wont start,just bought a lemon

[blueband82]

hi guys,i just bought a mercury blueband think it is 83 mod,serial number 4541456,had to get new gearbox for it,thay done compession test and only one out of 4 is good,testing,100,50,30,40.took it for a spin was going great then just died i then found water droplets on 2 and 4 spark plug reapeated to clean and start about 10 times before it dried up but the motor wont start,when i got the boat back the idle speed bolt was right down it woulnd start so i screwed it out to get more idle then it went but as i said later on it died on me helpppppp.

 

[Dale Speck]

Re: wont start,just bought a lemon

You answered your own question, you just bought a lemon. That motor has been thrashed and needs a total rebuild, hope you didn't get stuck to hard for it.

 

[turbinedoctor]

Re: wont start,just bought a lemon

Sounds like you got a few stuck rings, hopefully thats all. If thats the case and you feel you can do the work your self, you could replace the rings, gaskets, upper and lower bearings for around $800 - $1000.

If you are not in too big of a hurry you could try soaking the pistons with Kroil, Seafoam or some other penetraint oil. Just pull the plugs and spray some in and let it sit for a day or two. Check compresson and if it increased some try to soak it again. Maybe the rings will unstick.

 

[blueband82]

Re: wont start,just bought a lemon

ok cool thanks heaps yeh i dont have the tools to do the work but a marine bloke said it would be around 1500 to fix,the upper and lower bearings if not sealed right could that be the reason why there was water droplets on 2 a nd 4 cylynder

 

[bryanwess2000]

Re: wont start,just bought a lemon

Sounds like you learned the hard way like I did. Trust nothing that the seller says and never buy a motor without checking the compression. Compression
check guages are alot cheaper than overhauls, and it's a simple and quick test to perform. Never assume/hope its got stuck rings if a compression
reading is low no matter what the seller tells you.

 

[Fisnfool]

Re: wont start,just bought a lemon

OUCH

That is a heard lesson to learn.

Hopefully the rings are just stuck form sitting unused. Use a good penetrating oil. I like PB Blaster. You can get it wally world or auto stores. Pull the plugs, spray in PB blaster, let it sit. And try the above compression testing advice. Repeat a few times.

DO NOT EVER SPRAY PB BLASTER INTO THE CARB OR ANYTHING THAT HAS A RUBBER SEAL. IT CAN DAMAGE THEM. READ THE CAN.

Hope you can save the engine.

If you do, see the posting on winterizing an engine. It's under the Adults only sticky. The information there will add to the life of the engine.

If you are sure that is water droplets on the plugs, check the water separator in the fuel system. It may need changed. If it is OK, you may have a cylinder head gasket leak.

 

[thefairlaneman]

Re: wont start,just bought a lemon

I learned the hard way too. The guy had the engine off of his boat saying he needed more power and showed me a legit bill where he had spent over 500 bucks having it serviced with new lines ,plugs,thermostat etc etc. Said it ran well and I believed it. Got it home and discoverd one of the brand new plugs was not tight and more checking showed a hole about the size of a butter bean worn completly though the number 2 cylinder wall....It was inposible for that engine to run. Cost of this lesson was 350 bucks but I did get the nice shifter and cables and fuel line....That guy is lucky I didnt go back and beat my money out of him and dump the junk onto the hood of his car.NEVER and I mean NEVER buy an engine that is said to run untill YOU HEAR it run.

 

[Fisnfool]

Re: wont start,just bought a lemon

Never mention a threat to get even. That shows premeditation and who may have done it.


Just keep your mouth shut and if some vandal should damage the guys stuff it is probably related to doing same thing to someone else.

 

[Gomer50]

Re: wont start,just bought a lemon

I know this isnt much help but I too have bought a Lemon.I did do a compression check which was good and the motor ran fine until I decided to give it a tune up and come to find out that this motor was completly jack up none of the parts that were supposed to be on there matched with the year it was made.1971 merc 800 with points (Not) no switchbox (some kind of relay box).Anyway to make this short the next boat I buy I will take someone with me thats knows.Old parts are expensive lesson well learned.The good part is I know this motor now inside and out.Good Luck to ya,

 

[Fisnfool]

Re: wont start,just bought a lemon

So what you really did was pay for the Huckster boat maintenance course and the Engine came with it.

If we are old enough, we have all done something similar in our past. If not, age will bring wisdom through experience.

That is the neat thing about this site. Good information to save the trial an error.

