TOPIC: Advise/worth of a 1977 85 horse Merc

I'm considering the purchase of a 1977 85 horse Merc & controls. It has not been started in 2 years. Other than checking compression( and what should that be?) what other things should I look for ? What is a fair price- I know there are to many variables for an accurate estimate but a range of price would be helpful. It will be going on a 1968 16 ft Corson I'm restoring. Thanks

ishmayl wrote:

I'm considering the purchase of a 1977 85 horse Merc & controls. It has not been started in 2 years. Other than checking compression( and what should that be?) what other things should I look for ? What is a fair price- I know there are to many variables for an accurate estimate but a range of price would be helpful. It will be going on a 1968 16 ft Corson I'm restoring. Thanks

Check to see that the compression is even more than just high numbers...you want to see preferably no more than a 5-7 PSI variation between all cylinders...a slight bit more variation wont necessarily hurt anything but it could mean that particular cylinder is troublesome or could be soon. Anything more than a 10PSI variation would throw up a red flag for me. Ive seen fantastic running ones with overall compression numbers as low as 100 PSI but ideally they will be in the 125-150ish range. Check to see if it has spark if possible...

Look closely at all the hardware...does it look like it was wrenched on alot by a 16 year old?? Are all the nut and bolt heads rounded off or are they nice and sharp still? Hows the condition of the wiring? Is it all there and complete? Take a good look at the lower unit...look for any repairs, cracks, major dings, etc. Spin the prop in nuetral...does is spin smoothly or does it feel like it has rocks in it?

If its a clean and presentable motor, has good compression, spark, controls and a wiring harness, but not running, id probably pay upwards of 300-400 dollars depending on all the above said factors. If the paints faded, cowlings beat up, needs wires and whatnot replaced, the price only goes down from there. A good, clean running one would easily fetch closer to 1000 bucks.

Thank you, very helpful

Check serial # to ensure it is correct year and what is being offered....check cowls to make sure they match.

Check skeg for damage.
Is there a prop?...props usually run another $100.

If you can hear run, watch the tell tail hole, see how long it takes for water to pump through....should be a nice steady dribble/stream at idle and a stream while under throttle.

No spark?...check internal harness for cracked, broke wires....
If its a Distributor style ignition....have may variables to think about...trigger,switch box,coil....

As stated above, wiring is a must to check.
I currently have 3 Merc 850. 2 ADI 1 Distributor...

I had a running one cowls little beat up and and well not to pretty I listed it for sale for $450 on CL in my area, no controls. It didn't sell. Its compression is arounf 130 on all 4 cycl.

good luck...