I was recently given a small 16ft boat, 70HP Mercury and trailer package not bad hey. The catch is that the engine isn’t fully functional and requires some TLC and a large hammer! My friends Dad (the previous owner) told me that the engine runs fine until it gets hot, at this point the revs seem to become limited to approx. 3,000 rpm down from 6thou. Not completely sure how much water is being ejected, but the engine starts first time even after 10 months. Also good compression and equal amongst the 3 cyls. <br />From enquires I’ve heard two stories which might be the cause,<br />1) The reed valves are damaged, or<br />2) There is a problem with the water-pump!<br />My father and I have started with this repair and have removed the lower leg from the engine and are currently waiting for a new water pump and gaskets to be delivered.<br /><br />Engine No. 9341608 (Belgium engine) believed to be early 1980’s maybe 83, with Thunderbolt ignition and three cylinders.<br /><br />Any advice from across the pond is welcomed, I need to back skiing!<br /><br />Cheers<br /><br />Mark
