Ben

10 hours on a vehicle can equate to several hundred miles. How many automobile dealers/manufactors have given you a new vehicle just because your "NEW" vehicle just broke. If that was the case, so many states wouldn't have to adopt lemon laws. Mercury or that dealer don't want to mess with trying to resell a motor they've already sold. If you can even get a brand new powerhead put on it, feel lucky. If you get a new motor, feel totally blessed, because you must be living your life entirely right. Welcome to the wold of what I call consumer engineering. They build it, we test it, don't care whose model it is. They are all under the gun to get the EPA motors on the market and with all the totally new technology, they're not spending the time needed for developement testing, we are doing that for them. I personnaly don't care for four strokes, way too heavy and no where near the torgue of their two stroke counter parts but still say if I was to buy one, it would be a Honda. They have just been doing it so long, they have just about gotten the bugs out. I also know if you fish federal park lakes, you have not choice but to use four stroke. That's why you can buy very nice boats and two stroke motors in Arizona auctions for about 1/3 what they will sell for in many other areas.

Depends on the motor as to what's involved. I've never seen one that required any great mechanical skills but would suggest you get some type of manual as a reference since this would be your first. The two biggest problems facing you since you say it's been seven years, sometime the drive shaft will rust into the crank, making getting it out extremely difficult to almost impossible if this happens The other is the shift rod. Those can be difficult to get to trying to disconnect it. Some also hide a bolt under the trim tab, so back to the original suggestion, get you a manual, makes life much simplier. If it's a big motor, you might want to trim the motor up after getting the shift rod disconnected and ready to drop the LU. Those things are heavy and having the motor up where you can handle it helps. Helps even buches more when trying to put that heavy sucker back in if your shift rod will let you have it trimed up. After seven years, get a full kit, not just the impeller, most likely none of your gaskets and seals are going to be reusable and lube it with some Lubriplate 105 for during assembly. Grease the drive shaft spline On some Merc's, make sure you have the shifter in the recommend position before dropping the LU.

Years and years ago, I bought one of those Color C Lector's, tried it about 10 times over several weeks, everytime I went past about eight feet, it always showed to use black. Still got that thing somwhere around here and be willing to bet if I put a battery in it, dropped the probe in the lake today, it would still show to use back when it gets to about 10 feet. I very seldom use solid black and still catch bunches of fish and my share of large bass. I do have my favorite colors I use at different depths but have caught bass on just about every color at every depth. Last weekend end my dad caught a four pound bass on a 10.5" plum Zoom worm in about 12' of water. After releasing him, about 10 minutes later I saw it fluttering belly up about 75' away. I TM'd over tried to revive it to no avail so we threw it in the livewell. When I cleaned the fish it had a light chartreuse 10.5 inch zoom worm in it's belly. By the way, over about a 40 minute period we caught seven bass on that same point between 3.5 and 4.5 pounds, this was the only one that went belly up after releasing it, so was wondering if there was something about that worm in it's belly had affected it because the fish was only lipped hooked and immediately released. You could tell the worm had been there for a while. I was fishing a June bug jumbo size lizard and both of us caught about the equal number of bass that day, about 20 total. I was also fishing T-Rig, he was fishing C-Rig and the surface temps were running 90 - 92 degrees.

Ablefisher, I see you don't have any south Georgia redneck blood in ya. There's tons of stupid things us damb***es down here do that are just a little (sometimes even a lot) crazy. Actually, I woudn't even try it just to run lakes with, like you said TM's, push poles and outboards work much better for them. My reason for trying it was to run some of the rivers I fish. Outboards lower units and props have a short lifespan on some. I'm talking where you have to get enough speed up to slide over trees in order to get up them. Even outboard jet drives get torn off boats sometimes. Figure with an inboard jet, might be able to just hit them at full speed and keep on trucking. This is also from the same redneck that runs over 300 hp on the back of an 18.5' boat that's only rated for 175.

What you gonna do for a prop??? Most likely that ones gonna be the wrong pitch. That old motor is going to be pretty darn heavy on the back of a 12 ft boat. Like I said in my first post, I sure hope it runs long enought to get $75 worth of use, but really wouldn't plan on it. Machinest uncle can't turn out carb kits, ignition parts, rings, gaskets, and many other parts that most likely will be needed. All I can say, don't say you wasn't warned. Just hate seeing someone throw good money up a wild hogs a** and holler sooooweeeee!

Most people don't use their boats/motors during the winter months so it's highly recommended you winterize the boat and motor when you feel you are no longer going to use it until the next year. Just don't wait month's or until after the first freeze, that may be too late. Anyway, it's recommended you change the LU lube every fall as part of the winterizing of the motor. There are two plugs in the LU. One is on the side and one is on the bottom part of the rounded section for the prop shaft. Remove both plugs with a pan under the motor and trim the motor until it's trimed out about 10 degrees, that's so all the lube can drain out better. Forgot, before starting the project, go by Wally World or you dealer and get one of those $10 pumps that go in a quart bottle of lube, makes life much simpler since you've never used squeeze tubes. If it's a new motor, still under warrenty, I would get the factory brand recommended for the motor. If warrenty is not and issue, I would go by a parts store and get some Valvoline 100% Synthec 85 - 90 Gear Lube. Screw the end on your pump hose in the bottom hole on the LU and the pump into the bottle of lube. Trim the motor until it's sitting vertical and fairly level. Start pump lube into the bottom hole until it starts to come out the top hole. Quit as soon as it starts to come out, put the plug in the top hole, trim the motor up so the bottom plug is much easier to get too (your not on your head trying to get the dang plug started), screw the hose out and screw the bottom plug in. You also need to go through the rest of the winterizing, Fogging the motor, greasing all fittings, adding stabalizer to fuel tank, purging the fuel system. Then if the boat is in a freezing climate, it needs to be winterized also More than you ask, got a little long winded.

