I purchased a boat with a Mercruiser 140 i/o motor in it. I don't know a whole lot about boats, but I figured this would make a good fixer up project for me. I never got to hear the motor run, but the owner I got it off of was an older man, and he assured me that it does run and sounds good. My question is: Can I start the motor if it isn't in the water?
Mark G
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Yes you can, but you need to attach a set of water pump "muffs" to the outdrive in order for it to run without burning up the water pump and/or the engine...just like a car, you don't want to run it without coolant. Just go to a marine store or NAPA and ask for them...if they don't have any, they can get them quick. All you do is attach the muffs to your garder hose, put the muffs over the water intake on the lower unit, turn your hose on and start the engine. Then, you'll want to look at the back of the boat where the MerCruiser transom assembly meets the hull and look for water coming out of it...if it comes out of the transom assembly, you're pumping water and you should be all set form there on, but there are many other things you should look for in a boat that has been sitting for a while. The 140 engine from MerCruiser is a reliable, proven engine with a ton of life in it if it was maintained and winterized properly. Here is one of my old answers..Good Luck!
Well, there are a few important items you'll want to inspect on your boat before you go ahead and start it. The first thing you'll want to do is replace the battery and clean all of your connections (don't forget the grounds and charge wire to the starter). Then, do a systems check. That means, check the blower, bilge pump, lights, horn, etc. as well as the power trim for the outdrive. You may want to "touch" the key and see if the engine turns over. A starter sitting for that long might not want to engage. It'll also give you a chance to see if everything still spins back there. After that, you should change the oil, as well as the oil filter and fuel/water separator. If it were me, I'd do a tune-up to the engine and change the plugs and wires (it's an LX so it has the digital ignition...no need for rotor/cap/points). You'll also want to pull the outdrive off and inspect the gimbal bearing, gimbal ring, engine coupler, drive shaft and the U-joints. To check the gimbal bearing, just stick your hand through the transom assembly and spin it with your fingers. If it moves relatively smooth, you're OK. Make sure the splines on the drive shaft and coupler are good, grease the gimbal bearing, drive shaft and U-Joints (there are grease fittings on the U-Joints) and don't forget to grease the transom assembly hub by getting the two grease fittings just below the water line on the outer transom assembly. While you have the drive off, you'll want to replace the impeller (water pump kit). The impeller is rubber and probably dried out, so replace it and call it cheap insurance. Re-install the drive with a new drive gasket set and get ready to start the engine. What you should do next is take the flame arrester off of the carb and fill the carb bowls manually so that you don't have to keep cranking the engine over and pumping the throttle all the time, wearing out the starter and possibly melting the solenoid and causing a fire. When you take the arrester off, you should see a little "spout" that looks like a smoke stack on a big rig...pour some fuel down that until it starts to fill up a little, then replace the flame arrester. Place a set of water muffs onto the freshwater intake and turn the hose on, then start it up! It'll act pretty grumpy for a few minutes, but it'll come out of it. Make sure the engine is pumping water out of the transom assembly in the back and that everything is turning freely on the engine. Check all of your hoses and exhaust boots for leaks in the engine compartment. Now...onto the bellows. The exhaust bellows is what is commonly referred to as "the boot" between your outdrive and transom assembly. The only way to check for a leak in that is to put the boat in the water and trim it all the way up. If you don't see/hear any water coming in, you're all set. However, because it has been out of the water for such a long time, it's probably dried up a little bit. So, you might want to replace that as well before you launch it. Other than that, you should be all set. It's a long answer to your question, but it shouldn't take more than a day or so if you do everything I've said, including the bellows replacement. Good Luck!
P.S. Don't forget to hit the fuel tank with some dry gas, fuel stabilizer (Look into "K-100." It's the best stuff on the market) or siphon and replace the fuel that's in it. You might run through a fuel filter or two, but you should be all set.
minko
Mercruiser 140
Anonymous
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I purchased a boat w/ a Mercruiser 140 i/o motor.....?
I purchased a boat with a Mercruiser 140 i/o motor in it. I don't know a whole lot about boats, but I figured this would make a good fixer up project for me. I never got to hear the motor run, but the owner I got it off of was an older man, and he assured me that it does run and sounds good. ...
Anonymous
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It does sound like the bellows.They are located high enough on the transom that 20 gallons of water wouldn't even come close to helping you find the leak.You may be able to tilt the drive all the way up and see the problem.The drive shaft bellows will be the largest and the highest one in the Gimble housing.This bellows can sink the boat in a short time.The exhaust bellows will be just below the drive-shaft bellows and may or may not have holes in the bottom.These don't leak water into the boat unless you have a problem with the exhaust inside the boat.The last one is the shift cable bellows.It will be low on the starboard side of the housing and will leak water into the boat.If you don't see an obvious problem,your best bet is to launch the boat(leave it on the trailer)and with a bright flashlight look for the leak at the transom.Follow the lower shift cable down to where it exits the boat.If the drive-shaft bellows is leaking,it will be high on the transom,but may fool you as it leaks in around the transom plate.These are the most common places for an alpha drive to leak,but they can also leak past the seal at the Gimble housing or through the mounting bolts/studs.Least likely,but still possible is a hole corroded through the Gimble housing/transom plate.Also,while you are looking for leaks,trim the drive all the way up.
coasty_14
Never start your boat engine without water going to it, either by being in the lake or running on a set of muffs with a garden hose. Most of the water pumps have a rubber impeller that will not last long at all if you run it dry. Especially in your case where you don't know what the last owner has done.