pull the Rams and Tied it up with a ratchet strap. Worked good. I did try a battery. The Solenoids for the up trim and down trim clicked away but other then that I got nada. Not sure if the ignition needed to be on for the pump to get power or not so I moved to plan b. I couldn't get the key to turn in the ignition. It probably had something to do with the key slot being clogged with mud courtesy of a paper wasp (guessing). Its in my back yard now. At first glance I can see a few things that need doing. Obviously, there are some serious repairs needed to the floor. Equally obvious is the need for a new prop and a battery. It also could probably stand a good cleaning and an oil change. There is a fair bit of water in there as the fluid on the dip stick is a nice milky white.

Now don't be fooled. I still don't know jack. I read through section 5 of the service manual (power tirm) I finally managed to find online and it was my local mechanic that told me the oil had water in it. Everything else I picked up here just browsing posts.

So here are the pics according to Facebook. You shouldn't need an account to view them. If you have an account, friend me and we can talk there as well.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.121786367919725.20835.100002650867544&l=dbf707b399&type=1

 

[oops!]

Re: Mercruiser Restoration HELP! I'm a newbie

welcome to iboats


ok......quite a few things here.......

first.......any comments or other should be duplicated on here (iboats) the reasom why...is because it gets confusing......someone can say somthing there and send you down a rabbit trail....when we (here at iboats) can keep you in the right direction.....but im glad you are linking on fb.

ok......concerns.

1. how much money do you have?.....that one is going to cost you. dont get me wrong....its a great candidate boat....but i see several issues that cost big bux.

first off......milky oil means one thing.......new motor....sorry...its not a head gasket....nor is it because its been sitting....the block is cracked inside.

2. the hull has had an extrodianary amount of water in it.....the roller trailer has deformed the hull of the boat.

3. you might need a trim motor.

good things...

that is a great looking boat.
it has a set of bennets
it is a good package...(merc/alpha)
it has a trailer.
it is a great looking boat.

here is your cost break down...

hull.....2500
motor....at least 3000
drive....unknown....but count on 500 up to 1500
trim motor (rebuilt) 200
battery/ pumps /oil /gymbal bearing....another 500-1000.

do not get me wrong......i am not trying to dissuade you.....money does not hurt a little at a time....100 here or 500 there and you dont notice it as much.
just be advised....it is gonna cost that much.....i hope im wrong about some of the systems like the drive and motor....but i doubt it.

one of the big things you can do.....is find another boat....we call it a doaner boat.....good motor drive/ trashed hull...and swap all the parts over. this is common and it works well to keep the cost down.

so....now its home.....
where do you start......i would say the motor. lets find out if the motor /drive is salvageable before you start ripping the hull apart.

look at the block under the exhaust mainfold. do you see a crack with rust around it?....look on the manifold...same thing....any cracks?

if no

look at the drive....inspect for cracks on the lower unit...check/change the oil
change all the fluids...lube the cylinders...change the gas in the tank.....and try to fire it .with water connected to the drive....start?.....if yes...run it 2 mins at idle...then a little higher.....then shut it off.....check the oil.....milky?.....its toast

if good....
you have just dodged a huge expense.

that will keep you going for a full 4 hours.....check that stuff and report back here....we can help you make determinations from there bud.

cheers
oops

 

[Swordbearer617]

Re: Mercruiser Restoration HELP! I'm a newbie

Your cost breakdown caused my poor wallet to go into cardiac arrest. I revived it. I have always wanted a boat but I am a pratical guy. Spending more money on a project then the project is worth isn't in my budget until I retire 30 years from now. Having said that, I am generally really good at finding cost effective means of doing things even if they take more time and effort.

My plan for the day is clean-up. I want to get the water and dirt out of it so I can start working on it. After that I will look at the engine like you suggested. Do I post questions in the engine forum or keep them in this thread?

I noticed the Hull deformation. They didn't tarp it and it was (at one point) full of water. Exactly when this happened I'm not sure but I believe they tried towing it without draining it and that wouldn't have helped. The guy I bought it from said that it should come back once it is off the trailer but it sounds to me like its far more serious then that which is a touch disheartening. Do I take it off the trailer onto some sort of crib? I can build just about anything out of wood so if I need a support that is the right shape, it can be arranged.

Lastly, it sounds like I am going to need to hot wire the ignition or take it apart and clean it. Any quick and simple ways to do either one of those things?

 

[oops!]

Re: Mercruiser Restoration HELP! I'm a newbie

hi...it wont come back if its off the trailer....there is foam under the deck and the foam in that area has been crushed by the weight.

but first.....lets get that motor checked out.......visually inspect it....look for those rust lines on the block and the mainfold.

just to let you know......when i bought my boat in a farmers field.....the motor was toast.....(cracked block) the drive had a hole in it....there were critters living in it....and the stringers/floor were rotten.
did i mention the 4 flat tires on the trailer?

you are not alone

 

[oops!]

Re: Mercruiser Restoration HELP! I'm a newbie

oh...as far as the ignition.....i just buy another iginition.....you will need it any how and they cost 10 bux but if you want to hot wire it.....cross the starter.

but you arent there yet bud.........you need to check the drive....replace the motor oil, fuel, fuel filter first

 

[Swordbearer617]

Re: Mercruiser Restoration HELP! I'm a newbie

So I guess what I need first is a manual that is going to tell me where everything is. I can build and install an entire kitchen from scratch but I can't even change the oil in my car. So far my searching has produced a whole lot of nothing unless I want to start the "Money sinking game" by buying a service manual. Anyone got the PDF for Service Manual 3? They've pulled it from pretty much everywhere.