C
Charlie Perini
Guest
" I recently purchased a boat
" I recently purchased a boat with a 1986 Mercury 90 hp in-line 6. I'm not sure of the service history of the motor but it starts and runs pretty smooth. Was this a good merc motor in its day? And how well do they hold up. I'm a little afraid of relying on an older motor. I did a compression test on the 6 cylinders and they all read around 140 lbs. There also seems to be good spark on all leads. I drained the lower unit oil and it was jet black and smelled awful, not much metal showed though. I hope this isn't a bad sign of an early death. I have changed the spark plugs but what other parts should I replace or service before spring launch? I'd like to do the installations myself but Ive only done minor work on outboards, so let me know if I should leave this to a pro. Thanks for your help.
Charlie "
" I recently purchased a boat with a 1986 Mercury 90 hp in-line 6. I'm not sure of the service history of the motor but it starts and runs pretty smooth. Was this a good merc motor in its day? And how well do they hold up. I'm a little afraid of relying on an older motor. I did a compression test on the 6 cylinders and they all read around 140 lbs. There also seems to be good spark on all leads. I drained the lower unit oil and it was jet black and smelled awful, not much metal showed though. I hope this isn't a bad sign of an early death. I have changed the spark plugs but what other parts should I replace or service before spring launch? I'd like to do the installations myself but Ive only done minor work on outboards, so let me know if I should leave this to a pro. Thanks for your help.
Charlie "