1987 Mercury Classic Fifty - Several Questions

achilles555

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Mar 16, 2008
Messages
111
Hello all. Just bought a Bass Tracker with a 1987 Classic Fifty on it. The boat was used on a trolling motor only lake, so the motor hasn't been run in a few years. I've been doing a lot of reading on these forums about getting a motor up and running, and I have a couple of questions. Here goes:

1. Is my motor a 45 HP or a fifty HP? If it is a 45 HP motor, then why is it called a "Classic Fifty"

2. Is it a must to change the water pump impeller? When I do get her started, can't I just see if it is peeing or not, or is an impeller change a must? The reason I ask is that I changed the impeller on my last motor (Mercury 150 Black Max XR4), and I think I might have done it incorrectly. It did not pee a steady stream at idle, and I ended up putting a rod through both sides of my block. I'm still not sure the reason for that, but I am a little skeptical about changing the water pump on my new motor.

3. Fuel Lines and Tank: I have a 6 gallon metal tank full of old, bad gas. Should I just flush the old metal tank out and put fresh gas in, or should I abandon the metal tank and go buy a new plastic one? Also, I see that it is recommended to buy new fuel lines. I am on a pretty tight budget, so I would like to keep the lines I've got. How important is it to replace the fuel lines?

4. Should I mix my first tank of gas at 25:1, just to get everything lubed back up again?

I think that's about it. Any help or insight you guys could give would be much appreciated. AC.

You can see a few photos of the boat at: http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=23inpwjg.awxmwnc4&x=0&y=u2ag24&localeid=en_US
 

Tech

Cadet
Joined
Oct 31, 2005
Messages
16
Re: 1987 Mercury Classic Fifty - Several Questions

1. Yes it is 45 HP. It's called a "Classic Fifty" because it is reminiscent of a model from the 60's.

2. YES YES YES!!!! Change the water pump. That is a pressure style pump and will fill the block quicklyand you should see the tell-tale stream fairly quickly. Get a service manual and get good at changing the water pump impeller as you will need to change it every year.

3. Definately get rid of the old fuel (dispose of properly). Then check the condition of the tank. If the metal is in good shape with little or no rust in the tank, there shouldn't be any problems.

4. A rich fuel mixture isn't needed to get things "lubed up". Use a good quality oil and fuel and mix it a 50:1 and you should be fine.
 
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