2001 Merc 50hp Outboard

[Kaspr007]

Hello all,
My parents recently retired and bought a pontoon boat with a 2001 merc 50 hp outboard motor on it. They have 2 problems though.

1. There was no owners manual for it. Is there a place to download PDF's of the manuals or do you have to buy one?

2. The lake they are on is shallow and weedy. The "pisser" always seems to get clogged with the smallest piece of weeds. If we don't notice it the buzzer sounds. We then have to climb over the back and stick a small piece of wire in the "pisser" to unclog it so the water starts flowing again.
Is there a filter or cover we can add to the motor so it doesn't get clogged? Do we have any other options?

Thanks in advance for any information you can provide.

Cheers,
Jim
Lindsay, Ontario

 

[WillyBWright]

Re: 2001 Merc 50hp Outboard

The only way is to avoid the weeds. Finer screens just clog up all that much quicker. The overheat alarm doesn't rely on the pisser being open. That's only a tiny fraction of what goes through the motor. In other words, clearing a clogged pisser isn't affecting the flow through the motor.

 

[Kaspr007]

Re: 2001 Merc 50hp Outboard

The only way is to avoid the weeds. Finer screens just clog up all that much quicker. The overheat alarm doesn't rely on the pisser being open. That's only a tiny fraction of what goes through the motor. In other words, clearing a clogged pisser isn't affecting the flow through the motor.

Pardon my lack of knowledge in outboards but are you saying I have 2 separate problems? A clogged pisser and something else that makes the alarm sound? Do I have to worry about the pisser being clogged?

We can't really avoid the weeds as we have to drive through them in order to leave the dock.

Cheers,
Jim

 

[Silvertip]

Re: 2001 Merc 50hp Outboard

Yes, you have two problems. It's a "tell tale" not a pisser by the way. No -- I'm not a prude -- just telling it like it is. The tell tale merely tells you the water pump is working. When it quits, it says the tube is either plugged or the water pump is not working. If the water pump is not working its either worn out or the weeds you continually run through are clogging the inlet ports and water can't reach the pump. When water can't reach the pump the tell tale quits and the engine doesn't receive cooling water so it continues to heat up until the horn sounds. The horn is an OVERHEAT warning -- not a water pump warning. Continuing to overheat the engine will destroy it. What may be happening is weeds clog the inlet ports. You continue to run until the horn sounds. You stop the engine, poke the wire into the tell tale, and think that was the problem. What really happened was when you stopped, the weeds fell away from the port, or buy pulling them off the engine you now have water pressure again. You have one option -- stay out of the weeds or be prepared to buy a new engine or rebuild the one you have as it will eventually seize due to continued overheating.

 

[jimc_LA]

Re: 2001 Merc 50hp Outboard

Only other option if the weeds cannot be avoided is to invest in an electric trolling motor. Use it to get the boat and engine through the weeds, then you can drop and crank the main engine. Otherwise you'll either have to have a path dredged (cleared) of weeds or you'll continue to have the weeds clogging the intake ports of the engine. If that continues, you'll most likely end up burning up the engine. You may also have weeds within the engine's cooling system either clogging the water passages or impeding the operation of the water pump's impeller. I would either take it all down and do a thorough cleaning or have a shop do it for you.

Good Luck.

 

[Chris Cole]

Re: 2001 Merc 50hp Outboard

Kaspr007,

I have a 2000 40 hp Merc Outboard 2 stroke. The problem I have frequently, in weed choked waters is the thermostat getting clogged. If your thermostat gets clogged it will restrict the flow of cooling water, therefore causing overheating.
I have run my motor without my thermostat before, and not had any problems. I do not think a lot of people would recommend doing this though.
If you go to this link and scroll down to the bottom of the page you can get maintenance suggestions in PDF. http://http://northamerica.mercurymarine.com/serviceandwarranty/
If you need to know anymore I recommend buying the repair manual, as the owner's manual is useless. The repair manual will cost about $75.00.
If you drop me an e-mail with Serial or Model number of motor, I might be able to help you out with diagrams and what not. I have a repair manual that might cover your motor.
Good luck.