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    One last try

    Gee, the biggest problem doing a Jumpstart (or beach start) is the fear. You stand there in knee deep water, holding a rope, as a boat on the other end of the rope starts to speed away. In actuality, a Jumpstart is pretty safe, if you are of average strength and weight. If you pull in too...
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    Source for bearing buddies rubber plug

    I had a lot of trouble finding the plugs. The Dexter part number helped a lot, however, I believe those are too big for my bearing covers, and Dexter did not seem to have a smaller size. The OEM was Tie Down Engineering Sup-r lube, but without any other markings. ID is 1.18" and OD is 1.6"...
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    HP 60 EFI: Change oil filter without draining oil?

    Gee, I think you should change the filter, even if it leaks some. Get a qt of oil, and a drain pan and a rag and change it, would be my recommendation. On a related note, in sterndrives, the oil filter casing is often steel. If it gets a nick in the paint, they will rust thru over a season...
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    85hp Merc?

    The 70HP is a 40% increase in power, on paper. Those 50HP/4cyl were real good motors, such that Merc made it longer that one would expect, as they were really popular, and ran well. If the motor is 70HP/4 cylinders it may be real good as well. I have NOT heard (no direct experience) good...
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    Source for bearing buddies rubber plug

    I have a trailer with the rubber plugs that fit in the bearing hub. They may not be bearing buddies, but that are a rubber plug, with a internal groove to seal the dust cover. It looks to be 1-1/8 ID, for a 1500# boar/wave runner trailer. I had bought some years ago, but forget where I got...
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    85hp Merc?

    Merc 650's were three-cylinder, two carb motors. The 50HP, 80HP and 85HP motors of that era were 4-cylinder, 2 carb models, if anyone cares.
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    Replacement tachometer output cable from Mercury Quicksilver controls?

    Gee, I looked a bit on the web and did not see one. If you find a Mercury parts place, they may have a breakdown on the connector on the boat wiring harness. Alternatively, get some good marine bullet connectors and cut off both connectors, and use the bullet connectors instead.
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    Flat tire on haul-out today . . .

    Gee, it is useful to walk around the vehicle or trailer, checking the tires and other items, before a long trip. Ditto on oil, brake/clutch fluid and coolant, as appropriate. Radial tires can be tricky to see if they are low in air. If you stand close to the car, say your hip touching the car...
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    8 Hp Mecury outboard

    If you sprayed ether into the carb and she did not fire, you do not have any spark. At this point a factory service manual is a good idea.
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    1968 Johnson 65 hp VXL-14B No Spark On Any Cylinder

    Gee, Seloc and good are normally not in the same sentence. My experience with Seloc is that one needs to watch out for critical, sometimes catastrophic errors in their specs and procedures. Glad it is working for you.
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    85hp Merc?

    Joe, if you added gearcase and late-90's engine or newer to your statement, I would agree with you. However, if the exhaust baffle or exhaust covers have rotted out, even if the compression is good, you will be looking for used engine block parts that are still good, after nearly 50 years...
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    85hp Merc?

    That motor will have ADI ignition, which is good. As Texasmark says, it was a fine engine, but let me add that it was a fine engine in 1976/7. That was nearly 50 years ago. Is it still fine? Those motors had a history of the inner exhaust cover and exhaust baffle rotting out, and the wiring...
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    85hp Merc?

    Gee, what year? Merc 85HP motors were made in the 70's with 4 cylinders. They made 80HP motors later on in the 70's and perhaps some newer models as well. Is it one of those oldies from the 70's? If pre-1976, it may have a distributor. The ign system was sound, but parts are expensive, and a...
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    Prop barrel slightly smaller than the gearcase

    How about a temp fix? Clean up the edge of the gearcase hub, and the recessed part of the prop. Wipe them with some solvent. Now rub some wax, candle etc. on the edges of the gearcase hub. Install the prop. Now run a precise bead of silicone caulk where the gearcase meets the prop. Let it...
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    Prop barrel slightly smaller than the gearcase

    There are high performance props without exhaust hubs, that fit on motors with hubs. The theory is that the exhaust on the blades gives some slip when accelerating, and when the boat reaches higher speed, the exhaust gasses are pulled away by the receding water, so the prop bites. I tried a...
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    Prop barrel slightly smaller than the gearcase

    Some modular props came with a plastic "cap" that fit the recessed end of the prop, to make it's diameter 4-3/4". This cap allowed the prop to fit more motor applications. You might go on the prop OEM's web site and see if they have one.
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    1992 150hp XR6 gauge setup

    Temp switches close and ground when temp gets too high. So if you want to wire in lights and a buzzer, connect power from the ign switch(used for gauges) to one side of the lights/buzzer, and connect the other side to the temp switch on the head. When the temp switch grounds the light/busser...
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    1992 150hp XR6 gauge setup

    On a supporting note. Water temp gauges are real good for automotive applications, where the circulation is clean coolant. OB's can suck in sand, muck, plastic bags and the like. This means, that the water pressure drops, before the temp gauge knows this. What you see the OB goes from fine...
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    '99 Mercury 50HP ELHPTO: carburetor idle screw adjustment procedure

    In the past Merc idle adjustments have been a compromise between idle quality and acceleration. That is when the carbs were set for best idle, the motors would not accelerate smoothly. This is because of design and the lack of accelerator pumps on the carbs. If your motor does not have the...
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    Dragging caliper away from home

    Gee, This is pretty late, but, it can help someone else. Brake components are tough iron. You can hit them with a hammer and not damage them, mostly. Crack the bleeder and shove a big screwdriver into the pad/rotor space and tap it with a hammer. Rotors are pretty cheap and pads are also...
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