merc 165 IL6 cyl. startup questions.

[jimfj]

Hello all,

I am purchasing a 1976 Glastron with the MERC 165 HP INLINE 6 cyl. motor and a pre alpha outdrive. It has not been run in 3 years. The outside of the motor looks very clean with no rust. The inside of the valve cover is free of rust. The engine oil is a little thin but clean. The lower unit oil in outdrive is a little dirty but NO water.

I want to fire it up, but what should I do to bring it out of hibernation?

I will drain and dispose of the old fuel in the tank and change the engine oil.
New plugs
Clean the carb up a bit.

What else?

Thanks in advance,

Jim

 

[WillyBWright]

Re: merc 165 IL6 cyl. startup questions.

There is an overflow in the throat of the carb. You can fill it with gas from there to prevent a lot of dry cranking.

I would change fluids once you have a bit of run time on it.

You should also rebuild the water pump in the drive!

Have a look at the bellows between the transom and drive. Look for cracking, especially in the big driveshaft bellows and small shift cable bellows. Those can sink you if they leak. The exhaust bellows can be in bad condition and not do much harm.

 

[ParallaxBill]

Re: merc 165 IL6 cyl. startup questions.

Haven't got much to add but I would rebuild the carb just in case it has crud or bad gas in it. The kits are cheap and the carbs are easy to work on.

Good luck with the motor/drive combo. I have one in my 73 Glassmaster and it runs like new. The motors are some of the most reliable and durable GM every built.

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: merc 165 IL6 cyl. startup questions.

If you're worried about "dry" start up you could pull the distributor and spin the oil pump with a drill to pressurize the oil system after you change the oil. it also might not be a bad idea to remove the plugs and put a small amount of oil in the cyls and pull the engine thru a few turns to lube up the cyls after you spin the pump.


Regards,

Rick

 

[jimfj]

Re: merc 165 IL6 cyl. startup questions.

Thanks for the suggestions:

I agree with everything you guys said. The waterpump rebuild is a must on this one. the P.O. said that neeeded to be done. How time consuming is the water pump replacement? I have done a couple of outboard impeller replacements and they have been pretty straightforward. I have the manual for the engine/drive. Anything to watch out for there?

Jim