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Well a month or two ago I picked up a used 99 Merc 4stroke for my old 1964 13ft whaler. Had a bunch of other things to get going on the boat before it would go in the water so was super excited to have a quick one over done at the local marina. Motor started up fine (or so I thought) ....

The news of course, not so good. I have some issues with the two lower carbs being gummed up and not allowing the engine to run correctly. So I'm told I need at least two new float bowls and carb rebuild kits installed. When all is said and done they are estimating about $1200. That just seems a bit high for a carb rebuild.... I know parts are expensive but am I just being cheap here?

Plus is this something I could easily do myself or does it need to be synced up and special tools needed to do this since it is a four stroke?

Just wondering....thanks guys

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I just had three, two barreled Yamaha carbs cleaned, not really a rebuild, reused old jets, but testing boat twice, carb removal, cleaning, reinstall, compression and timing check, carb adjustment, $529. So yes, that sounds very steep.

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I usually get carbs rebuilt for about 150 each including parts, hell yeah that is steep!!

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Click on the link below and navigate to your specific engine to get a good idea of what the parts go for at a reasonable retail price:

http://www.boats.net/parts/search/Mer...parts.html

If you're mechanically inclined, it's not difficult to do. Having a shop manual is a good help, as is taking pictures along the way for reference if needed.

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Hey Guys,

Thanks so much for the replies....i had an idea of the parts cost which is going to be about $400 for two floats and the rebuild kits.....they showed me all the old carb parts and said they weren't salvageable from soaking, cleaning etc. Under what circumstances can these parts go bad? I'm coming from the car/motorcycle angle where almost everything seemingly could be rebuilt. They also told me that 4 strokes are much more complicated to clean then a two stroke...is that true?

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I am not a big fan of Mercury motors, only ever owned one but $400 for a carb rebuild kit is about as outrageous as I have ever heard. You should be able to buy new carburetors for that kind of money.

Again, I am not familiar with Merc but I would find the rebuild kits on line from a parts supplier and soak the entire carbs for a week in carb cleaner after you get them apart.
There is nothing all that hard about replacing the parts in a carb and at the prices your shop is quoting I would have to say they don't want yours or many other peoples business. They sure would never get mine.

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I am not a mechanic either, but I can rebuild a carb from a diagram. Syncing is above my head so I had them do it. Even if a 4 stroke is more, I doubt it is that much more, but I would check it out. Labor should only usually be an hour or so per carb.

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If the material cost is $400 (+-) and the time to rebuild and reinstall is 3 hour (a rather generous allowance for an experienced mechanic) then the cost per hour is
$266.66 per hour. I know the cost of living on LI is steep but $266 and hour for a marine technicians services?!

Sounds like some extra lubrication is being added.
Zap

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Shop another dealer.

Tell them what the work to be done is and mention the replacement bowls. Ask for detailed quoted for prices and compare.

As Sy Syms said. "An educated consumer is their best customer."

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New carbs can be purchased new for roughly $300 each depending on specific model. $1200 to rebuild two seems ridiculous.

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I got mine disassembled and cleaned for $35 dollars each.

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I've done a bunch of them. Different engines. A good guy will rebuild and get them on and off in a day.

Here's some simple advice:

Go to a mercury dealer and get the carb cleaner / engine valve cleaner spreay. Open up the throttle and soak the hell out of the carbs and leave for a day or two. Use a whole can between the three carbs. The foam settles into all the nooks and crannies. 10 bucks will be well worth it. Take off the lanyard and turn over the engine for 5 secs or so.

After two days soaking:

Then take a 600ml bottle empty coke bottle. Fill with 50 per cent sea foam and balance regular gas. Take the fuel line going to the carbs and place in the coke bottle. With the lanyard off turn over the engine until fifty per cent has been sucked up into the engine. Leave for a day.

Then: reconnect the lanyard, hose and position the engine to spray the crap away from your gouse etc. Then fire her up [don't forget to reconnect the fuel line of course].

I have a bunch of boats and do this to keep them in good shape.

Concerning the set up of the carbs: most carbs are set at the factory. The float level is critical [otherwise it floods into the carb or insufficient fuel in the bowl]. I would suggest that your carbs may be better off after the above....

All the best