The 70 Merc Blues..................

[Barry&Lori]

hello all( HI J.B.) me again with my 70 merc dissapointment... well you may remember a month or so ago that my merc went in for a rebuild because of a melted piston ( No 1 piston)well I got it back after they had it for a month and it cost me 1602.86 to fix it. Since then I was out in it for about 20 mins to a local fishing spot. then on Aug the 19 we went to the lake and got half way around it and the motor died (it melted again) I have a new tach in it and the motor didn,t even reach 3800 rpm when it died also the water pump was pumping water like crazy!!!! why is this happening.. I am at the point now were I just want to sell every thing. I do everything right and still the crap falls. Is this one of those motors that are plegue with problems? or is it just the way my luck is..I really hate to say it but this boating thing is leaving a BAD taste in my mouth

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: The 70 Merc Blues..................

Hi Barry & Lori,<br /> I would do away with the 70hp Merc (assuming it's a 1970s/1980s 3 cylinder model). I have yet to hear a Merc mech say a good thing about them. The 3 cylinder/2 carb design wasn't Merc's best effort. Between the top cylinder usually running a bit leaner than the center and bottom one, there was also a problem with vapor locks in the cooling system creating hot-spots. Either or a combination of both probably lead to your problem. Whatever the initial cause of your first meltdown wasn't dealt with during the rebuild and probably caused the second. I'd bring that issue up with the mechanic - might be able to get something out of it. Ask him what caused the first meltdown... and then get him to assess the second one.<br />- Scott

 

[JB]

Re: The 70 Merc Blues..................

Hi, Barry & Lori. I agree with Chinewalker. The meltdown was a symptom of a deeper cause, which was not repaired when the big bux were spent. Therefore, another meltdown. <br /><br />Perhaps you can get the dealer to allow you big bux on a 4 stroke in restitution for the fix that didn't fix. Just a thought.<br /><br />Red sky at night. . .<br />JB

 

[Walter]

Re: The 70 Merc Blues..................

I'm really sorry to hear you folks are having such a rough time with your Merc...<br /><br />Not knowing any particulars about the mech. or dealership that repaired your engine, I can only hope they'll do the right thing and either fix it properly free of charge or refund most your money. My Merc tech buddy echoed almost word for word what Chinewalker described with the difficulty in balancing fuel supply to each cylinder. He suspects, as Chinewalker stated, your melted piston is running much leaner & or hotter (lack of cooling) than the others...and that should have been rectified at rebuild.<br /><br />Let's hope your boating waters get a bit smoother from here on out...<br /><br /><br />Walt