starcraft/mercury 50 hp

[tgpfloat]

i just got a boat given to me from my neighbor.

It is a starcraft 16 foot alum boat with a 50 hp mercury.
i have only had small canoes and row boats before. Don't know much about the engine. Checked to see the year of the motor and I got 1976-1979 from a mariner. (thunderbolt with a blue stripe?)

Money is an issue for me an i would like to get this boat going. Can i tackle the maintenance myself? I can change plugs , oil and in my old truck, cap and rotor.

Do you guys recommend any good maintenance manuals.

Where do i start to get this boat going, ho do i determine if the motor is junk?

Thanks

tgpfloat

 

[jwilkey84]

Re: starcraft/mercury 50 hp

First things first. Before you do anything clean the carbuerators and replace the fuel lines if they have any sign of age on them whatsoever. Some disagree with me, but I have redone 4 carbs, but only bought a kit for one. If money is a huge thing, just take them completly apart and clean really well with carb cleaner and be careful not to damage any of the gaskets or seals. Make sure needle valve seats properly. Replace the lower unit oil. Get new gas, make sure tank is clean. Check sediment bulb for cleanliness, never hurts to put an inline fuel filter on as well. Make sure the vent on your gas tank is open. Put in new NGK plugs. Make sure battery connections are clean and good, you don't want a weak ground connection. Put it in some water and start it up. Watch for water to come out of the pee hole. If nothing comes out, shut off immediately. If water does come out, that is good, but run it for 10 minutes or so monitoring the temp of the engine. If you cannot keep your hand on the engine for more than a couple of seconds, then it is probably getting too hot. The impellor should be replaced, which is located in the lower unit, that is your water pump. It should be replaced anyway, but once again if money is tight it MAY be ok. You might ask the neighbor if the fuel lines have ever been replaced, or when the last time the impellor was changed. I am a rookie, but so far this is what I have been doing and I have successfully brought back to lift 5 motors..

 

[diaric]

Re: starcraft/mercury 50 hp

you can do pretty much all the service yourself. the best manual to get is the original mercury. the aftermarkets arn't as good.
read this for getting it going
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=158086
to get a picture of engine health, do a compression check, then you have a good idea of overall health.
when cranking, use a battery, do not boost as electronic components will fail if engine runs battery less
post serial number and we can give you exact year