Older 50HP Merc?????

[Medics-R-US]

I have an older mid 80s 50HP Mercury outboard that will start up and idle without a problem in or out of the water.

My problem is when I put it into gear I have have no power as I have a top speed of 6-7 mph pushing a 16' Seaswirl. I have went thru the lower unit and it is in great shape!

I tried to get one of the local marine repair shops to look at it but they all say that it is not worth the money to have them fix the issue.

One mechanic looked at it and said that it has excellent compression, spark, and it is getting plenty of fuel. He said it may be one of two things but it would not pay for me to have him work on it. The two things that he said could be the problem is 1) a plugged ehaust port in the motor head or 2) bad reeds.

Does anyone else have any suggestions and how difficulte would it be for me to fix either or both of these issues myself? I have worked on cars, trucks, and motor cycles but never an outboard.:shrug:

Thanks for the help.

[Gundog]

Buy a manual and tear into it. It is already broke and they say it isn't worth fixing so you can't hurt it anymore than it is now. You may find something simple you can fix and if you can't you are right where you are now.

If you are not sure you can get it back together. Take pictures with a camara as you disassemble it so you can refer to them when you put it back together. You can use a sharpe to number the bolts and parts also.
Mike

[KChookem]

I had a 50 Merc that did the same thing (which I discoverd several miles out in the Straight of Georgia in rough water). It took the mechanic two tries to get it to run correctly, and the first time it ran great in the tank. He surmised the problem might have been the tiny speck of something he had been flushed out of the carb, and may have been in a jet.

Before tearing the engine apart, you might consider getting a can or two of "SeaFoam" at an automotive store, then look at the directions. The folks at my NAPA store say it can do wonders cleaning out a motor and carbs. I use it as my fuel stabilyzer.

[Coastalfisherman]

Have you tried taking to into Serven Marine in South beach? Ken is pretty busy, but he is the best mechanic when it comes to Mercs.

[Medics-R-US]

Have you tried taking to into Serven Marine in South beach? Ken is pretty busy, but he is the best mechanic when it comes to Mercs.

Actually Ken is the guy that checked it out and told me it may be the reeds or a plugged exhaust port.

I plan on taking on the task of atempting to tear it down and hopefully fix starting Saturday.

[CURADO KID]

I suggest to definetely get the Mercury book. I have an early 80's 70hp Merc and recently replaced the power head and lower unit. I wouldn't say it was simple, but the book does a good job of walking you through step by step.

Doesn't sound like you have anything to lose and you might learn a thing or two, i know i did.

[budnate]

clean carbs!!, had the exact same issue this spring on one, ran fine in the tank then on the boat under load in the water it would not go, pulled the carbs apart, lots of small stuff in them cleaned/them blew out back on runs great.:cheers:

[fishncliff]

My 50 hp Mariner does the same thing. I change the fuel filter and the problem goes away.

[bigredapes]

I'll put in another vote for buying a carb rebuild kit and cleaning the carbs real good and putting them back together.

I had the same problem with my old outboard, and found pieces of dirt in the carb jet.

Once you clean it out good, make sure you replace the fuel filter and any other dirty fuel parts. I found that if I didn't clean everything perfectly, I was getting pieces of varnish from old gas breaking loose and clogging the jets every so often.

Those nitrile gloves help a lot for keeping the smell of gas of your hands.

[Duckwheat]

Sounds familair to a Johnson I had. It was varnished in the carb from no stabilizer. Ran good after getting the carbs fixed.

DW

[Hunt'nFish]

Medics-R-Us,
What did you find? outcome??
Kinda sounds like a fuel hoses was sucking air from a crack or bad fitting. Maybe a clogged fuel filter that would deliver enough to idle but not enough to rev upto speed.
Hunt'nFish