'60 Merc 300 Awakening - No SPARK

[timmeraw]

Re: '60 Merc 300 Awakening - No SPARK

ok this is one the hard parts of the motor. ok take lower unit off should be four bolts. where driveshaft comes out of lower unit. there a cover with four holes in them. if u cant get a spanner wrench then use a hammer a punch a adeuate size. spray with a wd-40 or any other item and let sit for a while then righty tighty lefty loosy the cover off. try to punch flush with the cover so ur hammer uses its full potential to move it. use hard punches the less the better. then take wearplate off and such 2 screwdrivers to take impeller out if stuck in there pretty good may neeed a dremel to take out

Thanks coolguy...I see two very rusty bolts(one on each side on the top of the cavitation place facing downward, I also see one bolt on bottom of skeg facing upwards(right beside the water intake...that btw I just noticed is missing the screen) and the fourth is up in the exhaust port facing up..need to get a flashlight to see what size and kind. Are these the 4 bolts that you are referring to?

I have em soaking with PB Blaster right now.
Thanks,Tim

 

[coolguy147]

Re: '60 Merc 300 Awakening - No SPARK

ya those r the four bolts i was talking about. i had to replace my nuts the three cause there were rusted and falling apart not to hard i think mine were 5/8 ur might be 1/2 just check though. if they strip then get a vice grip out.

the one up in the exhaust is i think is an allen wrench.

then it should just drop right out try to keep the shift rod in place. now when reinstalling i believe the thing needs to be in foward gear the gearcase then shift with controls after reinstalled. and it should be in neurtral.

now what i really wanted u to soak is the impeller cover it might be a booger to get off and even the impeller could be rusted on there a bit well see how it goes

 

[timmeraw]

Re: '60 Merc 300 Awakening - No SPARK

ya those r the four bolts i was talking about. i had to replace my nuts the three cause there were rusted and falling apart not to hard i think mine were 5/8 ur might be 1/2 just check though. if they strip then get a vice grip out.

the one up in the exhaust is i think is an allen wrench.

then it should just drop right out try to keep the shift rod in place. now when reinstalling i believe the thing needs to be in foward gear the gearcase then shift with controls after reinstalled. and it should be in neurtral.

now what i really wanted u to soak is the impeller cover it might be a booger to get off and even the impeller could be rusted on there a bit well see how it goes

Thanks for the quick confirmation. So to be clear...I have it in neutral to start....remove the lower unit(carefull not to move shift rod).....replace the impellar.....bolt it back up and shift into forward. Or do I put in forward before I start and then try to shift to neutral after install?
The allen key bolt might be a problem as I don't have one long enough to reach up there(just the small L-shaped ones). Maybe another tool to buy eh?

I'll be back hopefully reporting success and not yet another question/issue

 

[timmeraw]

Re: '60 Merc 300 Awakening - No SPARK

Update....I got the lower unit off without much problem. And what a rusty mess I have found. I am going to take a couple of pics and upload here again shortly. Green/milky water in the lower unit cavity along with big chunks of rust and the lower part of the drive shaft is pretty rusty as is the housing around the shift rod.

Here are the pics.....how do I get the impellar out? Two screw drivers wedging/leveraging on each side to pry it up?

The impellar actually looks in pretty good shape but since I have the replacement and have it all apart I will replace...assuming I can get the old one out?

 

[timmeraw]

Re: '60 Merc 300 Awakening - No SPARK

Ok ...after everything going so well I am stopping as I realized I could be damaging the threads for the water pump cap or whatever it is called, by using screwdrivers trying to pry it up. I now have to replace the impellar as I have mangled it pretty good trying to get it out.

It's soaking again with PB Blaster.....what to try next? I am not sure if I can get a dremel into there to cut it?

 

[timmeraw]

Re: '60 Merc 300 Awakening - No SPARK

I am such a bonehead. I finally managed to wrangle the impellar off and then in my haste to get it back together....took the lower unit over to the hose reel to wash out the accumulated rust and dirt in the cavities etc but forgot grab the impellar keyway/pin or whatever and blasted it out along with the grime somewhere. I have been searching through the grass and ground cover etc but to no avail. Now what? Where can I possibly find another?

Joy to sorry within minutes....Grrrrrr!!!.

Also...can I use waterproof wheel bearing grease for the drive shaft splines and the shift rod splines when re-assembling?

