Mercury 400

Savage420 · Sep 3, 2007

Barnacle_Bill · Sep 3, 2007

Re: Mercury 400

1386666 does show to be a 1960-61 model.

Savage420 · Sep 3, 2007

Re: Mercury 400

bhile said:
1386666 does show to be a 1960-61 model.

Ok thanx, i just wanted to be sure.

Do you have any experience with a motor like this?

Barnacle_Bill · Sep 3, 2007

Re: Mercury 400

Never had one that old but the basics are the same. If you ever need parts
oldmercs.com is a good place to try.

Savage420 · Sep 3, 2007

Re: Mercury 400

bhile said:
Never had one that old but the basics are the same. If you ever need parts
oldmercs.com is a good place to try.

Yeah im pretty good with the 2 stroke motors as i have a CR500 dirt bike , 800REV sled and a Banshee so i geuss i will just have to get a service manual for the 400.

That site looks like a good place to start.
Thanx

Also do you know what CC this motor is?

Barnacle_Bill · Sep 3, 2007

Re: Mercury 400

I take that back. I used to have an old 9.8 but never had a lick of trouble with it except the time I used cheap K-mart oil. It really fouled the plugs bad. New plugs and good oil fixed that problem.

Savage420 · Sep 3, 2007

Re: Mercury 400

bhile said:
I take that back. I used to have an old 9.8 but never had a lick of trouble with it except the time I used cheap K-mart oil. It really fouled the plugs bad. New plugs and good oil fixed that problem.

LOL ok, i dont have much trouble with 2 strokes as i take care of my stuff pretty good. Also i run full synthetic Amsoil Intimidator at 40:1 in all my other toys but should i just run some K-mart Dino oil like you say and at what ratio 35:1?

Barnacle_Bill · Sep 3, 2007

Re: Mercury 400

Don't know as my manual only goes back to 64. I think its 24:1 but you need to verify that. (memory thing)

Savage420 · Sep 3, 2007

Re: Mercury 400

bhile said:
Don't know as my manual only goes back to 64. I think its 24:1 but you need to verify that. (memory thing)

So i take it they love more oil then newer models...should i waist synthetic oil on it?

Chinewalker · Sep 4, 2007

Re: Mercury 400

Hi Savage,
Your motor was originally all white (Cloud White was Merc's name for it) with chrome accents. It is not uncommon for old Mercs of non-black vintages (1963 and prior) to be painted black because so many people associate black with Mercury and figure it ought to be black - no knowing that Mercs came in many colors back in the day.
Your motor would fair quite well on a leaner diet than 24:1. I know many folks who run 50:1, but you may want to run somewhere in between. I had a '60 Merc 400 on my old Thompson and ran it at 40:1.
As for the cc's, I'm not sure, but the cid is about 44. It is possibly the best design ever for any outboard from any brand (maybe a dead heat tie with the OMC 22-cube 18/20/25s or the little OMC 3hp twins). They built that basic configuration from the mid 1950s into the 1990s, with obvious upgrades and modifications along the way. The one weak point is the driveshaft, particularly just below the waterpump cup. Mercury was slow to embrace stainless steel and their shafts would pit in that area - right at the upper main gearcase seal. Keep an eye on your gearcase lube for any evidence of water intusion...
- Scott

Savage420 · Sep 4, 2007

Re: Mercury 400

Thank you for your reply, actully the more i look at it it does look it was painted.

So i take it these are a pretty strong/decent motor for what it is, i think i got a great deal on all of it eh?

Im going to try and do ll the work on it my self when it breaks down but you would't know around what it would cost for a tune up would ya? and what would they do to it?

Chris

Also from the pics i posted it seems to me that it's in great shape...what do you think?

Mercury 400

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