“BRAND NEW” 1986 Mercury 4 HP ?????

[Harmattan1]

After reading your response here, I went out and took the cowl off again. As my suspicions confirmed, all the lines are very pliable and feel brand new, no brittleness at all. They retain their ‘rubbery’ feel, though brand new. The wires, rubber hoses, everthing under the cowl looks great and it seems as though I could run the motor no problem. One gentleman suggested keeping it untouched. Its very tempting to do that as I know I will never find one like this ever again(Never say never,right?). It seems highly unlikely for sure. Im not sure what my purpose would be to keep it that way unless it would be displayed for others to see in the future. Everytime I walk past it in the garage now, I want to go find a 55 gallon drum, fill it with water, and just turn it on just to see it run. I dont have a boat right now, I had actually planned on using it when I go fishing/renting a john boat until I get or build my own. I dont want to take the lower unit off if at all possible as I have never worked on anything other than my older 55 Johnson 5.5 which I have just began working on. I havent even gotten to the lower unit on that one yet so I have no experience working on outboards per se. I would need to find good instructions if I were to change the impeller. It is probably easier than I think, but when you have never done it, it is what it is, an unknown. Perhaps, there might be someone here on the sight who has experience working on the smaller Mercs who could walk me through it easy or point me in the right direction. Thanks for the input.

[Harmattan1]

I checked out the link you shared, it shows the ignition components. This motor is so new, nothing in that area needs changing. All the wires are pliable as well as the hoses and every component I can see, looks to be in great condition. I probably would not do anything on that area. It has been suggested by a couple members to change the impeller. I am very much considering that for sure, I just have never done that job before on any outboard.

[Harmattan1]

After reading your response to this post, I went to the parts diagram and found there were 2 parts that show for the impeller for this motor. They both look the same in the pictures on the site but there is one slight difference between them. One has what appear to be very small nipples that stick out between every other blade. If you look at the impeller center, those small nipples appear on the outside of the circle between every other blade. I dont know if they have any purpose at all or if they are just extra rubber from the manufacturing process. The parts diagram is for my exact motor but the diagram shows one impeller in the picture diagram, 2 impellers on the list. Not sure why.
Here is the link to the page showing the diagram and parts list to the right sie of the page. Let me know what you think…….
…….. https://public-mercurymarine.sysonline.com/Default.aspx?sysname=NorthAmericacompany=GuestNA_KEY=NA_KEY_VALUElangIF=englangDB=eng

[crosbyman]

site .. needs id & psw

Joining AOMCI has priviledges 🙂

[fleetwin]

I agree buddy, because that engine has never been run, I’m sure everything under the hood is in great shape and is ready to use.
Your next decision is a tough one for sure. It is so tempting not to use the engine, perhaps display it, but that is a decision only you can make. Sounds like you have no interest in displaying it, so I’m guessing you will go ahead and use it. Which is great, the engine should be used and appreciated, but I wouldn’t start it up until you are ready to use it. Once the gas/oil runs through the carb/hoses, those items start to deteriorate. I’m sure you can buy a nice sturdy/heavy canvas cover for the cowling to keep it from getting to scratched up while transporting and using. You can use an inexpensive plastic tank, and make up a fuel line with primer bulb and the appropriate merc connector.
Doing the impeller job on this engine is much easier than most of the OMCs, the mercs don’t have a shift rod connector to mess with. So, remove a few bolts with the gear shift in forward, then it will slide right off. It is new, so corrosion/sealer is not an issue. I’m thinking this job could be completed in an hour or so. Once you are ready to do the job, I know someone here can supply pages from the manual and support for you. For now, you should look for an OEM Merc manual to purchase, review it, and ask questions.

[dave-bernard]

call me 1 914 310 7086 for water pump info.

[The Boat House]

[outbdnut2]

Nice find! On those Mercurys I recommend you have some help the first time you change the impeller. It’s not difficult, except for getting the “impeller drive key” properly lined up while you stuff the impeller in its housing. That is part #24 in the diagram below . Note the shift rod doesn’t show, but everything else should be the same.
Dave

http://www.marineengine.com/parts/mercury_marine_parts/static/img/MERMAR/90694/27.gif

• This reply was modified 4 years, 4 months ago by outbdnut2.
• This reply was modified 4 years, 4 months ago by outbdnut2.

[Harmattan1]

I sent some emails to a number of certified Merc dealers in the area I live. A number of them contacted me back and I gave them the spec info so they could tell me how much it would be to change the impeller. One guy gave me a very fair price charging only 1 hour labor, $110, and then the charge for the part which was either $18 or $26 depending on which of the 2 impellers is the one I need. Very reasonable price if you ask me. But, along with a couple guys on this thread, the same guy told me I should consider not ever using the motor and keeping it original just as it is because it is very valuable in its current condition. I am giving very serious thought to doing that. I dont know what I would do with the motor if I decided to do that. I have never been to an AOMCI meet before and I know there are displays at those. That would be great to show it at those gatherings. Outside of that I am not sure where else I would display it for others to somehow benefit from that part of our history. It really is a one of a kind given the details surrounding it. I also have the 55 Johnson 5.5 hp I am going to restore and I could use that as far as any small outboard needs are concerned. To be honest, I think this Mercury would perform fantastic on the water. I will have to figure out what I will do with it eventually. As a side note, I did order a Mercury manuals CD from an Ebay vendor that has 9 different factory manuals complete along with 190 owners manuals for many different Mercury outboards small and large. I am still waiting for it to arrive and it would have everything I need to replace the impeller on my end if I decide to go that route. We shall see.

[fleetwin]

Well, I don’t know what the fellow had in mind when he said “very valuable”…. I’m guessing you might get $1000 to the right buyer…. Generally speaking, old outboards, even unused, aren’t very valuable….

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