"Lure Action Controller" . wrote in message
...
The trouble is,, he did not run the gas out of the carburetor,, it has
been two years since the boat has run,, when I picked it up I noticed
the gas line attached to the motor. I have not tried to start this
engine yet (50 Hp Merc.) What should I do first ???????????????????


Well, any damage done by not properly preparing the motor for long term
storage has been done, and there is little you are going to do about it now.

I would suggest getting a sample of what's in the gas tank into a glass jar
and taking a look at it. If it doesn't look and smell just like gasoline
then I would drain the tank completely and discard the fuel (easier said
then done....)

If it looks and smells okay then I would give it a try! The gas will
certainly have lost some of its potency, so it will not run its best. If
the tank is mostly empty then just refill with fresh and you should be fine.

The gas that was left in the carburetor will have evaporated by now, leaving
behind a residue. Fresh gas may dissolve this and wash it through. On the
other hand, as the residue reduced to sludge it might have blocked the
smaller passages in the carburetor which will require it to be removed and
cleaned.

What year is this motor? Older Mercury motors used to be fairly robust, but
I know from personal experience that model year 2000 Mercury 50 Hp motors
have carburetors that are so delicate that just about anything will destroy
them. Hopefully yours are the former.


Rod McInnis