1980 merc 40hp 2cyl starter mount broken

[phatmanmike]

title says it all... almost.<br /><br />just picked up this motor for my buddy's boat. i knew about this before purchase, thats why it was so cheap. both starter mounts are broken off, have no idea why. one of them that broke off is still with the motor, the other cannot be found.<br /><br />this is all new stuff to me, can it be welded? are these blocks aluminum? or should we just try to make it a pull start motor?<br /><br />any ideas welcomed.<br /><br />thanks

 

[achris]

Re: 1980 merc 40hp 2cyl starter mount broken

Mike,<br /><br />I would give the welding a go. A good welder will have it back to about the original strength. You'll need to find a dead block somewhere to get the other missing piece, unless you thing the welder could fabricate it.<br /><br />Chris........

 

[rodbolt]

Re: 1980 merc 40hp 2cyl starter mount broken

hello<br /> that was a common problem with that motor. happens a lot. it can be welded but it will break again. its worse if the motor is not tuned properly. the warm up lever also advances ign timing and places an extra load on the starter. try to tune the engine so it starts with a minimum of throttle advance.<br /> good luck and keep posting

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: 1980 merc 40hp 2cyl starter mount broken

Although Mercury doesn't recommend this, I've found the easiest way to fix the problem is to replace the crankcase face. You'll have to remove the dowl pins to let the bearing carriers align the block and face, but it works - I've done several this way.<br /><br />What RodBolt said is good advice on the starting stuff. The little arms were a weak spot and they didn't support the motor very well. Anyting you can do to minimize the possibility of putting extra stress on that area will help...<br />- Scott