 

[corm]

Re: '60 Merc 300 Awakening - No SPARK

but forgot grab the impellar keyway/pin or whatever and blasted it out along with the grime somewhere. I have been searching through the grass and ground cover etc but to no avail.

Done that before. I can never find anything in the grass. Got a big magnet?
Assume the mechanic's position and look again with it. Or.
A good hardware store may have a stainless pin you could use.

Also...can I use waterproof wheel bearing grease for the drive shaft splines and the shift rod splines when re-assembling?

Yes, you can. I like EP Moly grease better but that is splitting straws.

 

[coolguy147]

Re: '60 Merc 300 Awakening - No SPARK

oh yeah sorry i forgot to mention about the key. ya the service manuel saids to use two screw drivers to prop it up the impeller . and it saids to put the lower unit in foward gear now thats when the prop locks when u turn one way then clicks in the other direction. then put the upper shift gear in the motor and make sure u didnt lose that gear. in the motor? lol

ya i guess u can move its ok cause u got pictures i didnt and i had the thing off for liek 2 weeks so i didnt remember after wards

ya make sure u get a right size pin if not u might find one at oldmercs.com

now reinstalling the impeller i feel is much more tedious then taking the impeller lol. u have get the key right in there and it falls then put it back in place falls down again and its very hard to press down on the impeller and bend the impeller blades in at the same time.

just a though great engine but its not very user friendly. luckily my lower unit looks better then yours less rusty i guess. except my driveshaft at the impeller it was a pretty hard to take off i had to cut mine off basically

 

[coolguy147]

Re: '60 Merc 300 Awakening - No SPARK

oh u might wanna change the gear lube in the lower unit 85-95 weight gear oil ummmm i guess change gaskets on screws umm ya and its easier when its on the motor so do it after u reinstall the lower unit

 

[timmeraw]

Re: '60 Merc 300 Awakening - No SPARK

Still searching for the needle in the haystack. The thing is ..I managed to lose it so fast I don't even know what it looks like. I assume it is not like a half a dime shape that OMC ones are based on the fact that the grove on the shaft is only flat and not dished out like OMC. When you say find a stainless pin at the hardware store ....again what size shape would I be looking for?

I have changed many impellars and am always careful with that pin.....until now.

Update: ..... I managed to find a key at the local RV/Marine dealer. Back on track and will rebuild this afternoon.

 

[corm]

Re: '60 Merc 300 Awakening - No SPARK

Hi,

The pin looks like a needle bearing. It is about as tall as the flat cut in the shaft and the dia is real close to the depth of the flat plus the depth of the groove in the impeller. I guess you could use a carbon steel one because you coat it with grease to hold it in place when you put the imp into the cup. It has to be big enough so it will not slip around the shaft.

 

[timmeraw]

Re: '60 Merc 300 Awakening - No SPARK

Wow...what a job I had getting the impellar re-installed. I should have sanded the drive shaft more but in any case I got it started and lined up with the key and it only went in half way. I ended up forcing it in by pounding with a piece of PVC pipe slid over the drive shaft and finally got it seated hopefully in enough and put the stainless plate and screw on cover back on along with a new o-ring and black rubber gasket on top of the cover that came in the water pump kit. I did have a bunch of gaskets and a stainless plate of some sort that none of which looked like they were for this job. I wonder if the impellar was even the right one now thinking about it but I bought it from Northeast Marine that is supposedly a good knowledgeable source.

I hope I didn't damage the impellar with the pounding and I dearly dread having to take it out again for some reason soon as it will be a case of cutting and pounding etc.

After I had it together I took the opportunity to sand down the lower unit and applied an automotive primer and paint. I used Dupli-color self-etching primer and Dupli-Color Wibeldon White automotive paint which I understand is pretty darn close to the original Merc Cloud White.

Next is the tedious work on the rest of the motor...getting rid of the grease/grime/rust in all of the nicks and crannies and sanding it all and painting.

Question....is there anywhere to get a replicate Mercury (black with red outline) decal for the cowling? I also need to straighten out some dents in the aluminum wrap around and figure I will use a broad head rubber mallet and place it on a thick towel over a piece of 2x10 wood or something.

