YeOldeStonecat
New member
Hello all....
2x summers ago I picked up a used Merc Offshore 125 for my Baja SS18.
4 cyl, from a user outboard rebuilder...so naturally no owners manual. It ran great over the past 2 summers....always started up quickly, idled fine, overall a nice reliable engine.
I live in New England...CT. Boat is trailered. Pull battery for winter storage, trickle charge towards early spring and then again before putting battery in boat and connecting the ear muffs 'n hose and firing up the engine to blow out the winter fogging oil in the cylinders.
2x weekends I put in a new fuel line switch to alternate between the front tank and rear tank. I flipped it to the rear tank and fired up the engine for the first time this year. Started fairly well for the first firing of the season. Ran for almost a minute..then started struggling. I figured.."Ahh..stale gas from the rear tank which I didn't fill last year". So this weekend after more cleaning of the boat, flipped the fuel switch to the front tank, drained gas from the engine to get out the stale gas, and went to fire it up again. Turned over fine...but never even began to catch. Check plugs...wet. Dry plugs, try again...no luck. Repeated several times.
So take a plug out and hold it against a ground on the engine..have someone turn it over. Not one spark. Tried another plug..no spark..same on 3rd plug. Eyeballed all grounds 'n wiring as best a novice could on the engine.
Where to proceed next? I know the battery isn't up to full snuff...volt meter on boat guages showing 9-10v maybe..but the engine is cranking over at a good speed, should be decent enough for a spark, no?
Mid to late 90's Mercury 125 Offshore model.
2x summers ago I picked up a used Merc Offshore 125 for my Baja SS18.
4 cyl, from a user outboard rebuilder...so naturally no owners manual. It ran great over the past 2 summers....always started up quickly, idled fine, overall a nice reliable engine.
I live in New England...CT. Boat is trailered. Pull battery for winter storage, trickle charge towards early spring and then again before putting battery in boat and connecting the ear muffs 'n hose and firing up the engine to blow out the winter fogging oil in the cylinders.
2x weekends I put in a new fuel line switch to alternate between the front tank and rear tank. I flipped it to the rear tank and fired up the engine for the first time this year. Started fairly well for the first firing of the season. Ran for almost a minute..then started struggling. I figured.."Ahh..stale gas from the rear tank which I didn't fill last year". So this weekend after more cleaning of the boat, flipped the fuel switch to the front tank, drained gas from the engine to get out the stale gas, and went to fire it up again. Turned over fine...but never even began to catch. Check plugs...wet. Dry plugs, try again...no luck. Repeated several times.
So take a plug out and hold it against a ground on the engine..have someone turn it over. Not one spark. Tried another plug..no spark..same on 3rd plug. Eyeballed all grounds 'n wiring as best a novice could on the engine.
Where to proceed next? I know the battery isn't up to full snuff...volt meter on boat guages showing 9-10v maybe..but the engine is cranking over at a good speed, should be decent enough for a spark, no?
Mid to late 90's Mercury 125 Offshore model.