2000 150 EFI w/Water leaking at point it enters head

[mcbass]

The attached pic shows where a small lead of approximately 1 drop/second is occuring on my 2000 Merc 150 EFI.

My questions:

-Is there a gasket in there I can replace without special tools or any degree of technical knowledge of mercury engines?
-How harmful can this be? I don't have any idea how long it has been occuring.
-Last fall (boat stored for winter) the motor started occasionally dying at WOT (See thread: http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?p=1686928#post1686928), this spring, the motor will run rough at most rpms and, unless I accelerate slowly and constantly, it will die when "punched" or at WOT. It idles great, however.
Could this be the cause of my issue or just coincidental?

 

[j_martin]

Re: 2000 150 EFI w/Water leaking at point it enters head

That's a coupla buck thermostat housing gasket. Easy to replace, and also easy to mess up, which is probably why it's leaking. Reasonable care should solve that.

The water dripping on your high voltage ignition components can cause them to fail, either temporarily or permanently. Mis-firing under load is a symptom of that kind of failure.\

hope it helps
John

 

[mcbass]

Re: 2000 150 EFI w/Water leaking at point it enters head

When you say "reasonable care"...does that mean there is something I did to mess it up?

I live in Maine and run my motor into December most years. Late in the year, it does get below freezing many days. I do not store the boat indoors until I am done with it for the season. Generally, I ensure I tilt the motor all the way down so it drains after use. Could this have caused this and is there anything else I should be doing to prevent this?

I took it all apart and checked it out. Would it be advisable to replace the thermostat(s) as well as the gasket(s) after a leak like this. Could this have weakened the thermostat or caused it to go bad/go bad sooner?

Boat-Break Out Another TWOBucks? This is great!

 

[j_martin]

Re: 2000 150 EFI w/Water leaking at point it enters head

When you say "reasonable care"...does that mean there is something I did to mess it up?

I live in Maine and run my motor into December most years. Late in the year, it does get below freezing many days. I do not store the boat indoors until I am done with it for the season. Generally, I ensure I tilt the motor all the way down so it drains after use. Could this have caused this and is there anything else I should be doing to prevent this?

I took it all apart and checked it out. Would it be advisable to replace the thermostat(s) as well as the gasket(s) after a leak like this. Could this have weakened the thermostat or caused it to go bad/go bad sooner?

Boat-Break Out Another TWOBucks? This is great!

If you pinched the gasket when you put it in, yes you did it. (GRIN)

The leak is inconsequential, except for the fact that it is getting electrical parts wet. It would not have hurt the t-stat or anything else mechanical.

hope it helps
John

 

[mcbass]

Re: 2000 150 EFI w/Water leaking at point it enters head

Thanks very much!