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TOPIC: 1960 Mercury 400
1960 Mercury 400 9 years 7 months ago #107523
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Just bought a classic 1966 fiberglass boat with a 1960 Merc 400 on it. Glad to find a forum like this where there are other people crazy as me that want to keep these old boats / motors out on the water.
Checked the motor over and got it fired up without too much trouble. Had not run since 1986 as far as I can tell (last time boat was registered.) Doesn't seem to have a lot of wear on it based on the flywheel gear teeth and the ring and pinion gears in the bottom end. Wasn't pumping water so I shut it down right away. Ordered a new impeller from MarineEngine.com. My question is about where to find a manual for this motor. Most of what I found on line only goes back to 1965. Once I get it up and running again, I'd like to check the timing etc. I'm a newbie (first boat), so any other advice is appreciated also. |
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Re:1960 Mercury 400 9 years 7 months ago #107524
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PS: Tried to post pics, but apparently I don't know what the hell I'm doing...
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Re:1960 Mercury 400 9 years 7 months ago #107525
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best to get a pre 65 merc service manual oldmercs.com
you can call me at 1 914 310 7086.for help. |
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Re:1960 Mercury 400 9 years 7 months ago #107527
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Welcome aboard Gadabout. Here's a link to the site Dave is referring to;
store.oldmercs.com/category_s/1032.htm We're very fortunate to have some great folks here very knowledgeable about the classic motors. Here's a link to a thread in the support forum that will help with posting pics; www.fiberglassics.com/fiberglassics-forums/home/support/how-to-post-pictures |
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Mark
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Re:1960 Mercury 400 9 years 7 months ago #107544
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Thanks guys. I'll definately check it out.
I'll also try to get smart on posting pics and get some of those up on the site. I always enjoy seeing what others are up to. |
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Re:1960 Mercury 400 9 years 7 months ago #107545
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OK, with help from MarkS, here goes on the pictures.
Also, my paint is in fair to good shape. It has some surface shrinkage cracks on the lower unit, and the top cowl is maybe a little yellowed. Is it better to preserve the authenticity of the original paint, or just put a nice new paint job on it? I am leaning towards keeping the patina of the original paint. 
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Re:1960 Mercury 400 9 years 7 months ago #107546
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paint does not get it running dependable. to each his own on the paint. just my opinion.
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Re:1960 Mercury 400 9 years 7 months ago #107564
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I would just clean it up for now, it is very presentable as is. Nice boat you have there, and the engine is one of the best. Great find! For help and info, go to Johns old Mercury Site as well as here.
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Re:1960 Mercury 400 9 years 7 months ago #107570
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Thanks GF.
Just got my new impeller installed. Wow, what a pain that was. Getting the blades compressed while getting it down over the key was almost impossible. I kept knocking the key down into the bottom of the chamber. There must be a trick for that but I couldn't figure it out. Hopefully the propeller shaft and new seals go in easier today. Made some tools to get the impellor cover plate and the lower gear housing plate off. See pics. 
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Re:1960 Mercury 400 9 years 7 months ago #107573
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Get a piece of pcv pipe the size of the housing and install the impeller in it. or use a tie wrap or 2 around the impeller.
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Re:1960 Mercury 400 9 years 7 months ago #107574
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They can be fun. Lube the blades with a little dish soap and mark the key location on the shaft to line up the groove in the impeller, one of the blades will line up with the groove. It gets easier after you have done a few.
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Re:1960 Mercury 400 9 years 7 months ago #107585
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Things went better today. Got the new seals in the bottom end and that went back together fairly well. She's pumping good now - used the drill and rubber hose on the driveshaft trick that someone suggested.
Got the bottom end reassembled onto the motor. Ended up putting it in forwrard gear to get the reverse cam (sits around splined shift shaft) to line up with the upper unit. She's shifting fine now. Put the top cover and cowl back on as well after cleaning those up a bit and she looks pretty good if I do say so myself. (Definately going to have to have that stearing plate rechromed now that everything else is looking good. Going to fire it up in a tub tomorrow to see how she does. Thanks go everyone for all your suggestions. Merc400Man 
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Re:1960 Mercury 400 9 years 7 months ago #107586
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the steering plate was never chrome. the last production was black paint. save your money.
