Hello fellow antique outboard enthusiasts,
I live in Micanopy, FL. A few miles from Gainesville. I am inquiring to see if anyone local knows a mechanic or paid/unpaid mentor to work on old Mercury engines. I called an outboard mechanic on Craigslist, but he does not work on pre-1970’s engines. I am also willing to work on it myself and learn about it, I just have limited understanding of outboards with nobody to ask help from.
I have a 1959 Mercury Mark 58AEL that needs some tune up work. I have an original shop manual. The upper is mounted on a 16ft 1960 Thompson. I have the lower removed and sitting on my work bench.
1. I purchased a new impeller, water pump cover, and Mercury water pump cover removal tool. The water pump cover is stuck at the moment. I purchased the NOS cover in case the existing cover gets ruined in attempt to remove it. I ran the engine in both a garbage can of water, and in a dock at Newnan’s Lake, there is no stream of water coming out. Hence, I’m sure the impeller needs replaced.
2. I purchased replacement seals for the lower unit, I would like to replace all seals and change fluids. Also, a light brown fluid was seen running down the outer lower unit housing?
3. A minor starter solenoid issue, but less pressing as I can jump it with a screwdriver. The current starter solenoid has 3 posts, and is held on by a metal hose clamp. I purchased a used solenoid from ebay, but it only has 2 posts. I tried replacing it, the replacement solenoid with 2 posts was very weak, so I kept the original 3 post on for now.
There’s probably other small issues that are on it. I noticed the electric choke doesn’t work. The pull-start on top does not function either.
I would love to have this boat on the water this winter. Thanks for any help you can provide.
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