boat has not been run in 7 years, pics inside

[srt4bad]

hello, im new to boats, i got a 1976 merc. 50 hp outboard and the guy I got it from said it was running the last time he parked it 7 years ago. what do I need to do, cheack, and or repair before I try to start it.

 

[hoytvectrix]

Re: boat has not ben run in 7 years

Re: boat has not ben run in 7 years

You are probably going to have to clean the carbs. Replacing the impeller for the water pump is a must.

 

[blazer01]

Re: boat has not ben run in 7 years

Re: boat has not ben run in 7 years

first i would attempt to drain the fuel from the carbs.

then i would remove the heads and take a spray bottle filled with 2 cycle oil (quicksilver) spray into the cylinders MANUALLY turn the flywheel to get the cylinders lubed. put the heads back on and do a compression check. if the readings are good.

 

[srt4bad]

Re: boat has not ben run in 7 years

Re: boat has not ben run in 7 years

pull the heads and replace the impeller, drain fuel from carbs. wheres thee best place to find an impeller for a 76 motor?

 

[Alumarine]

Re: boat has not ben run in 7 years

Re: boat has not ben run in 7 years

I wouldn't pull the head(s), even if that is possible.

Just squirt some oil in the spark plug holes and pull it over a few times.

Clean/overhaul the carbs.

You can get an impeller right here from Iboats or any merc dealer.

 

[Mi duckdown]

Re: boat has not ben run in 7 years

Re: boat has not ben run in 7 years

Do not pull the heads. Not neccesary at this point. remove plugs and squirt oil into the the holes and rotate the flywheel.
Replace impellar.
Cange lube and gaskets on drain/vent plugs.
Check for spark.
Clean carbs, hoses, tank. anything fuel related.
If possible borrow a known, good, fuel tank and hose with good fresh fuel.
That is a good start.

 

[ifixf18s]

Re: boat has not ben run in 7 years

Re: boat has not ben run in 7 years

A lot of good advice here, I would replace all lines fuel related. Sounds like you have a small gas tank that could be removed from the boat. You could pressure wash the inside of it, but just make sure its completey dry before putting it back into service. An interesting problem i had when i rebuilt my carb the new gasket looked good when i lined it up on the carb so i installed it. however one of the ports on the block was offset a bit and the hole in the gasket was not elongated so it covered the hole on the block. so check the gasket against the carb and the block making sure it will work, some kits come with a couple extra for different applications.

 

[srt4bad]

Re: boat has not ben run in 7 years

Re: boat has not ben run in 7 years

I am going to get a new tank , blub, and fuel hose. I will put oil in the plug holes and turn it over by hand. is the impeller on a novice level or should i take it some where? are there fuel lines inside the engine case that need replacing? and thanks for the help

 

[Mi duckdown]

Re: boat has not ben run in 7 years

Re: boat has not ben run in 7 years

4Bad.
Not to be a smart A. What is your mechanical aptittude?
Replacing an impellar is not to hard.
We are here to help You.

If you decide to buy manual for that motor. Which is a good Idea. And thats a great motor.
Buy ONLY AN OEM MERC MANUAL.

 

[srt4bad]

Re: boat has not ben run in 7 years

Re: boat has not ben run in 7 years

I have a pdf file of 1978 mercury service manual. it has a small section on replacing the water pump. is that the same as the impeller. am I right in thinking i need the get the impeller kit and not just the impeller it self? and there 2 different impellers for sell on here. oem and after market. is the after market better cause its bettter?
I think i am going to have the pdf file printed out as it is 600 and some odd pages long.

 

[sethjon]

Re: boat has not ben run in 7 years

Re: boat has not ben run in 7 years

Completely clean out the fuel lines. You should also rebuild the carb. It will be like in shellac.

 

[srt4bad]

Re: boat has not ben run in 7 years

Re: boat has not ben run in 7 years

ok, i over reacted! after reading on here for some time and printing out the pdf file ( for 67 bucks, at a fed x place. ouch!!!) I see the impeller is in the water pump. this i can take care of. after looking at some of the restorations on here i went and looked to see just who made my boat and its a starcraft! it seems to be in good shape. the boat not the seats and such.thats an easy fix.
I really must buy a new wiring harness. it is so dry rotted and the wire is corroaded im afrade to use it. i hate to buy a new one, there like 150 bucks. tham
thanks for the help so far. i will get better at this.....

