Mercury 125 exhaust baffle gasket questions

[Dkemp340]

I have an 03 mercury 125 2 stroke that has a small water leak on the bottom of the exhaust cover. It’s circled in the attached picture. When running it’s a small drip in that corner. I went ahead and ordered factory Mercury gaskets that will be here tomorrow. As I was reading about the install I’m kinda wondering how hard It’ll be and if it’s even worth it to mess with. Is there an issue running it the way it is? If I do decide to tear it down do I need a special sealant on the gaskets? Thanks for any info!

 

[fastjeff]

I'd leave it a lone. THose zillion bolts need to all come out, and if one of them shears....

Jeff

 

[racerone]

It looks like a fresh water motor.----Try tightening those bolts around the leak.----If they move try a few others.----Then decide whether bolts will all come out.----This job allows you to inspect pistons and rings.----And I am sure that factory gaskets come with a bead of sealer installed by a ROBOT.