Recent content by cincinnati

Original owner of an '88. Replaced the ignition switchbox (around '96) & the propshaft (in '13) when it had worn just enough that the unit would not hold pressure/vacuum. Spun the original prop in '17. Otherwise, it has been bulletproof. No issues w/the tiller/shift mechanism whatsoever.

Compression test. Hard starting & loss of top end power are 2 possible symptoms of low compression. Unless yours is really heavy for 14', a healthy 40 HP should be a pretty zippy ride!

Had a similar problem on my '88 25 HP Merc & it was the switchbox. Sometimes it was fine, sometimes it would start on one cylinder & then begin hitting on the 2nd after the motor got hot. Very random. The last time I suffered w/it, the motor wouldn't start @ all, so we fished around the...

Float valve sticking open. Cheap fix!

1/4" aluminum plate, cut to size.

In its simplest form, an engine is just an air pump. To produce more HP, you have to move more air through the motor. 2 ways to attack this: 1)increase the displacement; or 2) spin the motor faster. That model Merc has plated cylinders, so you can't increase the bore w/o re-sleeving the...

A 100:1 oil ratio is suggested for environmental purposes only, since everything that passes through the engine is exhausted into the the water & the smoke is "unsightly." I'm old enough to remember when many 2 strokes ran on 30:1. Many racers & builders would have run even more oil IF the...

If your stator already does not test out correctly, why wouldn't you start there?

Compression check: Is bottom cylinder significantly lower than the top? Since the same carburetor feeds both cylinders, through the same set of reeds, look for an ignition problem. The switch box ("powerpack") in my '88 Merc 25HP, failed & the symptoms first showed as a low/idle speed miss...