What are general things to look at when buying a boat motor?

[ngt]

I am new to boats and motors for the most part and am going to buy a 2005 Mercury 15 hp big foot 4 stroke sometime next week. I know it's not much, but to me it's a big purchase. I was wondering what the general things you looked for when buying a used motor were?

Do you ask to check oil for water?

What if he doesn't have the means to start it?

I have a hose hookup, are those universal?

What else can I check and what should I be looking for?

thanks!

-E

 

[Triton II]

Re: What are general things to look at when buying a boat motor?

1. Avoid motors used in saltwater unless VERY clean and low hours.

2. As the buyer, it's your money, so insist on seeing the motor started from cold and running on muffs... if this simple thing can't be done run away. While running check the telltale pressure, it should stream straight and hard within about five seconds of start up.

3. Check the oil in the engine and the lower leg.

4. External condition is a good indicator of how the motor's been treated so if the skeg is in good condition and the prop is free of dings, then have a close look under the cowl. A properly looked after 2005 motor should look like new under there.

5. Check compressions and plugs.

6. Check the service history.

7. Check ownership and whether any money's owed on the motor.

8. A water test is best, if possible check gear engagement and holeshot performance.

Good luck,

TII

 

[ngt]

Re: What are general things to look at when buying a boat motor?

1. Avoid motors used in saltwater unless VERY clean and low hours.

2. As the buyer, it's your money, so insist on seeing the motor started from cold and running on muffs... if this simple thing can't be done run away. While running check the telltale pressure, it should stream straight and hard within about five seconds of start up.

3. Check the oil in the engine and the lower leg.

4. External condition is a good indicator of how the motor's been treated so if the skeg is in good condition and the prop is free of dings, then have a close look under the cowl. A properly looked after 2005 motor should look like new under there.

5. Check compressions and plugs.

6. Check the service history.

7. Check ownership and whether any money's owed on the motor.

8. A water test is best, if possible check gear engagement and holeshot performance.

Good luck,

TII

How do I check compression?

what is holeshot performance?

and what would be a sign for bad gear engagement?

thanks!

 

[Triton II]

Re: What are general things to look at when buying a boat motor?

Use a compression tester through the spark plug holes. Any decent auto store will stock them - they come with instructions.

Holeshot is the rate of acceleration from idle to plane after "flooring it".

If the gear engagement into forward and reverse from neutral is slow accompanied by grinding noises you may have a problem. When selecting either gear, you should hear and feel a mild clunk through the throttle and immediate thrust from the prop. When testing for good engagement be positive and firm but don't push the throttle past the gear engagement zone (close to neutral) until the gear is engaged. However poor gear engagement could be an incorrectly adjusted throttle cable, however constant use when the cable is out of adjustment leads to worn gears - there is no synchromesh on outboard gearboxes. If the lower leg oil is contaminated by metal particles (some outboards have a magnetic plug so it's easy to tell if the thing is making metal) then you may have a lower leg rebuild on your hands.

Good luck mate.

TII

 

[ngt]

Re: What are general things to look at when buying a boat motor?

thank you very much!!!