Recent content by saltyfries

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    Mid 70's Holiday 18 vs. Late 80's Holiday 18 specs.

    I've been shopping for an 18 foot Holiday for some time now. I'm partial to ones from the mid 70's but occasionally see one from the late 80's. I'm wondering what the differences are between them. For example, I noticed on the NADA specs page (couldn't find a late 80's brochure here showing...
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    Need advice for diy survey

    Hello, I'm looking at an 18' Starcraft Holiday outboard and need some advice on how to make an assessment of its condition prior to purchase. I will do a compression test on the engine. Should I take something like a scratch awl to check the condition of the floor? Are there susceptible areas...
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    Liquid gasket on crankcase halves. Yes or No?

    Can someone tell me if Mercury used liquid gasket/sealer on the mating surfaces of crankcase halves? My Seloc manual says to use loctite, but I didn't see any evidence of it upon disassembly. It's a 1969 Merc 75 (7.5 hp) and the surfaces are smooth without grooves. I am planning to use purple...
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    How do you remove reed block pins?

    I have a 1969 merc 75 (7.5 hp). I'm installing new reed valves but they spring open when I tighten the stops, so I want to remove the dowel pins and lap the blocks on a surface plate. Can someone tell me how to remove the dowel pins? Do they go all the way through or are they installed from...
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    '69 Merc 75 How to remove crankcase screws?

    Can anyone tell me how to remove the phillips screws which hold the crankcase halves together of a 1969 Merc 75 (7.5 HP)? There are nuts on the other side which are captured by the casting, so I can't turn those. I've tried heating the screws and using a phillips bit in a ratchet wrench to get...
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    '69 Merc 75 (7.5 HP) PISTON SCORING

    Just looked through the transfer port of my 1969 Merc 75 (7.5 HP) and found scoring on the bottom of each cylinder. Up near the rings they look good as the pictures show. Compression checks good. What do I do about this? Pictures show upper cylinder, bottom is similar. Thanks
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    '69 Merc 7.5 Water Pump, Does This Look Normal?

    Could someone please give me some advice on this water pump from my 1969 merc 75 (7.5 hp)? The picture is of the underside of the lower pump housing. Does that rough stuff around the oil seal look normal? It is hard plastic. Could this have melted at some point?
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    Newbie tune-up '69 Merc 75 (7.5 HP)

    I bought a 14' Lund with a 1969 Merc 75 (7.5 HP) a couple of weeks ago. Engine serial is 2534336 which makes it a 1969 according to my research. The owner said it would need a "tune-up" and so far, except for some leaky oil seals in the gearbox, I guess everything I have found falls into that...
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    1969 Merc 75 Flush Question

    Hello, Just tried flushing my 1969 Merc 75 using the flush port on the lower unit. I got a little water coming out of the intake, alot of water from in front of the prop, and no water from any ports higher up. Can someone tell me what is going on here? Is this normal? Thanks.
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    1969 Merc 75 Cooling System Questions

    Hello, I recently purchased a 1969 Mercury 75, serial number 2534336. I started it briefly in a barrel of water but didn't see water spurting from any ports, so I shut it down. I am not familiar with the location of the water exhaust port(s) on this engine. Intake is shown in the generic...
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