Help Choosing a Thermostat
 

I believe the thermostat in my Mercury 115hp 4-stroke outboard is
broken. Now, I need info about which thermostat that I should use to
replace it.

The existing thermostat didn't pass the hot-water test. I heated the
water up to 180 degree, and it didn't open in any way -- not even
slightly. I believe this means the thermostat is dead.

But I have a question as of which temperature range of thermostat that
I should get. The Mercury Service Manual doesn't say which temperature
range to choose; it simply tells me to check the temperature rating
stamped on the bottom of the termostat. When I look at the bottom of
the old termostat, it has a "120" marking. I guess this means the old
termostat is supposed to start opening up at around 120 degree; and I
also assume that this means the old termostat is supposed to maintain
the water temperature to no less than 120 degree, right? According to
some past posts, 120 degree is kind of low temperature and is supposed
to be for people who like to run the motor at slow speed -- as in
trolling. Do I have to stick with 120 degree termostat like what the
Mercury Service Manual has suggested? Should I replace it with a 143
degree termostat that I am under the impression is the more common
termostat being used in Mercury outboard (if I read the SELOC Repair
Manual correctly)? You see I am planning to add a 9.9hp outboard to
the boat for trolling, and will likely use the main outboard for
cruising; this means I will not run the main outboard in slow speed all
the time. Does this mean that I am better off using a 143 degree
termostat? I will use the boat in both fresh water (25%) and salt
water (75%); I mention that just in case this makes a difference.

Based on the equipments left in the boat, the ex-owner of the boat
didn't fish much (no fishfinder, no live well, only find one rusted
hook left). Then why would he put a 120-degree thermostat in the motor
that is for people who like trolling? Is there any other reason why a
boat owner or the boat manufacturer may want to put a 120 degree
thermostat in the motor?

I have a couple questions related to the old/dead thermostat:

1. What does "sticking termostat" mean, like when people say "the
sticking termostat is causing problem"? Does this mean the termostat
sticks at the "close" position and cannot open up like what my old
thermostat is?

2. What's the effect of having a thermostat that refuses to open? I
am asking this because I have a problem getting water coming out from
the telltale, and I have a hard time finding out the cause of this
problem, and I am wondering if a constantly-closed thermostat may cause
this problem or not.

Thanks in advance for any info.

Jay Chan

Help Choosing a Thermostat
 

" wrote in
oups.com:

120 degree is kind of low temperature and is supposed
to be for people who like to run the motor at slow speed -- as in
trolling.

Trolling? Hey! You could run that motor on rec.boats!....(c;)

Let's step back a moment.......

How old is this motor? How many years did it run without overheating on a
thermostat marked "120"? How many heavy repairs and blown powerheads did
you say it had had?

If the answer is long years and little trouble....why screw around changing
what works great?!

(Am I the only one that notices those LONG running antique outboard motors
that just keep going and going and going that have NO THERMOSTAT?)


Larry
--
Is sending glassware via USPS considered "baiting"?

Help Choosing a Thermostat
 

Larry wrote:
" wrote in
oups.com:

120 degree is kind of low temperature and is supposed
to be for people who like to run the motor at slow speed -- as in
trolling.

Trolling? Hey! You could run that motor on rec.boats!....(c;)

Let's step back a moment.......

How old is this motor? How many years did it run without overheating on a
thermostat marked "120"? How many heavy repairs and blown powerheads did
you say it had had?

If the answer is long years and little trouble....why screw around changing
what works great?!

If I understand you correctly, you are saying that the 120 degree
thermostat has probably helped the 1995 old motor to keep it from
overheating. Again if I understand this correctly, I could have used a
higher temperature thermostat if my outboard motor was a recent model;
but given the fact that my motor is old, I am better off using the 120
degree low-temperature thermostat to play this safe, right?

I don't know the track record of this outboard motor because I bought
the boat with the motor last fall and the boat has been sitting in my
driveway for one year unused. Therefore, I don't know if the motor
runs fine or not. The only thing I know is that the boat/motor was
working fine when I had a sea-trial on it; the boat could get on plane
with a party of 4 very quickly. I guess this means I should leave
"good enough" alone and stick with the thermostat with the same
temperature rating.

Thanks for your advice.

Jay Chan

Help Choosing a Thermostat
 

Help Choosing a Thermostat
 

Gene wrote:
On 29 Oct 2006 15:59:53 -0800, "
wrote:

I believe the thermostat in my Mercury 115hp 4-stroke outboard is
broken. Now, I need info about which thermostat that I should use to
replace it.


Easy answer. Go to the boat dealership with your engine's model and
serial number. Based on that information, ask them for the correct
part. Tip: Never assume that the part you removed was the correct
part.

OK, I will ask the dealer when I go there to buy a new thermostat.

I have a couple questions related to the old/dead thermostat:

1. What does "sticking termostat" mean, like when people say "the
sticking termostat is causing problem"? Does this mean the termostat
sticks at the "close" position and cannot open up like what my old
thermostat is?


A thermostat can "stick" closed, open, or anywhere in between. It just
stops working mechanically.

Thanks for the explanation.

2. What's the effect of having a thermostat that refuses to open? I
am asking this because I have a problem getting water coming out from
the telltale, and I have a hard time finding out the cause of this
problem, and I am wondering if a constantly-closed thermostat may cause
this problem or not.

