I just bought back a small boat with an outboard I sold to a friend in 1987. He said the last time he used it was in 2008 and the motor ran just fine. BUT - 9 years since the motor's been run and now it surely must need something besides just dusting it off, filling the tank, and pulling the starter cord. It's a 15 hp 2 cycle Mariner (Mercury).
The motor turns over freely and it feels like it has good compression. Besides putting in a couple of new spark plugs and perhaps adding some Sea Foam to the gas mixture and trying to start it, what else should I either try to do on my own - or consider having done ? Water pump impeller replacement, replace lower unit oil, rebuild carburetor ? I have some mechanical ability but I've never worked on an outboard motor. I'd do a You Tube search, but not sure what to look up.
Any advice appreciated - thanks in advance.
The motor turns over freely and it feels like it has good compression. Besides putting in a couple of new spark plugs and perhaps adding some Sea Foam to the gas mixture and trying to start it, what else should I either try to do on my own - or consider having done ? Water pump impeller replacement, replace lower unit oil, rebuild carburetor ? I have some mechanical ability but I've never worked on an outboard motor. I'd do a You Tube search, but not sure what to look up.
Any advice appreciated - thanks in advance.