 

[MassillonBuckeye]

Re: boat has not ben run in 7 years

Re: boat has not ben run in 7 years

ok, i over reacted! after reading on here for some time and printing out the pdf file ( for 67 bucks, at a fed x place. ouch!!!) I see the impeller is in the water pump. this i can take care of. after looking at some of the restorations on here i went and looked to see just who made my boat and its a starcraft! it seems to be in good shape. the boat not the seats and such.thats an easy fix.
I really must buy a new wiring harness. it is so dry rotted and the wire is corroaded im afrade to use it. i hate to buy a new one, there like 150 bucks. tham
thanks for the help so far. i will get better at this.....

Uh you could have gotten a reprint manual for half that.. Oops! Find a good marina near you. Pick a day you can go in and spend some money. While you are spending money, ask the guy some questions. You are going to get very short answers unless you are spending money. You want to determine asap if it's more trouble that it is worth to you.

 

[srt4bad]

Re: boat has not ben run in 7 years

Re: boat has not ben run in 7 years








Thats her! I looked it up on here and this site has it as a max of 40 hp.
this boat will be plenty fast for me!!

 

[srt4bad]

Re: boat has not ben run in 7 years

Re: boat has not ben run in 7 years











put oil in plug holes and it turned over just fine

 

[srt4bad]

Re: boat has not ben run in 7 years

Re: boat has not ben run in 7 years

one quick thng there was no air filter over the carbs. is that normal? no filtered air going into the carbs?

 

[SeaKaye12]

Re: boat has not ben run in 7 years

Re: boat has not ben run in 7 years

Yeah; those wires are in bad shape. Very typical for those older Mercs.

If you want, you can re-build the harness yourself; one wire at a time. It's not really difficult; just time consuming compared to going out and purchasing a new $150.00 harness.

If the **EXTERNAL** harness is OK (the one that runs from the motor up to the helm controls) then all you need to do is replace the 6 or eight wires that run from the engine's plug to the switchbox and other components. Just take your time and use marine grade wire with soldered (or butt-spliced) connections followed by shrink wrap.

However; there are other wires that run from the stator and trigger from up under the flywheel. They can get tricky because the flywheel needs to be removed to get access up there. Hopefully you won't need to worry about that right away.

I was in a similiar situation a few years ago with my newly acquired engine. I did the wire by wire replacement just to get the engine running. Once I was convinced that it was in great shape mechanically I went ahead and purchased the harness (from CDI; they are cheaper and OK quality).

I think that you should go ahead and replace all your fuel lines; from the entry point on the engine to the fuel pump, and from the fuel pump to the carbs. That's relatively easy and cheap and really needs to be done before you pump gas up in there.

Eventually you will need to clean and rebuild the carbs; if not immediately then soon after you get it running. Partially clogged carbs are a good way to ruin an engine through too lean a mixture.

The impeller also; either right now or very soon after you get it running.

Then, drain and re-fill the lower unit oil. Be sure to get the right oil. Made special for outboards gearcase.

Did you take a compression test yet? I'd do that if I were you before doing anything else; once you get the wiring to a point where you feel OK about hooking up a battery.

Those are the essential things that you need to do prior to firing it up. Test run it for a couple of tank-fulls, being very very certain that it's cooling OK. At that point you will know what you'be got and can decide how much more time and money you want to invest to iron out any bugs.

Good luck; keep us posted as to how things pan out for you. Remember; every question that you ask is one more question that you will know the answer to in the future. Knowledge grows fast and it's fun...at least it can be.

Oh yes; there is no air filter. That's normal. Not much dust in the air when you're over water.

Chuck

 

[Wingedwheel]

Re: boat has not ben run in 7 years

Re: boat has not ben run in 7 years

Very nice find... You will have to spend a little money on her, but it will be totally worth it in the long run. With it being wide open inside, you have alot of options as to what you want to add.

 

[srt4bad]

Re: boat has not been run in 7 years

Re: boat has not been run in 7 years

I put power to it today, starter works good! but the wiring from the stator is shot. there was no spark what so ever. I will also like to replace the inside of engine wiring harness. its as bad as the one for the out side. the rest of the wiring looked good.

I got 2 good front seats with pedestals and I want to find a bench to put in the rear of the boat. im not sure if I want to repaint it or not. But it is a cool little boat.

 

[merc850]

Re: boat has not been run in 7 years

Re: boat has not been run in 7 years

One of your pictures shows the engine on transom and it looks like all that is holding it on are the clamp screws. I would install 2 stainless bolts in the slots provided at the bottom of the clamp brackets for safety!