A thermostat that refuses to open (and is stuck closed) will cause an
overheating engine. It will not affect the telltale.

OK, I can rule out the stuck-closed thermostat as the cause of my
problem of not seeing telltale from the outboard.

As Larry noted, if the thermostat is in the condition you suggest,
your engine is probably toast. If it is not, then the thermostat must
be admitting at least some cooling water to the water jacket.... or
some information you have provided is faulty.

I only ran the motor at low speed for a minute without the telltale
(and it ran fine last year when I winterize it). I don't see any paint
peeling off from the motor yet. I guess it should be fine. I will see
when I try to winterize it in the coming weekend or the next weekend.

Jay Chan

Help Choosing a Thermostat
 

wrote in message
ups.com...


I only ran the motor at low speed for a minute without the telltale
(and it ran fine last year when I winterize it). I don't see any paint
peeling off from the motor yet. I guess it should be fine. I will see
when I try to winterize it in the coming weekend or the next weekend.

Jay Chan


I don't know if you actually ran it for a full minute or just for a "little
bit" of time.
The reason I mention it is that I recall that water flowing from the
telltale doesn't happen right away when you start the engine. It takes some
time (don't know the exact period and probably varies from engine to engine)
for the water pump to get the water up to the head and out the exhaust and
telltale. I know my outboards would initially run for (guessing) 10-15
seconds before the telltale started flowing.

Eisboch

Help Choosing a Thermostat
 

" wrote in
ups.com:

The only thing I know is that the boat/motor was
working fine when I had a sea-trial on it; the boat could get on plane
with a party of 4 very quickly. I guess this means I should leave
"good enough" alone and stick with the thermostat with the same
temperature rating.


Exactly what I would do. If the motor ran 10 years at 120 degrees and is
still running good at 120 degrees, why screw around with success?


Larry
--
I sure hope Halloween comes real soon....
I've run out of Halloween candy THREE TIMES SO FAR!

Help Choosing a Thermostat
 

Larry wrote:
" wrote in
ups.com:

The only thing I know is that the boat/motor was
working fine when I had a sea-trial on it; the boat could get on plane
with a party of 4 very quickly. I guess this means I should leave
"good enough" alone and stick with the thermostat with the same
temperature rating.


Exactly what I would do. If the motor ran 10 years at 120 degrees and is
still running good at 120 degrees, why screw around with success?

Larry

Yes, you are right. I just bought a new thermostat from the dealer. I
asked the dealer about this, and he entered the serial number of my
motor, and found that mine should use 120 degree thermostat. This
settles the issue.

Jay Chan

Help Choosing a Thermostat
 

Gene wrote:
On 29 Oct 2006 15:59:53 -0800, "
wrote:

I believe the thermostat in my Mercury 115hp 4-stroke outboard is
broken. Now, I need info about which thermostat that I should use to
replace it.


Easy answer. Go to the boat dealership with your engine's model and
serial number. Based on that information, ask them for the correct
part. Tip: Never assume that the part you removed was the correct
part.

Yes, I asked the dealer, and according to the stock info system, mine
should use 120 degree thermostat.

As Larry noted, if the thermostat is in the condition you suggest,
your engine is probably toast. If it is not, then the thermostat must
be admitting at least some cooling water to the water jacket.... or
some information you have provided is faulty.

You are exactly right! I checked the old thermostat in a wrong way.
Actually, the old thermostat is not broken. I mistakened the axis of
the thermostat as the valve.

I decide to replace the old one anyway because the old one starts
opening the valve at 140 degree instead of 120 degree as what it is
rated (the new one starts opening right at 120-125 degree).

Thanks for pointing out that my test might be faulty. Otherwise, I may
not give it a second test.

Jay Chan

Help Choosing a Thermostat
 

Eisboch wrote:
wrote in message
ups.com...


I only ran the motor at low speed for a minute without the telltale
(and it ran fine last year when I winterize it). I don't see any paint
peeling off from the motor yet. I guess it should be fine. I will see
when I try to winterize it in the coming weekend or the next weekend.

Jay Chan


I don't know if you actually ran it for a full minute or just for a "little
bit" of time.
The reason I mention it is that I recall that water flowing from the
telltale doesn't happen right away when you start the engine. It takes some
time (don't know the exact period and probably varies from engine to engine)
for the water pump to get the water up to the head and out the exhaust and
telltale. I know my outboards would initially run for (guessing) 10-15
seconds before the telltale started flowing.

Eisboch

Well, this was something like 30 seconds to one minute. I didn't look
at the clock. It was definitely much longer than it should take for
the telltale to show up based on my prior experience in winterizing my
motor. I don't remember how soon the telltale should show up right
after starting my motor. But when I see someone's past post about
seeing the telltale a few seconds after starting the motor, I have a
feeling that this is about right.

As mentioned in one of my reply, the old thermostat actually is not
broken. This means the thermostat has nothing to do with the "not
seeing telltale" problem. I really have no idea why the telltale
doesn't show up (the thermostat is OK, the impeller looks OK, the water
passage way in the powerhead and the telltale hose is not blocked...).
Now, my theory is that the water pump is missing the sealing ring on
top of the water pump housing, and the water goes all over the place
instead of going up to the powerhead. I will test this theory when I
get the lower unit back from the dealer. Hopefully, I can finish
winterizing the motor in this weekend.

Jay Chan