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Merc red band 60hp

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kj1974

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"hi there need some help on th

"hi there need some help on the difference between red band and blue band merc engines in regards to age? were red band made and released before blue band and vice versa? am looking at buying a merc red band 60hp, also any tips to look out for slight hints that it may be a goodie or a baddie. is there anywhere on engine that can tell me the exact year i.e serial number etc. many thanks to all who help"
 
"Kev, the red bands are a litt

"Kev, the red bands are a little older than blue bands. The red band was between 1969-1973, the blue's 74 to (I think) 77.

In either case you are looking at an old (but not antique or ancient) engine.

Will still have points and a whole lot of discontinued parts.

If the decal/plate with the serial number is gone, you can usually find a welsh plug on the waterjacket of the powerhead that also contains the serial number. With that the year can be determined..."
 
cool thanks guys and is there

cool thanks guys and is there any tips on things i should look out for to tell if its a total dog or still an ok engine
 
"i am not familar with the 60h

"i am not familar with the 60hp but owned a couple of 50,s....one redband amd one blue band...both had excellent power heads....i did not run stainless props because the prop shaft was not heavy enough to take the impact if i hit something solid..used aluminum and knew the personnel in prop repair shop quite well back then..i would do the usual if looking at buying one..compression..lower unit etc...in addition to that i would inspect wiring..i dont remember if i had problems with the red band but the blue band was the pits...by the time i got rid of it i had completely rewired it..good luck.."
 
additional note...both these m

additional note...both these motors were running good when i got rid of them...i had a badly designed boat with the red band and the dealer cut me a deal on new rig when i got rid of boat..got rid of blue band after 21 years because i needed a more comfortable boat to keep wife fishing with me..both excellent motors..was thinking back as i typed...excellent prices also..see ya
 
"Kev, I would echo the comment

"Kev, I would echo the comments above - check the compression - should be at least in the mid/high 90's or better across all cylinders.

See the motor running and make sure that it shifts smoothly. You don't want any nasty surprises - some minor ignition work or having to clean/rebuild a carb is one thing, having to replace chewed up gears is quite another.

Lastly, don't pay too much. Motors of this vintage aren't "ancient" but they are old. An early to mid 90's 60 horse, with a modern ignition system sells anywhere in the 500-1000 dollar range depending on condition. I would expect that you should pay significantly less for a late 60's/early 70's model..."
 
thanks for everything but i re

thanks for everything but i really am a virgin to all this how would i go about checking compression?
 
also graham do you have any of

also graham do you have any of these 90's models for sale because i would rather purchase a newer rather than older model but was thinking they would be to far from my price range would be intrested from any offers of other decent engines
 
Kev...i hesitate to bust your

Kev...i hesitate to bust your bubble but if you are not experienced in outboards a motor such as this could be a money trap and you will still end up with a motor thats unreliable...it would be a good one to learn on tho if you can get it real real cheap..put it on a stand in garage or somewhere you can work on it...talk to a lot of people..there is a lot of good reading on the web on 2 cycle engines...tear it down if needed and learn from that..just dont spend a fortune on it..if you get it running put it on boat and take your wife or girlfriend out..when it strands you a couple times with the right person in boat they will beg you to buy a new one...it worked for me..i think the year was 1966 and a 14 foot boat with trailer and 18 horse evinrude was 725 bucks..all new..everything is revelant tho including price..that was about a months pay..enjoy..Carl...a thought..parts are going to be hard to find...this is a good site to buy a lot of stuff from tho..
 
"Kev, I generally don't se

"Kev, I generally don't sell motors. I do pick up one now and then, fix it up and resell, but not my business by any means and never anything above 40 horses - just too big to carry to the garage.

However, I would check places like Ebay or private sales (weekly/monthly buy/sell papers for boats).

A marine dealer will normally want double what a private seller will for a used motor and the added dollars may or may not be worth it - they may have done some repairs.

But I would really take Carl's advice. If you are willing to learn everything about a given motor, scrounge around for parts and sometimes wait weeks/months to get them, then you can buy almost anything. If not, pick up something alot newer.

If it's a Merc you are looking at I would look at nothing older than about 1985/86 - and make sure it's a Merc model and not the 100% Yamaha Mariners that were produced - great engines, but discontinued (so parts could get scarce).

An older one may be initially cheap, but one bad part can quickly escalate the cost by hundreds.

Boat is an acronym for Bet On Another Thousand - dollars that is


My advice would be, look for an 86 or newer 50 horse Merc. It was one of their better models for durability and popularity. It is one of only two, 2 stroke models still in production today, so parts are very much available from numerous sources. And the "on boat" performance between a 50 and a 60 is not something the average guy would notice (unless they lie to themself)...."
 
Actually it is BOAT ---- Bring

Actually it is BOAT ---- Bring on another thousand---- .Tthere is nothing wrong with " older " motors if you can do the work yourself.Are you sure the motor is a 60 hp with a red band or is it a 4 cylinder 65hp
 
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