 

[Gomer50]

Re: wont start,just bought a lemon

Not to drag this post into something else,but in my case I bought a boat to go fishing,family,fun etc. not to sit in the driveway and be a fix it project.I dont mind doing the maintnance washing waxing etc. but to get a crash course in boat mechanics wasnt supposed to be in the picture,LoL...Not to mention my wife's attitude towards boating now.I do have to say in the long run it was well worth it..NOW I KNOW

 

[blueband82]

Re: wont start,just bought a lemon

thanks heaps guys for all your help,i did spray some water repelant -lubricant spray into the cylynders and let it sit for a few hours then tried to start just wont go heaps of spark and plenty of fuel,done compretion test and its bad no:1 was 100% 2 was 30 3 was 22 4was 26 geting it rebuilt at least i no what is done to it not to mention that i had to replace the dam gearbox aswell and ive only had the boat for a month does anyone no the top speed of a 85 mercury around 83 mod

 

[Gomer50]

Re: wont start,just bought a lemon

Thats a real good question and I cant tell you exactly,but what I can tell you that my 80 horse Merc. and a 15 foot trihull starcraft will do between 35 mph and 40 mph.This all depends on how much weight is on the boat,condition of boat, prop setup etc.Sorry to hear about your Motor.As you probably have already checked out boat motors are expensive,but if your motor is still in good condition meaning all the other parts of the motor I thinks its worth the rebuild alot cheaper and its yours..

 

[blueband82]

Re: wont start,just bought a lemon

Thats a real good question and I cant tell you exactly,but what I can tell you that my 80 horse Merc. and a 15 foot trihull starcraft will do between 35 mph and 40 mph.This all depends on how much weight is on the boat,condition of boat, prop setup etc.Sorry to hear about your Motor.As you probably have already checked out boat motors are expensive,but if your motor is still in good condition meaning all the other parts of the motor I thinks its worth the rebuild alot cheaper and its yours..

yeh thanks bud i think we all get wiser as we get older but even wiser if you get ripped off lol,yeh defenitly crash course in boat motors never owned a outboard befor and now i no alot of knowlage about the dam motor at least the thing will be fully rebuilt,and i no a fair bit about it,do you or does anyone no what year model my mercury is the number is 4541456 thanks

 

[blueband82]

Re: wont start,just bought a lemon

So what you really did was pay for the Huckster boat maintenance course and the Engine came with it.

If we are old enough, we have all done something similar in our past. If not, age will bring wisdom through experience.

That is the neat thing about this site. Good information to save the trial an error.

hi whats the top speed of a 85 mercury and what year model is it the number is 4541456 thanks

 

[Moody Blue]

Re: wont start,just bought a lemon

Your 85hp is a 1976 model. See here

http://www.maxrules.com/Merc_model_files/60-100.html

Top speed on an 8ft seaflea would be about 120mph and about 5mph on a 5 ton barge.

Top speed all depends on what you put it on .

 

[northernmerc]

Re: wont start,just bought a lemon

Compression ain't everything. I bought a '78 blue band 500 with compression of about 130 on all four cylinders. After a few hours, the switch box failed. Does anyone need an otherwise good 50 hp long leg? I replaced it with a newer 30 hp.

 

[blueband82]

Re: wont start,just bought a lemon

Your 85hp is a 1976 model. See here

http://www.maxrules.com/Merc_model_files/60-100.html

Top speed on an 8ft seaflea would be about 120mph and about 5mph on a 5 ton barge.

Top speed all depends on what you put it on .

yeh i have the motor on a carrabeean colt 14ft

 

[sschefer]

Re: wont start,just bought a lemon

yeh i have the motor on a carrabeean colt 14ft

Scarry. Have you ever driven a short boat with a big motor before? It can be a Disneyland E ticket ride. I caught air in my 18' at 56mph and it scared the heck out of me. Since then I've learned how to deal with it and found it too be quite fun actually.

 

[blueband82]

Re: wont start,just bought a lemon

Scarry. Have you ever driven a short boat with a big motor before? It can be a Disneyland E ticket ride. I caught air in my 18' at 56mph and it scared the heck out of me. Since then I've learned how to deal with it and found it too be quite fun actually.

yeh scary cant wait until i get it going 100%,:never driven a short before but skied behind plenty,now its sounds like the boat will be a hand full when i get it back always had inboards my last boat was a lewis 350 chev but got sick of not being able to go fishing in it,so the top speed for my boat would be around 100 mph is that correct.