Hello All,
I recently acquired an 18' center console that has a 1991 Mercury 115 w/ a 25" shaft (don't know if it runs). I did a compression test and it seemed to be around 105psi on all 4cyl (give or take). The starter on that motor seems to be in need of replacing so I'll do another compression test after the new starter is put in. Problem is that the 115 seems to have been neglected and has a lot of corrosion.
I also have a 1989 Mercury V-135 20" shaft that has been freshwater use and is in excellent condition. It also seems to have a rebuilt powerhead on it from what I can tell. The compression is 115psi on all 6 cyl. and it runs excellent. It came off an old Sea Ray that I had, but gave away. I held on to the motor, harness, controls, steering cable, instrument cluster, etc. It's a complete set up that I was saving just in case I needed it.
Now here's the dilemma, do I keep the corroded 115 that I don't really trust on the boat, or throw on the 135 that feel more confident about. I'm leaning towards getting the 115 running again, selling it, and then mounting the 135 on it. But the first issue I have to deal with is the shaft length of the 135.
I did some research and it seems like there are 3 options I can think of:
1. Find an outboard bracket, like Armstrong, then mount my 135 with the 20" the way it is. But I've read a lot of cons with this option because the outboard will be too low (close to the water) so I'm not too comfortable with it.
2. Purchase a shaft extension kit that has the spacer, driveshaft extension, gear shift extension, etc. and convert my 20" shaft to a 25" shaft. This seems like the simplest solution (plug and play), but these kits run around $800. There really aren't any used kits out there because my model of the 135 didn't use spacer kits originally. Instead, the long shaft vs. extra long shaft actually had a whole different driveshaft/exhaust housing that was longer.
3. I can find used extra long driveshaft/exhaust housings for around $300 and change out my driveshaft on my lower unit to an extra long (or just find a used extra long lower unit) for about another $300 or so. Great thing about this option is that once I change everything, I'll be able to sell my current housing and lower unit and recover my money.
So..Option 1 I'm not too sure about. Option 2 is the easiest but will cost me $800. Option 3 will require some work but could potentially be at no extra cost. What to do?
Another question I have is how hard would Option 3 be? In order to remove the exhaust housing, does the powerhead need to be removed? Lower unit I can remove no problem, but I've never removed a powerhead. Does the powerhead, midsection, transom bracket, and lower unit all have the be separated?
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance!
I recently acquired an 18' center console that has a 1991 Mercury 115 w/ a 25" shaft (don't know if it runs). I did a compression test and it seemed to be around 105psi on all 4cyl (give or take). The starter on that motor seems to be in need of replacing so I'll do another compression test after the new starter is put in. Problem is that the 115 seems to have been neglected and has a lot of corrosion.
I also have a 1989 Mercury V-135 20" shaft that has been freshwater use and is in excellent condition. It also seems to have a rebuilt powerhead on it from what I can tell. The compression is 115psi on all 6 cyl. and it runs excellent. It came off an old Sea Ray that I had, but gave away. I held on to the motor, harness, controls, steering cable, instrument cluster, etc. It's a complete set up that I was saving just in case I needed it.
Now here's the dilemma, do I keep the corroded 115 that I don't really trust on the boat, or throw on the 135 that feel more confident about. I'm leaning towards getting the 115 running again, selling it, and then mounting the 135 on it. But the first issue I have to deal with is the shaft length of the 135.
I did some research and it seems like there are 3 options I can think of:
1. Find an outboard bracket, like Armstrong, then mount my 135 with the 20" the way it is. But I've read a lot of cons with this option because the outboard will be too low (close to the water) so I'm not too comfortable with it.
2. Purchase a shaft extension kit that has the spacer, driveshaft extension, gear shift extension, etc. and convert my 20" shaft to a 25" shaft. This seems like the simplest solution (plug and play), but these kits run around $800. There really aren't any used kits out there because my model of the 135 didn't use spacer kits originally. Instead, the long shaft vs. extra long shaft actually had a whole different driveshaft/exhaust housing that was longer.
3. I can find used extra long driveshaft/exhaust housings for around $300 and change out my driveshaft on my lower unit to an extra long (or just find a used extra long lower unit) for about another $300 or so. Great thing about this option is that once I change everything, I'll be able to sell my current housing and lower unit and recover my money.
So..Option 1 I'm not too sure about. Option 2 is the easiest but will cost me $800. Option 3 will require some work but could potentially be at no extra cost. What to do?
Another question I have is how hard would Option 3 be? In order to remove the exhaust housing, does the powerhead need to be removed? Lower unit I can remove no problem, but I've never removed a powerhead. Does the powerhead, midsection, transom bracket, and lower unit all have the be separated?
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance!
