opinion needed ,repair or part out

[greasemonkeyjmj]

i bought a boat earlier this week with a 1977 mercury 500 (50 hp) with power tilt and trim. the rig has set since 92. the man who had it, had carb troubles so he had them rebuilt and the engine gone over. well the first time out after that, he never drained the tanks,so he was runnin the year to year and a half old fuel that was already in the tank and he said it trashed the carbs again, so he just parked it and never moved it again. well the engine has low hours and good compression, its clean under the cover, but it is suffering from that older mercury wiring harness disease. i cut out the bad wires and rewired it tonight, afterwards it had a nice hot blue spark, so i shot some premixed fuel into the carb throats and it fired up. i believe it will run nice if i build the carbs again.my question is does everyone think that this motor would be worth buying a 150.00 internal harness for, or do you think i would be better off parting it out. i figured my wiring job would be good enough to last at least long enough to build the carbs and see how the motor is gonna run. take into consideration that i dont have the means to go out and buy a brand new engine, so i would be buying something else well used.
thanks

 

[TOHATSU GURU]

Re: opinion needed ,repair or part out

It's too old to be reliable.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: opinion needed ,repair or part out

Elvin i totally disagree, i running a 76 500, if compression is above 120 and even. if you part it out, i want the trim system.

 

[TOHATSU GURU]

Re: opinion needed ,repair or part out

It's my belief/opinion that engines older than X years old (10 being the magic number I usually use) have an increased risk of non-specific failure that does not justify their continued use. There can and are many exceptions to that of course. If someone is using an engine on a small body of water where they can paddle to shore or if they have an auxiliary engine then certainly an engine may go beyond its prime and continue to be a source of enjoyment. But, I tend to look at them in terms of "will the engine bring you back at the end of the day?" If there is the slightest doubt about that in someone?s mind then they need a different engine. Some people don't have a problem driving a 20 year old car from place to place. But, the worse thing that can happen is it dies and you call a tow truck. Boating is completely different. If your engine dies on the water it almost always happens at the end of the day, just as it is starting to get dark, your cell phone can't get a signal, your VHF hasn't worked since you got your first cell phone, all of those morons on PWC's have disappeared and no one is in sight who can give you a tow, the wind has picked up and is blowing you out to sea, the waves are now 2' higher than you would ever have gone out in, your wife is pregnant (you suspect it isn't yours), your 6 year old daughter is throwing up and your dog just took a dump in the boat ( it was runny and full of worms...Well at least you have bait again). I'm a hopeless paranoid when it comes to safety on the water and any advice I provide is based on that paranoia

 

[SeaKaye12]

Re: opinion needed ,repair or part out

I guess I agree with both of you. But; for everyone in an open ocean boating environment which can be catastrophic with an engine failure, there are hundreds of other boaters on protected inland waters who just want to be on the water; whether it be to fish, sight-see or just take a nap with the sound of water lapping against the hull.

Greasmonkey's engine certainly seems to have a lot of life left in it, and he seems to have the skills and perseverance to do repairs as needed.

As long as the compression holds up and it meets his needs; why not just keep it running. Buying a wiring harness or even a trigger or stator is a lot cheaper than even the sales tax on a new motor.

Chuck

PS...I'm in a similiar situation with a '77 Merc 850. My home-made wiring harness is on it's third year now....not a problem yet.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: opinion needed ,repair or part out

Well, I guess I have to disagree with the Guru on this one. Ten years is way too short a time to use as a benchmark, in my opinion.

It all depends on the outboard. I've had them up to 50 years old (OMC) and they were trouble-free, once the magneto, carb, and fuel pumps were rehabbed.

For me, it isn't the age, but the make, availability of parts, and previous history of the individual outboard.

It also depends on the use the outboard is going to have. Naturally, If I was going offshore, I'd want something on the back of my boat that I was certain wouldn't break down on me, plus an auxiliary I could also count on.

The older outboards have one thing going for them that is hard to find today, and that's simplicity. It's pretty darned easy for a person to handle the most common repairs and maintenance on, say, an older OMC outboard. I don't know about Mercury.

Obviously, some older motors are collectors items, and difficult to repair due to lack of parts. I wouldn't want to count on those. Other outboards are offbreeds from companies that are now out of business. I wouldn't want to count on those, either.

But 10 years, for a company that's currently in business and supplying parts, is too short a period.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: opinion needed ,repair or part out

CATransplant, Elvin, i agree with both of you, to a degree, older motors, do present a problem, when having a shop work on them. at $80-120 an hour for labor, it adds up very fast. but for someone who is mechanically inclined, short on funding, (we all are presently), keeping an older motor running, keeps us on the water. $150 investment to keep one running, is not a down payment on a new one, and if you buy used, you maybe getting more headaches, than you have. financial a used one is almost impossible.

 

[greasemonkeyjmj]

Re: opinion needed ,repair or part out

thanks folks for the opinions, sorry,but i knew this would start a war.the engine has very low hours, the paint isnt even worn off on the ring gear from the starter. the compression is good and even on all cylinders. after going through the carbs today, i can just bump the switch and it will start and idle good. i couldnt run but just a few seconds at a time due to a bad impelor but kit will be here for it tomorrow. where i will be using it is in small lakes or along the arkansas river, so i can always cell phone help if needed.since where i fish it at runs thru downtown i guess i can troll to the bank and call a taxi back to the ramp. lol