I have a couple of motors that could make the right person rather happy. First, I will not ship, so you must live close enough to Macon Ga to pick them up (actually 25 miles south of macon) Next you will need to know how to work on them or have a fiend that will for nothing. One is about a 72/3 25 HP short shaft Evinrude, remote control with control box and cables. Motor is disassembled, only needs rings and gaskets, less than $100 in parts will have it going and would make someone a very good motor. I've been four years saying I was going to put it back together and haven't done it yet. The other is a 60's model 3 hp Johnson. Belonged to my brother who let is set for 20 years and then ask me to get it going. I've had it running but carb need a good cleaning and maybe a few other things. I didn't feel like messing with it and he doesn't want it back. This one would work great on Avids canoe. Both are free but only to some young person wanting to make him a fishing motor, not for someone just wanting free parts.

I have considered doing that for several years but never came across a jet ski/wet bike cheap enough for me to want to buy one and try it. If I ever come across one that has a good, complete drive unit for less than $500 (that's about all I would want to throw away) I will try it. I really don't think it's going to be very practical in the average jon because of all the room its going to take up in the back but never know until it's tried. I did find one old jet ski but it didn't have the thrust reverser and no way to add one so I passed on it, Figure I will need a reverse.

You better hope it runs long enough to get your $75 out of it because when it breaks and needs a part, there probably are none to be had. I'm a firm beleiver in if your gonna buy an old motor, it had better be an OMC or Merc

I always keep a spare set of indexed plugs in the boat and change plugs when one starts skipping or every couple of years if I think about it. It's recommend you you replace them every time you decarb the motor, but I use an old set to decarb and after making one WOT run at the lake, I take the old set out and put my good plugs back in. If not then, it's recommend you replace them each spring at the start of the season. I'm too cheap for that and may run a set two or three years. A couple of miles of WOT running will usually burn off any idle build up. Running long and hard at WOT I would run Champion QL77's. If a lot of no wake and little WOT, I would run Champion QL78's. I also always buy several extra's, index my plugs and once I get a set indexed, I use my engraver an etch that cylinder number on the plugs metal body so I always know which hole it goes in. It's very unlikely you will get six plugs to index properly is the reason I usually buy two sets at the time. Don't matter the motor, all motors run better and make better power if the plugs are properly indexed. I do my vehicles, even do my lawn mower, weed eater, chain saw's etc. like I said, I index everything

I think it's just more basser's prefer the jon for most lakes and rivers. V's are not as easy to get in and out of at the bank, and most just have a lot of wasted area in the V and are difficult to bow mount a trolling motor where the jon is easier to bow mount, easy to get in and out at the bank, and you can sit in the front, some even add casting decks (don't think I would try that on a V unless you don't mind taking a dunk from time to time). V's are generaly safer on larger lakes where you can get into waves with small white-caps and they will cut rough water better. Not saying I would go on a large lake on a strong windy day but if you get caught, V's do work better and ride better than jons. I didn't see your picture the first time, guess the puter I was unsing didn't show it but that's not a bad looking rig for $900 if the motor checks out good. Those old OMC's are some good motors if not used up. Can be a little agreevating to get started the first thing in the morning but are very reliable once you get here going. I would take the bottom plug out of the lower unit and make sure no water or milkey oil comes out. Lower unit leaks are common in old motors and not real cheap to reseal.

If boat is in good shape and depending on type it is, figure $200 - $300 for it. Trailer another $75 - $125 Motor 1975 20 hp, if it's running, been checked out and in good shape $250 - $350 TM new you can look in BPS but probably around $350. So, it adds up to you're getting a reasonable deal but not a real steal. Make him take $100 less and you will be much closer to true value. Again though, depends on the style and condition of the boat and the condition of the motor. Well care for and low hours it's a good deal, well used and just ok, and a V-hull (V-shaped bow), it's a border line deal.

Nice! and don't worry about that 30# TM. Unless your fishing rivers with a fairly swift current or get caught in some gail force winds, that TM will move that boat around very nicely.

If it say TROLLING on the side, True Trolling batteries are deep cycle. If it says cranking/trolling or cranking/deep cycle, it's a dual purpose battery but will still work.

Would be nice in the ideal world but most likely, if there's much wrong, they will have to get a merc field tech to look at it and approve them either replacing the power head, or just making the necessary repairs. Either way, it won't be a quick fix unless they just replace the head gaskets and send you on your way.