help with my mercury outboard serial number

[ghegmann]

i just got a mercury outboard tiller type engine...the problem is the last owner painted the motor and i cant tell if its a 9.8 hp or a 18hp also i would like to know the year...the number is 6633281... ive looked all over the internet and i just cant seem to narrow it down...i really want to restore it back to almost new but i need help,,,thanks

 

[warlordxx]

go to and put in your numbers came up as a 18-20 or 25

 

[MTboatguy]

Based on the charts I have, it would seem it is a 1985 year, normally it will say on the hood or on the leg what model it is. Are the decals missing? Even if he painted it, there should be some impressions of the decals somewhere on the engine.

 

[ghegmann]

thanks guys,, the guy painted over all the decals and the only impression i could make out was a 8 but you all answered my question and thank you....now i can take some asprin to kill the headache i got for beatin my head against the wall over this thanks again

 

[Dekker500]

Actually, my preferred serial-number-decoder-ring is the actual Mercury/Brunswick Parts Express website: https://webapps.brunswick.com/literature/literatureSearch.do (take out the space to make things work)

For your serial number, it gives MERCURY - ( 18 H.P. (1985 )) Serial No: 06633281 Model No: 1018205 Catalog No: 13286, and then gives you the full parts catalog.