1984 115 Hp Mercury

[Force 120]

I have owned a couple Chryslers, Force and evinrudes but no Mercury.
I came to take a look at a boat and motor yesterday.

http://detroit.craigslist.org/wyn/boa/1466835941.html

The motor is 1984 115 Hp Mercury inline 6. The ower had no thing to run the motor. It was cranked a couple seconds when hooked up battery.
Tilt and trim mechanism worked OK. I could nail down the boat and motor for half of asking price. I 'd like to pick them up but want to know if the motor is good or bad without running it. Inline 6 has a reputation for power but 6 cylinders is a quite costly for repair.

 

[joey maneri]

Re: 1984 115 Hp Mercury

You could do a compresion test. that would tell you if it has any weak cylinders. you can also check for spark at each wire when you do the compresion test. If it has good spark and comp. the only other things could be fuel pump or dirty carbs. If all the above is good plan on replacing the water pump and the t-stat.

 

[emckelvy]

Re: 1984 115 Hp Mercury

Inline Six has no thermostat, so no worries there!

If you can get it for $650 that'd be a good deal, even with the rusty trailer. Just check out the price of parts alone on eBay; between the lower unit and center section with power trim/tilt, you've just about got your value covered. Not to mention the controls and all the powerhead parts.

Since there are controls and a battery, all you'd need to run it is a gas can/hose and a flushing attachment. You could pick those up cheaply at Wal-Mart if you don't already have them.

If water/fuel isn't available at the site, you could rig up a 5-gal bucket with a short hose hooked to a flusher; start a siphon so water is flowing; and squirt some 50:1 fuel/oil mix into each carb with a spray bottle. If you have the water supply raised to at least powerhead level, as soon as the motor starts it'll suck water. And you can spray fuel in the carbs to keep it going long enough to see if it's making any bad noises.

Failing that, the advice of a compression check is good. If compression checks out, and spark is present, do all the stuff suggested and you're likely to have a good motor.

You can also remove the oil drain plug in the lower unit and check for water in the gear oil. It's a pretty easy and relatively inexpensive fix (likely it'll be the 2 oil seals under the water pump base), but a good bargaining point if water is present.

HTH & G'luck..........ed

 

[Force 120]

Re: 1984 115 Hp Mercury

Thanks alot for your info.
I will take a chance. Even if the motor did not work, I would part out on e-bay. The lower unit is in very good condition as well as the propeller.