1974 mercruiser 140 hp NAPA parts??

[beericks]

I was out on the lake the other day on plane and all of a sudden my boat quits and will not start again. I get it off and take off the distributor cap and find that the rotor will not turn unless i give it a little nudge and then i can see spark between the points for one revolution. Once it gets back to that one spot it will not turn by itself. I want to get a new distributor at NAPA and was wondering what engine most closely resembles my boat?? Also how can i tell that the engine is at TDC....do i have to pull the valve cover??

 

[ryendube]

Re: 1974 mercruiser 140 hp NAPA parts??

I want to get a new distributor at NAPA and was wondering what engine most closely resembles my boat?? Also how can i tell that the engine is at TDC....do i have to pull the valve cover??

have you pulled distributer? check to see where its binding or better whats binding?
And "closely resembles" isnt going to get you anywhere. im guessing its a 4 cyl 181ci only came in boats. but thats me guessing sooo better you take a look at your distributer first and then read the info off the engine.

 

[WAVENBYE2]

Re: 1974 mercruiser 140 hp NAPA parts??

NAPA does carry marine parts.

 

[beericks]

Re: 1974 mercruiser 140 hp NAPA parts??

It is a 181 c.i. 3.0 L 4 cylinder engine....and its like the distributor has a dead spot in it. The rotor will not turn, for example past the second cylinder spark plug, unless i give it a little nudge. The general consensus is that i have a stipped gear in the distributor...and hopefully not in the timing chain. I got a starter from O'Reilly and the starter was the same as off a chevy nova....should i just go with that if i run into an idiot at the NAPA desk?

 

[woosterken]

Re: 1974 mercruiser 140 hp NAPA parts??

NO ON THE STARTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
it has to be a marine grade starter, they are spark protected,so if you have fuel fumes in the bildge it don't go BOOM!!! on a car the fumes just drop out the bottom to the ground.

woosterken

 

[bigskiohio]

Re: 1974 mercruiser 140 hp NAPA parts??

napa has a marine catalog just ask the right guy.

 

[WAVENBYE2]

Re: 1974 mercruiser 140 hp NAPA parts??

NO ON THE STARTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
it has to be a marine grade starter, they are spark protected,so if you have fuel fumes in the bildge it don't go BOOM!!! on a car the fumes just drop out the bottom to the ground.

woosterken

Thats right!!!!

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: 1974 mercruiser 140 hp NAPA parts??

Napa has stepped up a bit on marine parts.They have them in the computer now,About time.
They are Sierra parts and have the same part numbers.
So,you can look up the Sierra part online and call Napa and see if they stock that part number.That gets you passed the dummy parts guy at the Napa desk as far as him looking up part numbers..

Myself,I no longer deal with Napa unless they are my last choice.
They are now charging 20 bucks a quart for gear lube and the last fuel filter was 21 bucks...
The local Mercruiser dealer was less!

 

[beericks]

Re: 1974 mercruiser 140 hp NAPA parts??

as far as the starter goes...wont it be okay as long as i have the exhaust blower running at all times?

 

[woosterken]

Re: 1974 mercruiser 140 hp NAPA parts??

what happens that one time you forget the blower?
just saying your boat,you can if you want!
but is the risk to your family,friends,and those around you worth the chance

woosterken

 

[jze1212]

Re: 1974 mercruiser 140 hp NAPA parts??

Isn't that the same distributor from a Chevy (GM) 2.5 liter ( Iron Duke)? Would the distributor from an older model work? Hmmm

 

[P 0 P E Y E]

Re: 1974 mercruiser 140 hp NAPA parts??

I am not following your description of will not turn with out a nudge, you moving the shaft by hand?

When you turn the key and the engine cranks, if you have the distributor cap off, does the rotor rotate?

The engine fails to start....what made you decide it was a distributor problem?

 

[beericks]

Re: 1974 mercruiser 140 hp NAPA parts??

yes when i crank the engine over the rotor does NOT rotate. When I give the rotor a little nudge with my finger it will spin a revolution and only one revolution unless i give it another nudge...And my diagnosis on why it was the distributor was because it was running like a top and just quit. I then tried to start it again several times and then started to smell gas. Took off the air cleaner thing and I am seeing gas squirting. And i know it is not a compression thing so it has to be spark... Okay guys so you have me sold on the whole marine starter thing but what about a car distributer or is there a special marine version of one of those too?