I'll post the before/after pics etc in the next few days and now I really need to get working on the boat(13' Whaler) with new interior and exterior paint and finalize the install of the temporary wooden seats/console/side seat hold downs and then figure out the cable steering etc.
All this in two weeks before my vacation to Canada...whew.

Take care.

 

[corm]

Re: '60 Merc 300 Awakening - No SPARK

Hi,

Good luck!
I am a little concerned about the impeller but a test run or two will tell all.

 

[coolguy147]

Re: '60 Merc 300 Awakening - No SPARK

ya his impeller should be fine.

now u made sure u got the pin correctly inside the impeller right cause even if its hard to get the impeller in the needle thing can still fall out. i had to take my impeller a couple of time before i got mine correctly installed

 

[timmeraw]

Re: '60 Merc 300 Awakening - No SPARK

ya his impeller should be fine.

now u made sure u got the pin correctly inside the impeller right cause even if its hard to get the impeller in the needle thing can still fall out. i had to take my impeller a couple of time before i got mine correctly installed

When you say make sure the pin is correct..is there a top and bottom or something? I assume it is in correctly because the impellar fit over it and besides what I assume was corrosion on the drive shaft, it finally seated pretty well in the cup.

Update: After sanding and painting the lower unit ..today I started on the rest of the engine and got some of it sanded primed and painted(below the head). Still trying to figure out if I can find a Mercury decal to replace the original shellac or whater one or maybe I will just mask it and do my best to paint around it.

 

[coolguy147]

Re: '60 Merc 300 Awakening - No SPARK

well what i was talking about something it may be hard to get the impeller in. but even u will see that the key isnt in the impeller. but down in the water pickup so u have to flip the gear case upsidedown and and shake it around till it falls back out. then u have to go and redo the whole thing.

if your sure that u got them both in correctly then it should be fine.

just when u first run the motor check and see if its pumping water and not overheating i usually get a bottle then pour a little bit everywhere exhuast side opposite side the top cylinder. like that to check and steams if not your good

 

[timmeraw]

Re: '60 Merc 300 Awakening - No SPARK

Stuck Again,

After changing the impellar I took some time to paint the lower unit and most of the motor, finished building the interior wood seats and console etc and painting the interior of the whaler. Today I put the motor back on the boat and bolted up the lower unit. Now I have it stuck in reverse I believe and not able to get it out. I have taken it off and back on twice and turned the shift rod both ways etc.
What is the proper way to get it back on correct. The lower unit seems to be in forward but I can't even figure out how to change it using the shift rod when the lower unit is off. I assume that it changes gears when the shift rod turns and the two bevelled nuts turn and slide up and down on the bevelled edges right?


Help please and thanks.
9 days and counting until my vacation in Canada and i am running out of time.

Thanks,
Tim

 

[coolguy147]

Re: '60 Merc 300 Awakening - No SPARK

well like i said put the gear case in foward thats when the prop clicks when u turn one way and turns the driveshaft the other

 

[timmeraw]

Re: '60 Merc 300 Awakening - No SPARK

Actually I did leave it in Forward before I started and it is still there .....clicks clockwise and wont move counter-cw. I disconnected the shift cable from the motor.....and I dropped the lower unit again. I moved the shifter to fwd and reconnect the shift cable. Put it back together and it is stuck in FWD. So I dropped the lower unit again and manually turned the lower unit shift linkage 180 degrees the opposite what it was turned to(still not sure how this linkage works....can't seem to be able to manually shift on the lower? ). Anyways.... After turning it 180 I started bolting it back up and as it got close to coming to together it really started to bind and I should really have stopped. Got it close to closed and tried gear shift...still stuck in FWD.

I am thinking it has something to do with the tilt lock which should be engaged (locked down over the pin) when it is in gear right? Well it isn't.

I have pages from repair manual for water pump replacement and servicing the gear case etc. but nowhere does it detail how the linkage works and what steps to do to ensure it re-connects properly.

 

[timmeraw]

Re: '60 Merc 300 Awakening - No SPARK

Update....good news is I figured out what was wrong and got it bolted back together with gears working fine. Bad news is.....after installing the new impeller and having to pound it to seat it....it is not pumping water. Well at least after running it for about a minute or two. It felt pretty hot so I stopped it to be safe. How long would it take to heat up enough for thermo to open and start the tell tale spewing? Looks like I have to pull it again and somehow wrestle with and reck the new impellar and attempt another new install. Oh joy.