mercury 20hp lowered unit swap

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iamthepd

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Ok..so i have an old 1970 mercury 20hp short shaft that recently died and won't start, it has no spark in either cylinder. Not knowing too much about outboards I decided to just start looking for a different motor. I found one that's a 83 mercury 20hp but it's a long shaft...i was wondering if its even possible to swap lower units, and how hard it is to do so, or if I should keep looking for a short shaft. Thanks in advance for your help
 

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If your wondering if you can swap parts from your motor you have now to the one you are thinking of buying then no that wont work they are diffrent models and have diffrent parts. Its possible to change a short to a long but usually not worth it and could involve a good bit of work depending on the model. Why not just fix the motor you have. Not sure of your exact model but it may just need the points adjusted if so equipped. Even easier if it just needs new coils. Get a repair manual for your outboard they are not hard to work on and the manual will take you step by step.
 
I agree with the above, it would probably be easier try and fix your current motor. I'm not sure which motor you have pictured though because that sure looks like a 74 long shaft 20 horse.
 
Yes you are correct. ..i had the guy go get me the serial number and that's exactly what it is...since it's a 74 and mine is a 70...will it work? I've tried uploading the pic of mine but it won't for some reason.
 
I believe the lower units of the 70 and 74 are interchangeable but if one is a short shaft and the other is a long shaft, you will have to swap out the drive shaft and shift shafts also in order for it to work.
 

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