NWVintage
Seaman
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2011
- Messages
- 65
Hey everyone-
I recently got a new boat with a 1998 15 hp 2-stroke Mercury kicker motor (S/N: OB293133). The previous owner took the boat to a certified mercury/mercruiser as part of our purchase agreement. The mechanic did not service the kicker but did run it and gave it a clean bill of health. Yes, I have the actual receipt and spoke with the mechanic personally. I ended up doing a full deck/foam replacement so it was not run for about 4 months. Before we took it out the other day, I replaced a leaky fuel fitting, all of the line and changed out the gas in the tank. It started up great in the bucket as well as in the water; shifted nicely, and performed well under load. This motor is the model with a run/kill toggle switch (not the safety cord) and the forward/reverse built into the twisting action on the tiller handle - not a lever.
The question is this: should this motor have a telltale?
There is a port on the rear of the motor, at the top of the leg, a few inches below the cowl that shoots straight down. I know that there are certain Mercury models which do not have a telltale but, if I remember correctly, that is only the really old ones - which release water only through the exhaust port under water. There is exhaust coming from the port.
PS. I was going to simply check the impeller yesterday but Mercury, being as awesome as the are, used bolts with 13/32" heads to attach the lower unit. I have to go find a wrench that size - a very uncommon size.
Thanks
I recently got a new boat with a 1998 15 hp 2-stroke Mercury kicker motor (S/N: OB293133). The previous owner took the boat to a certified mercury/mercruiser as part of our purchase agreement. The mechanic did not service the kicker but did run it and gave it a clean bill of health. Yes, I have the actual receipt and spoke with the mechanic personally. I ended up doing a full deck/foam replacement so it was not run for about 4 months. Before we took it out the other day, I replaced a leaky fuel fitting, all of the line and changed out the gas in the tank. It started up great in the bucket as well as in the water; shifted nicely, and performed well under load. This motor is the model with a run/kill toggle switch (not the safety cord) and the forward/reverse built into the twisting action on the tiller handle - not a lever.
The question is this: should this motor have a telltale?
There is a port on the rear of the motor, at the top of the leg, a few inches below the cowl that shoots straight down. I know that there are certain Mercury models which do not have a telltale but, if I remember correctly, that is only the really old ones - which release water only through the exhaust port under water. There is exhaust coming from the port.
PS. I was going to simply check the impeller yesterday but Mercury, being as awesome as the are, used bolts with 13/32" heads to attach the lower unit. I have to go find a wrench that size - a very uncommon size.
Thanks
