First time boater needs help

[spamn]

I just purchased my first boat and it has a older Mercury 402 2 stroke 2 cylinder. Not sure of the year but the serial is 3727480. I couldn't figure out those websites that help you decipher your year by S/N.

I took it out for the first time to see how it ran. All was good at first. After having it at wide open throttle for about 10 minutes it started smoking on me and shut down. It would not start back up. I trolled around and fished for about 15 minutes and it started up then. However, it was running very sluggishly. It would drop speed and attempt to speed up on it own. It would fail to speed up for more than a few seconds at a time though. The engine kept bogging down. My buddy was out with me and he suggested I start off with simple things like spark plugs. The plugs in the boat are Autolite 2852. Any idea if these are the right plugs for that engine? I'd like to throw in some NGKs but do not want to cross reference the ones in there now in case they are not the right ones.

Anything else to look at based on the basic problems I gave? The fuel lines and primer bulb are new. Tank is new. Fuel is properly mixed 50:1. Throttle cable is new.

Thanks in advance
Sam

 

[latin monkey]

Re: First time boater needs help

first of all, was it shooting a good stream of water out of the telltale (pisser) while you were running it?

 

[spamn]

Re: First time boater needs help

Not sure. Where is that generally located? I am taking it back out tomorrow morning to try it out again. I'll make sure to look for that. Should it be constant at all times or fluctuate with engine speed? I imagine that has to do with the cooling system of the engine? Doesn't it suck water in through the ports on the bottom near the prop, cool the engine, and then spit it out somewhere? Sorry for the dumb questions. I am decent at working on cars but have never seen a boat up close, let alone owned one.

 

[latin monkey]

Re: First time boater needs help

yes, the water coming out of the telltale hose lets you know the engine has water circulating through it. look towards the back of the upper part of the motor for the hose. when you run the motor again make sure there is water shooting out of there, if its not then shut it down and dont attempt to run it again or you could burn it up. let us know what you find out. if the motor is cooling ok i would think you need a good carb cleaning and mixture adjustments

 

[starcraft1982]

Re: First time boater needs help

you need to take it somewhere(or do yourself if you know how)and do a compression test.Sounds to me like you overheated the motor and scorched it!was the impeller changed before you ran it?was the entire waterpump inspected?that motor should not have ran more than 15sec. or so just to see if the water came out.definately not 10 min. at WOT! Hope you didnt scorch it,just being honest.

 

[Mi duckdown]

Re: First time boater needs help

Yep. Do a compression check before going further.

 

[444]

Re: First time boater needs help

I have to agree with starcraft. Do a compression test. Also could be a carb issue or a gasket. The pee hole is usually mid way up the engine cover and shoots out on the side so you can see it while running. I've made it a habit to periodically look back and check for the pee stream while cruising.

 

[spamn]

Re: First time boater needs help

So I had a mechanic look at it today. He pulled the cover off and instantly saw that the cylinder block cover has been JB Welded near the upper spark plug hole. Looks like someone over tightened a plug. He said the the weld isn't good and that the cover needs to be replaced. Also, the head gasket is leaking. He said with a carb cleaning and a new cover and gasket it should be good to go. Hopefully so. He offered great prices and is even going to track down a used cover for me. Sounds like a good deal.

Lastly, I noticed a stripped out hull of a boat on a tilt trailer with a nice looking Mercury 500 on it for sale. I called the number on the boat and the guy just wants it all gone. He said for $100 I can take it all. I am considering putting the 500 on my boat. 50 hp, 4 cylinder. The mechanic told me that my Merc controls and power cable will hook right up to all of it. We popped the cover and it appears to be in great condition. For $100 even if it doesn't work it would be worth the parts or even trailer alone. Lastly, the 500 has tilt/trim on it and minen does not. Is there anyway to transfer it to my motor if that one is blown? How do the controls work?

I apologize for the 39834 questions in one post. I am just excited that my motor is not badly ruined and that I found such a great deal on a motor/boat/trailer.

Thanks in advance
Sam

 

[Wingedwheel]

Re: First time boater needs help

Great price, really good motor. Just make sure you change the impeller before running it. If you can work on cars, get a manual and you'll be amazed at how easy it is to do maintenace on your outboard.

 

[starcraft1982]

Re: First time boater needs help

You didnt tell us what your compression readings were.Kinda hard to say it wasnt something serious w/your motor if you dont know compressions good.Hope you didnt do some spending to have a better condition parts motor!Also,might wanna check the numbers on that other motor.