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    Mercury XR6 150

    Gee, open the idle mixture screws on the carbs to richen them a bit and see if that helps with acceleration.
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    Where to get alternator for Mercruiser?

    You can get one from Amazon w/o issue, I would think. Make sure it is a marine alternator, as they are shielded from making sparks in your bilge, which is real important. I used to have my local auto parts shop order a marine alternator out of their Sierra Catalog, when I needed one for my...
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    Mercury 900 no spark

    Voltage on the red wire should be +12VDC. It is a direct connection to the battery. It sounds like you need to clean those connections. Is the engine wiring harness still good? Most are losing their insulation by now. Cap electrode and spring are maintenance items. Cap and rotor are not...
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    1992 Johnson outboard not getting fuel.

    First connect the motor to a portable tank with a 50::1 gasoline/oil mix, just in case the VRO pump is not working properly. Now, if you pump the primer bulb, will the motor stays running? If so, the VRO pump is not working properly. An air leak into the fuel line will cause that, among other...
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    Bottom end soot

    OK, looks to be a johnnyrude. Check the part diagram for that motor at crowleymarine or other site and see if it has a seal where the exhaust housing contacts the gearcase. It is easy for it to move out of position. Part #21...
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    How to plan a route? is there an app like trip advisor?

    Or you could look at the charts and plot your own route. Most GPS have a route feature, but you need to add the waypoints. Worse comes to worse, you will learn about the water conditions, buoys, channels etc. on your route. Not bad knowledge to have, when something unexpected happens.
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    1981 Mercury 75hp water pump question

    I am not sure what you mean. The waterpump base has an oring and a gasket that seals the gearcase. Pick the right ones and grease them. Put the right gasket on the waterpump base and install it. A couple of nuts might be required to seat it into the gear case. The waterpump base should be...
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    Spark plugs

    No air filter on OBs. those plugs will last a real long time. I replace them when the shells rust, although the business end of the spark plugs would last for decades. I will be shocked if they are d/c w/o a replacement, as they were std for millions of motors.
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    Milky Oily Substance

    It looks like 2 cycle exhaust. Pretty normal. if the motor runs w/o a overheat and at full power, you are good to go.
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    Steering with out pump

    Give it a try. On a 20 footer, you should not have too much steering resistance. Adjust the torque tab to help the steering move easier. trim the motor and see how the steering effort changes. Can't you pull the steering ram and rebuild it with the boat in the water? My neighbor's 30 footer...
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    Spark plugs

    Champion L76V or L78V was the original surface gap plug for 70's Mercs. Merc went to NGK plugs in the 80s or so, replacing the Champions. If memory serves me, L76V was replaced by BUHW and L78V was replaced by BUHW-2. I am surprised you cannot find them. I would think the L78V or L76V...
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    At my wits end again….

    Gee, not sure what to say. 1. Those exhaust ports just under the powerhead are for idle relief. It is normal for water to come out of them, when motor is in neutral, in the water. I doubt that is an issue, 2. Revving an old motor up not under load, exposes any piston slap or bearing play...
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    Overheating at idle, cool as a cucumber at speed

    I would replace the thermostat as well as the impeller, wearplate and 2 gaskets. Check the inside of the pump "cup" for wear and scratches. Replace if you find some. The thermostat controls temp at idle up to about 2000RPM. After that the poppit controls the motor temp. Since she runs cool...
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    Merc 850 / model #4093045

    Those were great motors in their day. Light, powerful and compact. If it shows signs of being used in saltwater, you may want to get rid of it. After all this time the salt rots out the exhaust baffle and exhaust covers, and actually makes the aluminum block real brittle. If it were me and a...
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    1996 Johnson gearcase

    Gee, what could be easier than installing a new SEI gearcase? You need to reuse the upper driveshaft from the old gearcase, but that is easy. At least check out the prices of the SEI product, as they are usually just a bit higher than some unknown quality used gearcase.
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    Test for bad motor mount?

    Most 70s and newer OBs have motor mounts on top and on the bottom of the steering swivel rod. These connect the powerhead and midsection to the swivel rod. Give the motor a push/pull at those points and see how much play the mounts have. Unless you hit something real hard, the motor mounts...
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    What is it

    I will assume a VOP is the VRO system. Even if you remove the VRO, a fuel restriction alarm is a real good idea. V4 engines do not have it, but OMC thought it necessary for V6 engines.
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    Wiring a water temp gauge.

    Does temp alarm go off at idle speed or at cruise speed? If idle speed overheat, check bottom of impeller for chipping, check/replace thermostat or look for bad water pump housing seals. If overheat is at cruise, poppit valve could be bad. If that doesn't fix it, there could be some sort of...
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    Steering cable maintenance

    Older steering cables had a zerk fitting next to the big nut on the tilt tube. I haven't seen that recently, likely because you could pump grease into the zerk and bind up the steering cable. The only maintenance required is to extend the steering rod to the max, wipe off the old grease (use...
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    Will gauge lighting work off SPDT switch?

    You can wire the gauge lights to the navigation lights, as well. Why use another switch for the same function?
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