Tips on inspecting outboard

[joeT]

Hi,

I'm looking to upgrade the boat and have arranged to look at a secondhand one in a few days with a 40hp 4 stroke Mercury EFI. I don't have much experience looking at 4 strokes so any tips would be appreciated. I've only owned 2 strokes before. The motor I'm looking at has 250 hours.

Also, any thoughts about this choice of motor? They don't seem that popular compared to Yammies and Suzukis.

thanks

[gofishin]

Hi Joe,
Depending on the age of the donk, it could very well be a Yammy power head. A lot of earlier 4/ mercs were built with Yammy power.

Apart from being heavier than their Yammy counterparts, I don't believe there were any real issues, however wouldn't call myself an expert on the subject, more like 'an observer'. :)

Does it have a good service history and has the owner provided proof of such? How does the donk look - like it has been looked after well? In particular, what does the gear case and prop look like? Has it been a dredger and a rock cutter etc?

If you really like the package and wish to make an offer, advise the seller that you want the motor checked over for piece of mind by a reputable mechanic of your choice - unless of course the seller has already done this with a well known service provider.

Either way it will cost you a bit more, and you may need to be prepared to walk away, but it will be very good insurance and piece of mind.

Good luck.
Cheers
Brendon


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[joeT]

Thanks, its a 2006 model not sure if that counts as older. Will check it out tomorrow afternoon. Will have to look into a mechanic to inspect the motor. Assume these 4 strokes have a dipstick you can check the oil?

[Chimo]

Hi joeT

No idea what boat the motor is on but consider the weight of the motor on the hull and how the rig runs. A mate of mine bought a hull with a four stoke Merc and because the hull was short, probably too short and therefore lacked bouyancy to carry the upgraded motor the thing was a pig to be in. Bow up bum down etc etc.

This is not to say that this is the case here and that the motor is not great just suggesting to look in the total balance of the rig as well as the condition of the motor.

You probably know that the fuel savings in the smaller motors are not all that great and that the service costs for four stokes are usually higher than for an equivalent HP two stoke?

Cheers
Chimo

[Spaniard_King]

Hi joeT

No idea what boat the motor is on but consider the weight of the motor on the hull and how the rig runs. A mate of mine bought a hull with a four stoke Merc and because the hull was short, probably too short and therefore lacked bouyancy to carry the upgraded motor the thing was a pig to be in. Bow up bum down etc etc.

This is not to say that this is the case here and that the motor is not great just suggesting to look in the total balance of the rig as well as the condition of the motor.

You probably know that the fuel savings in the smaller motors are not all that great and that the service costs for four stokes are usually higher than for an equivalent HP two stoke?

Cheers
Chimo

Chimo why anyone would take notice of your posts in regards to 4 strokes amazes me... at least %30 of the fuel put into a carby 2 stroke goes straight out the exhaust!!!

Until you have real fuel useage results I think you should refrain from making false and misleading comments in regards to fuel usage of four strokes compared to 2 strokes

[joffo81]

The Merc EFI's can be plugged into a computer to get a printout of data (including engine hours). I suggest that you have this done if possible. I have been caught in the past when buying 2nd hand. I didn't realise a computer report could be done. The gauge on the boat read 270hrs but the motor had actually done 714hrs (which I found out recently as I was selling the motor to upgrade). This lowered the price considerably for the trade as you can imagine! Good luck with the inspection/purchase.