Cost of carb rebuild

[nim713]

I have a 2002 mercury 125 2+2. I really not good with engines. I'm just curious of what are people opinion on the average cost of carb rebuild. Dyi and average marine tech. Outboard runs great top end but can be difficult to start and wants to stall at idle even running for awhile.

 

[racerone]

Start with posting the actual values of a compression test.-----You will be shocked by what a big shop will charge you to repair 4 carburetors.----Do your trouble shooting FIRST.----May not be a carburetor issue at all.----Explain how you try and start a cold motor.----You might be missing a step ??

 

[cyclops222]

Are these problems very new ? Must be.
You buy used motors every year.

 

[Texasmark]

I have a 2002 mercury 125 2+2. I really not good with engines. I'm just curious of what are people opinion on the average cost of carb rebuild. Dyi and average marine tech. Outboard runs great top end but can be difficult to start and wants to stall at idle even running for awhile.

Before you start spending a lot of money, get some fresh fuel and add 2 oz per gallon of Sea Foam.....engine cleanup in a can.....available at most auto parts stores.

Run the engine for half an hour or so and let it sit for a day or so or longer.....better.....then back to the lake, fire it back up and repeat the process. Then put in a new set of plugs. Then come back on here with your current condition.

 

[Texasmark]

Before you start spending a lot of money, get some fresh fuel and add 2 oz per gallon of Sea Foam.....engine cleanup in a can.....available at most auto parts stores.

Run the engine for half an hour or so and let it sit for a day or so or longer.....better.....then back to the lake, fire it back up and repeat the process. Then put in a new set of plugs. Then come back on here with your current condition.

I forgot something that can make a big difference in smooth operation at idle and adjacent speeds......when not up on plane, and just putting around, tilt the engine up (in the rear) about 10*. This is not my idea but an idea I got from Mercury's design of fishing motors, back when the color was white...forget the years, they designed and built the engine deliberately tilted like this for 2 reasons: 1 is that they said fuel puddles at the top of the combustion chamber and can affect plug fouling and by tilting up it gets that puddle away from the plug and combustible. Second was that the tilted lower unit slid over logs easier since small owner's (like me at the time) fished a lot of wooded coves.

I do it all the time and I assure you that I can slow down and if I tilt as I said, I get an immediate smoothing out of the engine running on the top two cylinders.

 

[racerone]

??----How can fuel " puddle " at the top of the combustion chamber in a 2 stroke ???----Please explain.

 

[boscoe99]

Dying to hear how fuel that should be entirely/mostly in a gaseous state by the time it enters the combustion chamber can create a puddle.

 

[cyclops222]

If tilting the motor helps ? A fuel float level is not correct. Fix it.

 

[Mc Tool]

Dying to hear how fuel that should be entirely/mostly in a gaseous state by the time it enters the combustion chamber can create a puddle.

Blocked air corrector or emulsion tube ?

 

[Texasmark]

??----How can fuel " puddle " at the top of the combustion chamber in a 2 stroke ???----Please explain.

Go find the news writeup on the 20 HP Mercury fishing motor that has the characteristics I mentioned above. Timeline would be around the 1970's. They said it, I didn't.......but I proved it to be a fact.

Next in the 2+2 Merc 2 stroke 115 and 125 HP 4 cylinders, the bottom 2 cylinders only get enough fuel to lubricate things below 2500 RPM. That lubricating fuel is coating everything and not consumed necessarily and when you hit the throttle to get up on plane, 3 and 4 have to burn off that oil/gas mixture before they are ready to contribute to overall performance.

 

[Texasmark]

If tilting the motor helps ? A fuel float level is not correct. Fix it.

I like my puddling theory better.......

 

[Texasmark]

??----How can fuel " puddle " at the top of the combustion chamber in a 2 stroke ???----Please explain.

This is a picture of the engine upon which some sporting news media published an information post on the differences in the design including the tilting you see in the picture.....unlike most other engines with a 90* drive line. I can't find the article, but as you can see in the picture, the combustion chamber is tilted forward when the engine is clamped to a transom in what would normally be the vertical position.

So its an early '60s, not a 70 eras design. The cowling sits straight, but looking under the cowling,....if you could in the picture........ the slope of the drive shaft shows you the slope of the crankshaft which is tilted forward. The problem with this design is as folks on here have posted is the fact that the pinion connected to the bottom of the drive shaft, does not mate at 90* with the gearing on the rear of F and R gears. I guess that turned out to be such a problem that they dispensed with that idea and made later models in the conventional manner.

1960-61 22hp (1292910 - 1459239)

OldMercs.com is your one stop shop for all Mercury parts. We stock parts from 1940 to the present.

www.oldmercs.com

 

[cyclops222]

Just remembered that I had the 9.9 hp do the same. Printed rebuild instructions were wrong.

 

[racerone]

I have some of those white Mercury motors.----I do not believe the fuel can " puddle " in the combustion chamber !-----Perhaps you meant to say in the crankcase.----And then these Mercury motors did not have a thermostat.------They ran cold.------To prevent puddling in the crankcase you need some heat.

 

[cyclops222]

I prefer to use a men's rest room.

 

[tphoyt]

I miss the designs back then. They just had style.
Cars as well.

 

[Texasmark]

I prefer to use a men's rest room.

?

 

[Texasmark]

I have some of those white Mercury motors.----I do not believe the fuel can " puddle " in the combustion chamber !-----Perhaps you meant to say in the crankcase.----And then these Mercury motors did not have a thermostat.------They ran cold.------To prevent puddling in the crankcase you need some heat.

I don't know what heat has to do with puddling. I have no idea as to what the writer of the article had for reference material. Maybe he was blowing hot air and maybe he was sitting down with the Merc. engineers that developed the design. Iterating what I said before, he coined the phrase.....i just used it and it made sense and still makes sense and will continue to make sense.......In a cold engine running at low RPMs with a 50:1 oil mix you guys are trying to convince me that you get 100% combustion, and especially on my 2+2 that doesn't even have enough fuel to combust in 3 and 4? Fine, don't do it. Suit yourself.

 

[Texasmark]

Back to the original question:

NIM 713, are you still here? Have you made any decisions as to your plans?
Did you give any thought to what I said? Did you try it? If so, the results?

 

[Faztbullet]

To the original poster.....I charge $95 per carb plus parts. This is removal/install/sonic clean/sync and link. Fuel pump is $95 plus parts. Part would be 4 carb kits @$15.85x4, 4 inlet needles @$11.50 and pump @$31.49 and $16.00 for shop supplies such as fuel ties/carb spray