Just inherited a 1995 Merc 115 ELPTO 2-stroke...now what?

[jasondemitri]

I just inherited a boat w/ a 1995 mercury 115 ELPTO 2 stroke. I dont have a book yet, but need some basic info. There is an oil tank mounted (stock) on the motor where i assume this is the 2 stroke oil...so do need to mix my gas can as well or do i run straight gas and the oil tank does the rest as in "oil injected". I have a mechanical background and 2-stroke knowledge from the mx world, but very little knowledge in the outboard world. any advice is greatly appreciated.

Also, what maintenance should i perform prior to starting the motor? im thinking the following:

oil change
clean spark plugs
check for spark at all 4 cyl
general cleaning of electrical connections (throughout the boat)

all this prior to trying to start the motor. i do know that there is some work it needs, but not sure what. I didnt get all the info on the issue, but i think it has to do with the motor cutting out like it was missing. I have read that this motor runs on 2 cyl when at low rpm's, so im wondering if the other 2 cyl arent kicking on when they are supposed to. Its on a 1972 glasply runabout.

 

[Charlie61]

Re: Just inherited a 1995 Merc 115 ELPTO 2-stroke...now what?

write a new thread about oil tank or ask about it and you will get the right anawer! when you login ask about mercury oiltank or oilers and you could be able to read a number of thread about oiler

 

[Dave1027]

Re: Just inherited a 1995 Merc 115 ELPTO 2-stroke...now what?

I'm thinking before you spend any money you should replace the gas in the tank and the oil in the oil tank, hook it up to muffs, charge up the battery and see if it will start. Make sure you get water exiting the pee hole. If that goes well you should change the lower unit oil and put it in the water and test. If that goes ok then think about doing a sync/link and rebuilding/replacing:

fuel pump
water pump impeller
all oil hoses
t-stat and poppet
carbs

 

[emoney]

Re: Just inherited a 1995 Merc 115 ELPTO 2-stroke...now what?

I'm going to disagree just a smidgeon, in that I would definitely check the lower unit oil at the very least. It would sure stink to find out after you started the boat that she'd somehow leaked dry. Depending on what's been done to the boat in the past, being a 1995 you need to be aware that this was pre-ethanol fuel lines. They can start to disintigrate on the inside from the ethanol and flake into little pieces that ultimately end up in the carb. Only takes a little bit of time and money, but will save you headaches down the road. If you have a laser temp gun, it's best to shoot a reading on the heads to make sure she's not getting too hot after it's had time to warm up of course. They can show water through the tell tale but still have a cooling issue.

And lastly, any new-to-me motor gets a compression test before I start, along with a spark test. I've seen lots of guys spend lots of money without doing a compression test to find out that they had a bad cylinder, etc. Again, easy and not expensive to do. Those are good motors and if it's been taken care of should give you plenty years of trouble free enjoyment. So, what's the boat and where's the pics???

 

[jasondemitri]

Re: Just inherited a 1995 Merc 115 ELPTO 2-stroke...now what?

its on a 1972 16" glasply runabout. I grew up water skiing on this boat and my uncle remotored it in 1995 with the current motor. He then purchased a bigger boat and this one didnt get used but maybe 2-3 times a year. It has been mostly garaged during thie winter and covered in the summer. Surprisingly it is in pretty good condition. Can I upload pics without being a contributing member? most websites you have to pay to be able to upload pics...

 

[Charlie61]

Re: Just inherited a 1995 Merc 115 ELPTO 2-stroke...now what?

As far as I know you can here my rebuild 1983 ATROglass 17.5

 

[pinellas50]

Re: Just inherited a 1995 Merc 115 ELPTO 2-stroke...now what?

I don't know what ELPTO means but it sounds like you have the same variety motor as mine. Yes, all you need to do is put oil in the tank on the motor itself and straight fuel in the tank. The motor mixes the fuel/oil itself. You just need to verify the oil system wasn't disabled by someone earlier....which some folks choose to do.

The 2+2 means idle and low speed is accomplished only with 2 cylinders. The other 2 get just enough fuel/oil so as not to have a problem but they don't make power. Above something like 2K rpm the carbs for the other 2 cylinders kick in for full power.

My motor, if it sits for several months, will take awhile to start operating correctly from the low speed to the high speed function. It takes a bit before the second set of carbs will kick in correctly. It has done this since I have owned it and both before and after a fuel system rebuild including carbs. So when you take it out for the first time and it bogs the first few times you try to give it full throttle don't worry too much. It will most likely bog. Just keep trying to hit it with the throttle for a bit and the carbs should eventually come on line...... All this provided the carbs aren't gummed up from sitting.

For me, I would check compression. If you have good compression on all 4 then you should have something to work with. From there, try to verify the fuel is still good and then try to start it. No need to change lower end oil before finding out if the motor runs or is an anchor. I'm along the same mind set as Dave1027 I guess. If the motor is up and running then address the other things listed in this thread before taking it out for a run.

Oh, another thing about this motor if it is the same as mine. The motor has an enriching circuit as opposed to a choke for cold start. You push the key in while cranking the motor and additional fuel is supplied to the motor to help get it started.

How long has this motor been sitting?

 

[79Merc80]

Re: Just inherited a 1995 Merc 115 ELPTO 2-stroke...now what?

ELPTO means the follwing

E Electric Start
L Long shaft (20")
PT Power Trim/Tilt
O Oil Injected

 

[jasondemitri]

Re: Just inherited a 1995 Merc 115 ELPTO 2-stroke...now what?

Not sure how long it has sat for. Its got spark, but wont start. I shot some quick start in the carbs and it fired off very briefly, however it didnt stay running. When I push the key in before turning it, there is a noise that sounds like something is enaging...is this the enrichining circuit? I should be getting a book this week, but not sure when I will get the time to mess with the boat. The good news is i took my old 72 smokercraft out today and caught some fish. Man i love electric motors...either they work or they dont, and their cheap to replace...for the most part anyways.

 

[Mi duckdown]

Re: Just inherited a 1995 Merc 115 ELPTO 2-stroke...now what?

don't use starter fluild. death to that motor and any

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Just inherited a 1995 Merc 115 ELPTO 2-stroke...now what?

Push in on the key while cranking the engine. That click you hear is indeed the enrichener which performs the function of a choke on older engines. You need to squeeze the primer bulb to get fuel to the carb for the first cold start of the day.