 

[myoldboat2]

Re: 1974 mercruiser 140 hp NAPA parts??

marine parts don't have to be expensive if you shop around. i also have a 1974 mercruiser 140. just put on a new starter for 70 bucks including shipping.

as for the distributor, if it were me i'd troubleshoot it more before throwing money at new parts. a new distributor assembly for that engine goes about $400. if it's just the drive gear inside the distributor it's about 50 bucks. i don't know much about distributors... could it be a lube problem?

i won't substitute auto parts for marine parts on my boat. some day when you have a fire or blow up and your kid's friend or neighbor gets burned, their insurance company will crucify you for having that auto part installed, even if it had nothing to do with the fire. not to mention the pain and suffering that you really are increasing the odds of. it just ain't worth it.

 

[bajuski]

Re: 1974 mercruiser 140 hp NAPA parts??

Pull the distributor and take a look at the drive gear before you do anything. Most likely is it is just the roll pin that holds the drive gear on the shaft is sheared. It could be a very easy and inexpensive repair.

 

[pocrain]

Re: 1974 mercruiser 140 hp NAPA parts??

Pull the distributor and take a look at the drive gear before you do anything. Most likely is it is just the roll pin that holds the drive gear on the shaft is sheared. It could be a very easy and inexpensive repair.

Roll pin has been the problem for me most commonly, however that is guessing. Pull the distributor, find the problem, then decide. Best of Luck!

 

[fishrdan]

Re: 1974 mercruiser 140 hp NAPA parts??

I went through the dist. on my 72 140HP and the roll pin was broken in 1/2 (down the spine lengthwise) so I could see that as a problem. Mine was still turning properly and the pin in place, just that the pin could have worked out of the hole.

Pull the dist and see what's going on. This dist was not used in automotive applications since it does not have a vacuum advance, but you should be able to get the service parts for it. If the roll pin is sheared you should be able to turn the rotor around and around and around, get a replacement at your local hardware or auto parts store. If it's the gear, get one for a 68 Chevy II with a 153CI engine.

The housing bushings were shot on my dist, so I picked up a dist from a ChevyII as I didn't have an extra $400. It wasn't as easy as just popping the new dist into the engine since it had the be "marinized". Remove and lock vacuum advance, swap over original weights and springs, block/seal vacuum advance hole with metal plate. My original dist was so old it didn't have anything for spark suppression, IE: screened vent hole. I'll probably catch h3ll for using an auto part, but when I was done the new dist and old were sealed up the same.

That being said, most auto parts shouldn't be used on a marine engine since they don't provide spark suppression; distributor, starter, alternator. Other parts are not built to marine specs for various resaons, waterpump, carb, etc...

 

[jrscars2]

Re: 1974 mercruiser 140 hp NAPA parts??

as far as the marine vs auto starter there the same thing both sealed units. if your worried about spark when starting your boat dont start it all, any electical componant can spark if connections arent tight or corroded, i pesonaly use auto part in my boat with no problems and know sevral other people using auto parts in boats with the problems everybody screams about here, sorry just venting ive been an auto tech for 15yrs if you know anything about staters then you should know there is no way for spark fron the inside of the starter to come out of the case, just my 2cents

 

[beericks]

Re: 1974 mercruiser 140 hp NAPA parts??

Thanks so much guys...I had O'Reilly cross the number from a dist. drive gear on the '68 Chevy II 153 C.I. and they had it for $22 and it will be here on monday!! So I have one more question...Since my gear had been sheared and i have turned over the motor several times how might i tell where TDC is on the first cylinder??? And also should I take my drain pan off since I now have a couple of gear fragments in there?

 

[howlnmad]

Re: 1974 mercruiser 140 hp NAPA parts??

Thanks so much guys...I had O'Reilly cross the number from a dist. drive gear on the '68 Chevy II 153 C.I. and they had it for $22 and it will be here on monday!! So I have one more question...Since my gear had been sheared and i have turned over the motor several times how might i tell where TDC is on the first cylinder??? And also should I take my drain pan off since I now have a couple of gear fragments in there?

Pull the plugs, hold your finger tightly over the number 1 spark plug hole, have someone turn the motor over by hand. When it gets to the compression stroke you will feel pressure against your finger. Have him stop turning it over. You are now on your way to the top of the stroke. Watch the pointer on the front of the motor. When the mark on the balancer gets to 0 on the timing scale you are there. As for removing the pan. A good mechanic would say yes. You may be able to flush it if you can get to the drain plug. Use cheap oil and keep running it thru, this may get any big pieces close enough to see and reach with a magnet. If this works you will still need to run it and change the filter and oil after a short run to catch any particles that will be in the passages. Good luck.
Bill