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  1. M

    Changed impeller, now tell tale is weak

    Hi everybody, I have a 1998 Merc 115 2+2 with 1,125 hours on it. It has always run perfectly. This spring I replaced my water pump impeller as normal maintenance. Everything was fine before the change, but after installing the new impeller I've noticed a few things: 1) The tell tale stream...
  2. M

    Questions about replacing prop shaft seals

    Hi all, I plan to replace the propshaft seals on my 1998 Merc 115. Per the attached photo I plan to use a 2 jaw puller to remove the bearing carrier. However, I'm bothered about the sentence "take care not to lose the cam follower or 3 metal balls in the end of the propeller shaft" My plan...
  3. M

    Boating in Canada, what do I need to know ?

    Hello All, This summer I will be trailering my boat to up North, through Michigan and I will end up boating in Canadian waters (Launching in Sault Ste Marie). Does anybody have any advice as to what laws and or regulations I need to be aware of ? First thought on my mind is that I'm not sure...
  4. M

    Safety Question - Auxiliary fuel tank

    I have an 18 foot Sea Ray bow rider with a Merc 115 outboard. I am taking a long trip this summer and I want to extend my cruising range beyond the built in 20 gallon tank. I've purchased an auxiliary tank to mount on the rear swim platform. I would like to semi permanently mount the tank. If I...
  5. M

    Water in LU oil - How bad is this ?

    Hi All, I have a 1998 115 2+2 with 1,100 hours on it. I used to be very meticulous about maintenance, but I must admit that I've slipped a little in the last year or 2. I recently changed my lower unit oil for the first time in 2 years (I used to religiously change it at the end of every...
  6. M

    1998 115 2+2 rolls over 1000 hours !!

    I bought this engine new as a package with my 18ft SeaRay bowrider. Since I've owned it I've put spark plugs in it, changed 2 or 3 impellers (can't remember now), Renewed the oil seal on the drive shaft under the water pump, and replaced the exhaust cover plate gaskets. That is it over 1000...
  7. M

    1998 175 Sport - Non std fuel sender ??

    I have a 1998 Sea Ray 175 Sport that I bought new, and has been a great boat. This year the fuel sender failed. A little research led me to believe that fuel tank senders are standard and any "universal" sender will work. So I bought a sender from Bass Pro and took the old one out of my tank...
  8. M

    Why doesn't the fuel tank sender cause and explosion ?

    After 11 years of service I'm replacing the fuel tank sender on my boat since it isn't working properly. As I look at the new one I've got to wonder why all of our boats don't explode in a giant fireball. The sender has a reostat and a spring loaded "wiper" that rubs across the reostat as the...
  9. M

    Drum Brake stuck and got hot - replace bearings ?

    This weekend when I returned from a boat outing I noticed a very faint smell of hot brake lining. Sure enough my right side trailer brake was pretty dang hot. Both the drum and the hub were too hot to touch. There was no smoke and only a little smell. So, I obviously need to pull the hub and...
  10. M

    Finally happened - Stranded at Sea !!!

    Sunday evening I was out cruising on the Ohio river with a buddy. It was a little overcast and my buddy suggested that I put my stern light up. So I shut the engine off, fished out the stern light and installed it. I sat down in the captains chair, turned the ignition key and... everything...
  11. M

    Looks like I'm done using Merc 2-stroke oil

    I've used Mercury 2-stroke oil exclusively for the past 11 years. I've been buying it by the case at my local dealer. Last year it was $96.00 per case. Today I went in and asked how much a case was, and to my surprise it's still $96.00. So I told them to get me one. They guy brings out a...
  12. M

    1998 115 exhaust cover gaskets

    I have a 1998 115 4 cylinder and I want to replace the exhaust cover gaskets because I?ve seen some water leaking out of them. My original parts manual lists the 2 gaskets as p/n 812775-5 and 812775-4. It seems that those part numbers have been replaced by p/n 27-812775A01 which is a single...
  13. M

    V4 vs Inline 4 - any inherent advantage ?

    I was reviewing some literature about the 115 e-tec and it occurred to me that Evenrude has always built V4's while Merc has tended to build inline engines (my Merc 115 is an inline 4). Is there any advantage or disadvantage to either design ? I'm not going to buy anything, but I was just...
  14. M

    Carrying extra gas - Safety concerns

    I hope this is the correct forum for this question. I have an 18 foot Searay with a Merc 115 outboard. Even though it's starting to get cool out I still like to go out on my boat. Most gas docks are closing for the season. I would like to carry some extra gas on my boat. I can securely...
  15. M

    Should I convert to disk brakes ??

    I've got an 18 foot SeaRay bowrider (outboard) on an Eagle trailer. I estimate the total towed weight to be 3,000 lbs or maybe a little less. I recently saw a complete disk brake conversion kit for $299.00. Seems like a good price to me. I'm not having any troubles with my drum brakes, but...
  16. M

    DIY: The ultimate Oil Injection protection

    As we all know, having the proper amount of oil mixed in the gas of our carbureted 2-stroke outboards is critical. Automatic, variable oil injection makes our lives much simpler (and cleaner), but if the oil injection system on your outboard fails the result is catastrophic. All carbureted...
  17. M

    DIY: Repair seal wear grooves on drive shaft

    I have a 1998 115 2+2 with 800 hours on it. This winter I replaced the water pump impeller and decided to replace the seals under the water pump housing. When I removed the seals I noticed that they had worn grooves in the sealing surface, which would reduce the life and effectiveness of new...
  18. M

    Questions about fixing lower unit oil leak

    I have a question about the oil seals under the water pump on my 1998 115 Merc. I bought the engine new, and from the first oil change I was concerned about the appearance of the LU oil. It has always been a yellowish color. This year I decided to replace the seals under the water pump...
  19. M

    Does my 1998 115 have a plastic oil pump gear ?

    I've been reading about oil pump failures on larger Mercs, generally attributed to a plastic gear on the crank that fails. I looked at my parts manual, and I see that my pump is driven via a gear on the crank, but the manual doesn't state what material it is made of. It also appears that my...
  20. M

    What temp should my 1998 115 run at ?

    I bought my 1998 115 new in 1999. It has 700 hours, and I run in on a SeaRay 175 bow rider. When I first bought it the temp would run around 145 degrees at idle, and when I put the hammer down I could watch the temp gage move quickly down to the low peg on the gage. At the time, I asked my...
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