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  1. D

    Can I safely experiment with a 3rd party voltage regulator?

    My motor has no voltage regulator, only a rectifier. 1986 Mercury 75HP. I get fairly regular voltage spikes that shut down my more sensitive electronics, like my Garmin fishfinder and stereo. The FF has a voltage reading that shows 16.5v sometimes 17v before a voltage warning and shutoff...
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    Do rectifiers go bad gradually...or do they just die?

    I'm trying to diagnose & solve an electrical weird thing on my boat. (75hp Mercury made in 1986). I get power spikes in my 12V accessories. My Garmin fishfinder displays 16.5V (sometimes higher) and when I throttle up, it shows 'Battery Voltage Warning' and shuts down. My stereo head also...
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    Mercury motor does a weird thing at the same time every time

    Mercury 75hp made in 1986. s/n A932083 This is now a pattern, starting about 3 months ago: Starts easily and idles perfect at the launch ramp. Leave it running while I put my truck away, it's been idling 8-10 minutes by the time I'm ready. Another 4-5 minutes at no-wake speed. Power up to 50%...
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    12V hiccups when I pull the throttle down

    Not sure if this could be a Mercury issue, but that's the motor I have: 75hp made in 1986. Everything's running great except this annoying thing: When I'm running at more than 50% power and pull the throttle back toward idle speed, the 12V power interrupts very briefly...long enough for the...
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    Electric choke. I need a brief explanation please

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    Electric choke. I need a brief explanation please

    Mercury 75HP made in 1986. The electric choke is a solenoid that magnetically draws up a little steel plunger linked to the butterflies. In trying to figure out why it's acting intermittantly, I want to trigger it with a remote button, the way I often jump other solenoids, like the starter or...
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    What is the effect of the flywheel being in the wrong position?

    I recently replaced the stator, trigger assembly and flywheel on my 1986 Mercury 75HP. It's a project motor that had some mysterious and intermittent no-spark occurrances. So I threw as many ignition parts at it as I had on hand. Motor ran smoothly before I swapped the parts, with a nice...
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    Tilt/trim manual release valve is broken off.

    Project motor is a 1986 Mercury 75hp. Noticed today that the slotted head of the tilt/trim manual release valve is broken off. I don't need it now as the TT is working fine, but I may need it one day and I'd like it to be available. I have a valve in my parts motor, but how in the world am I...
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    Changed stator & trigger. Now no spark.

    1986 Mercury 75hp. It sat for many years and replaces my identical motor that locked up. I've got it running but have some occasional power-drop and electrical issues. I've been gradually replacing everything I can with parts from my old motor that I know are good. Yesterday I swapped the...
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    What can cause a motor to just STOP?

    Project motor is a 1986 Mercury 75hp 2-stroke. Serial A932083. It sat untouched for at least 6 years. I've got it started and running and now I'm replacing the many gummed-up and dry-rotted things as I find them. I'm enjoying the challenge. Last week on a run test, humming along, it...
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    "Something" got really hot & a question about ground wires

    Motor is a Mercury 75HP project that I'm bringing back to life after it sat for years. The other day on the trailer (motor not running) I was trimming it down to work on something with the cowl off and a surprising amount of white smoke came out of the motor on the starboard side. In the...
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    How important are those mesh ground straps?

    I noticed that on my old project motor (1986 Mercury 75hp) there should be TWO short mesh copper grounding straps on the back of the motor, running from the block to the cowl bracket...on either side of the spark plugs. (See photo below). One of them (left side) was missing, rusted away if the...
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    What's the ideal fuel line for under the cowl? Brand/type?

    I'm getting an older outboard into shape. Mercury 75HP made in '86. The brittle fuel lines I tore out yesterday were marked SAE 30R7. A website that sells fuel lines has this in the description: "30R7 is not Coast Guard approved for marine applications". Pep Boys carries a hose from CADNA...
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    What is this fuse for?

    I'm replacing my old motor with another old motor. Both are '86 Mercury 75 HP. Today I wired the tilt/trim. Next to the T/T solenoids on the 'new' motor is an inline fuse holder with a glass fuse inside (photo below). Red wire coming out of the bottom was attached to one of the solenoids. Red...
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    Lower unit: stud on one side, bolt on the other?

    '86 Mercury 75hp. I've dropped the lower unit 5 or 6 times over the years and never paid any mind to the fact that on the underside of the cav plate, I have to remove a NUT from the stud on the port side, and a BOLT on the starboard. I just thought that's the way all motors are. I only know...
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    Steering cable! How do I handle this?

    I'm swapping motors. Both are mid-80's Mercury 75HP. Yesterday I removed my steering cable at the "old" motor. Loosened the collar at the tube, but even though I fought like hell, I couldn't get the cable out. I pulled and yanked and cussed and loosened everything until the entire tube came...
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    Is this a good price for a late 90's 70hp Force?

    I'm shopping for a motor to repower my 1975 Starcraft. A local guy here who runs a mobile marine service business (with a good reputation) has a '97 or '98 70hp Force that he says he just rebuilt and would run great. With my locked-up 75hp Mercury (and an extra gearcase w/prop) as a trade-in...
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    Complete boats are MUCH cheaper than ONLY outboard motors? Why?

    So I'm shopping for a replacement Mercury outboard to put on my Starcraft, and when I started the search, I thought JUST a motor would be relatively cheap, but I'm finding the opposite is true. *MOTOR ONLY* seems to be priced at a premium, even though they're on a stand or on the floor...
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    Silicone bead when re-installing lower unit?

    I see some helpful videos where guys put down a bead of silicone or RTV between the water pump and the exhaust space before they stick the foot back in. Is that just being extra cautious? Other videos don't show applying any sealant, and my SELOC service manual doesn't mention it at all. What's...
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    Can I turn the motor over with the lower unit off?

    My mid-80's Mercury is seized, it wants to turn over with a key turn, there's a "nudge", but something's jamming it. My theory is the gears are toast. After I drop the lower unit, is it OK to turn the key and see if the motor will turn over? I'll have to shift it back to neutral and never did...
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