Mercury outboard smoke and fuel leak?

[snapshotmd]

I bought a 1990 Mercury 25 hp outboard motor and started it for the first time today.  This is my very first outboard/boat, so I'm not sure what to expect.

Anyway, I noticed that a few things that seem out of place but not sure if it is normal for a 19 y/o motor.

When I first turned it over, I had the choke on the motor out, high idle on the remote controls.  There was A LOT of smoke.  I put the motor choke back to run and the majority of the smoke seemed to stop.  It looked like whatever smoke was coming out was from the exhaust and in the water tank.  It looked like it was blowing smoke out under the water.  In addition to the smoke the exhaust was also blowing out water droplets.

After shutting the motor down, there was an oil/gasoline slick on the surface.  

Is this normal, or is there something wrong?

[Ellesar]

Well it's a two stroke so its going to smoke, even more so since its 19 years old. You're seeing smoke in the water tank because its in the exhaust which vents through the prop. That's to be expected. Its hard to say if it's normal because your idea of alot and my idea of alot may be very different. Best advice I can give you is if you are concerned have a mechanic check it out. Truth is, you really needed to do that before you bought it. There are certain tests you should always have done on a used motor to make sure that you are buying a big paper weight. Things like compression tests or leak down tests can tell you a lot about the the condition of the motor and tell you if the engine has problems that might cost you money.

[Micro]

I have a 2008 Mercury 15 hp 4 stroke that will smoke when it first starts after having sat for a time without running.  It will soon clear up as soon as I push the choke in.  My old 9.9 Merc did the same thing, and my buddy's 25 hp does it too.   Sounds normal to me.  I bet once it has been run for awhile, it till stop.  

[Zum]

It was the first time you started it?

Was it winterized before?

Maybe it was and it takes a bit for it to work itself clean.(thats if you just bought it)

How was the gas mixed?

[BigBassGuy]

Sounds normal to me!!

On most motors the main exhaust comes out the center of the prop to reduce noise, a little will come out the exhaust ports running down the back of the shaft, its normal for water to come out those ports also..

The smoke is from the oil you mixed with the gas burning off, it will collect in the cylinders when sitting and burn off when first started. Also choking the motor means cutting off the carbuerator from a steady supply of air, when you do this it will suck more gas which means it also gets more oil, resulting in more smoke. The oil slick may look huge, but it was probably just 1 or 2 drops that didn't burn off and exited out of the exhaust as long as it wasn't thick and just a light film I wouldn't be overly concerned.

And just an FYI so you aren't too alarmed next time you walk out to the boat on the trailer and see a small puddle of black oil underneath the motor. As long as it has a gassy/burned smell to it it's pretty normal. It comes from the unburnt oil in the gas coating the exhaust and when it sits it will drain out the exhaust in the prop.

Since you are a newbie to outboards, there is a small outlet on the underside of the motor that we affectionatly call the 'pee hole' it is a telltale stream that tells you the motors impeller is working properly and getting cooling water to the motor head. Was there a nice steady stream coming from it? If not I would get the impeller replaced before you use it next.

Good luck with the new motor!!!

[snapshotmd]

I mixed the fuel 50:1 and put in Startron to deal with the E10 gas. The motor does pee That's one of the things that I already knew, but thanks for the heads up. I was just surprised at how much smoke came from the engine and the amount of oil that was in the water. I ran the motor with the choke on for about 5 mins... maybe a little more. So I guess since the choke was supposed to be cut off right after starting that that would explain all the oil/gunk on top of the water. It was coughing out oily smoke for a good amount of time.

Thanks for all the replies; I feel better now. ;D

[BigBassGuy]

Bring 'er out to the lake a cruise around a bit, getting the motor up to operating temperature and the RPM's up will help clear all the crap thats accumulated in it. You may also want to throw a can of seafoam in the gas.