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Distributer not turning

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starsh1p

Regular Contributor
"Happy spring to all. I starte

"Happy spring to all. I started to get my work going on my 84 merc 140 today and to my dismay the engine would not start, no spark. After some investigative work I found that the distributer itself is not turning at all. Now I know there is a gear at the bottom of the dist. that is probly the culprit, my question is this. Whats the worst case scenerio here? Since I was trying to turn over the engine with the dist. not turning would that make my job more difficult as far as engine timing goes? Is repairing the dist. the way to go or is an outrite replacement the better choice? If repairing, is this a job for a rocket scientist or can a backyard mechanic that has always had a fairly easy time of understanding and repairing autos handle the job. Before you answer, I got this boat last year and even tho I am quite sure the block is in good shape ( not cracked) I am not 100% sure.
so I am trying not to spend alot of money on the engine just yet. First I want to get it running so that I can be sure the block is not cracked. Once I know this for sure then I will spend what I have to, to bring it up to par. So I guess the long question is this, what would be the cheapest way to get it runnimg just well enough to know the block is all good? Thanks"
 
not turning may be the dist dr

not turning may be the dist drive gear or a broken cam. Most drive gear failures are caused by the oil pump locking up.Remove the dist and look. May just be a broken rotor.
 
"I will remove it tomorrow eve

"I will remove it tomorrow evening and have a look. However when you say a broken rotor are you reffering to the plastic rotor under the distributer cap? If so I can tell you that it is not broken, the shaft it sits on is not turning at all. Thanks for the quick response"
 
"O.K. so I pulled out my distr

"O.K. so I pulled out my distributer today.The gear is indeed missing a few teeth. BtDoctur, suggested that the oil pump may have locked up. Questions are: how can I tell for sure if it has? How can I free it up if it still is and how do I get the missing teeth pieces out of wherever they may have ended up at? Thanks for any help."
 
"you`ll find them at the botto

"you`ll find them at the bottom of the pan,for
the oil pump just replace to be on the safe side."
 
mike? when you say a few teeth

mike? when you say a few teeth do you mean 3 or is the gear mared completely around it?
 
Mike where in Massachusetts do

Mike where in Massachusetts do you live?

I Live in mass also.......
 
that sounds a little strange t

that sounds a little strange to me just three lone teeth but i would say that is better than the whole gear being gone could just have been a backlash that caused it wich may mean nothing more is realy damaged hopefully.or could be just a defective gear. but never the less inspect the whole trail
 
"If you're unsure about th

"If you're unsure about the block being cracked I think I would make sure it's not before you dump money into it. Tests are cheap (if you do them yourself), parts are not."
 
"Kghost, I grew up in Boston b

"Kghost, I grew up in Boston but now live in Plainville just south of Foxboro, you? PugetSounder, I am pretty sure the block is not cracked but what kind of test can I do myself that would tell me for sure that it is not? Thanks"
 
Mike if you click on my name y

Mike if you click on my name you can get my email.

I live in Northboro about 45 mins from you.

We can exchange numbers and talk on the phone and I can try to answer your questions.
 
"First drain your oil. If you

"First drain your oil. If you have water in it that's a pretty good sign but not definite. Then do a pressure check on your closed cooling system, if it's not holding pressure and if water is draining out of your oil pan drain that's probably a good sign on the cracked block. BUT then do a compression check to see if it's not a blown head gasket. It's nice to know the condition of the cylinders. If your compresion test is good then your gasket, rings, and cyl walls are probably in good shape. I haven't seen too many cracked heads on these motors, the gasket or block will go long before the CI head. It would all be easier if you could get the engine running but not necessary. A warm comp test is better than a cold one and if the motor is running you will know in a short time if you have water in your oil.

Then if the block passes I would either completely rebuild the dist or get a new one. Check to make sure your advance weights are free moving. Then spring for a pertronix elctronic ignitor and coil. Along with a new oil pump of course."
 
"O.k. so I pumped the oil out

"O.k. so I pumped the oil out of the pan so that I could remove the oil pump and what I found was about a half gallon of water in the pan before I got any oil. So due to the age of the engine and the amount of problems that I already know exist in it I have decided that this engine is not worth throwing cash at. Was going to try a bracket and outboard deal but that seemed pretty costly also. Then just on a wim I went into a local long established boat sales and repair shop and found my salvation, maybe. These guys do not work on or sell any boats older than 10 years old. After I told the owner my story he took me into his shop and showed me a motor that he took out of a trade in. He said it is a 1984 mercruiser 165, mine was a mercruiser 140. He said the boat he got it from was to old and needed a transom so he scrapped it but the motor ran so good he could not bring himself to scrap the motor. Guarantees it not to be cracked or blown and guarantees that it runs great and has been properly winterized and in top notch shape. Had no idea what he was gonna do with it until I walked in. He also says it will fit into my boat just like the original with some minor exceptions like a cable rerouting issue. ( my shift and accelerator cables are on the side this one I think they are on top) Does 500 dollars sound like a fair price?"
 
Do your own compression check!

Do your own compression check! Just to be sure. $500 is a lot of money for a boat anchor. Also your outdrive ratio will be a little different. 1.98:1 for the 140 and 1.84:1 for the 165. You will notice some peformance differences. He doesn't have the original outdrive he could take a trade does he?
 
"Update! I have no idea how I

"Update! I have no idea how I got this wrong but...... I went in to discuss this motor with the guy today to address the problems you guys brought up about the new motor being a 165 and the old being a 140 and he said what are you talking about? They are both 140's. Stupid me somehow misunderstood him. This motor is the same size and year as mine. He also said we will arrange a day when I can go in and he will start the motor for me and then do a compression test in front of me so I will know that I am getting a good motor. So I am happy again. Question, what kind of readings should I be looking for in the compression test? I know all the cylinders should read about the same but what is the lowest and highest numbers I should look for? Thanks guys, yes i am a noob"
 
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