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Re:1960 Mercury 400 9 years 7 months ago #107682
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That's a good looking outboard as it is. I did a complete repaint on my 500 '61. A lot of work and time. I am painting my '57 MK30 now on and off. I get tired and quit now and then, so it takes me a year to do one. I have 4 other '61's a 350 and 3 400's, they won't get painted, at least not in the near future. I like your boat too.
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Re:1960 Mercury 400 9 years 7 months ago #107694
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Thanks Hugo. I got the tach wired up and got her started on Sunday. She was a little hard to start (I had to put it in forward and give it gas with the main control handle - the small high idle handle did not seem to be enough), but once I got her started, she seemed to run well.
The boat is a 1966 Gad-a-Boat made in Detroit. It has been neglected for a long time, but is cleaning up well. Sounds like you have quite a collection of the old Mercurys. I'm jealous. Here are a couple more pics...motor and dash after clean up. 
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Re:1960 Mercury 400 9 years 7 months ago #107695
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Might need to adjust you control cables so the fast idle works better.
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Re:1960 Mercury 400 9 years 7 months ago #107761
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Yes Gadabout, they have been creeping up on me. Under 30 hp all Evinrude Johnson and the odd one here and there. 30 and up, all Mercury. A bit of a chalange, but with all the help from guys like Dave, you can get er done. Good luck with a fun hobby.
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Re:1960 Mercury 400 9 years 7 months ago #107766
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Thanks for the vote of confidence.
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Re:1960 Mercury 400 9 years 7 months ago #107774
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Hugo - did you see the motor I posted in the "Glassifieds". Its an old twin cylinder model. It has a boken tiller, but the guy claims it was running a couple years ago? Who knows of course. Looks like a good addition to your collection.
He's asking $100, but I got the impression he'd let it go for much less. Whats a motor like that worth anyway? Dave - is that cable (hand throttle)adjustment done up front inside the control box, or back at the motor? I've been a little reluctant to take the control box apart. Wasn't sure if it might be tough to get everything lined up to get it back together. Here's a pic of that motor... 
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Re:1960 Mercury 400 9 years 7 months ago #107775
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Back at the motor give me a call 1 914 310 7086.
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Re:1960 Mercury 400 9 years 7 months ago #107792
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Yes I saw it. I had a nice one last but let it go. For the smaller outboards I am more into OMC's and such. The 4 cylinder's are my main interest in Mercury's, but thanks for the thought.
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Re:1960 Mercury 400 9 years 7 months ago #108359
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Another question for you all you experienced guys out there. I have a problem with my high idle not being so high. I started to dissassemble the control handle assembly and chickened out once I cracked it a bit and saw how many cams etc were inside. Is it a pain to get it back together correctly after opening it up completely? Is there an adjustment in there anyway?
Also, my problem seems to be that when I lift the hand throttle, the cable backs out of the case about 3/4 inch. Is that normal? Could that be causing my high idle to be more like a mediocre idle? I don't know what's normal here. There seems to be threads on the end of the cable housing. Should that be screwed into the control housing, and if so, how do you actually do that without taking the whole cable loose on the other end? |
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Re:1960 Mercury 400 9 years 7 months ago #108402
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"Also, my problem seems to be that when I lift the hand throttle, the cable backs out of the case about 3/4 inch. Is that normal?"
Yes. And don't crack the box open if ya do not where what your doing. Pretty convoluted! Can't help ya much rest with seeing a vid or pictures.. |
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Re:1960 Mercury 400 9 years 7 months ago #108446
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Here's a pic with the hand throttle closed - blue tape added for visibility - tape is against control housing
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Re:1960 Mercury 400 9 years 7 months ago #108447
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Couldn't Edit and add another pic for some reason, so just did a new post...
Here is a pic with the hand throttle fully open - cable has moved rearward about an inch. Butterfly in carb is just slightly cracked open. 
Here is a close up of the front of the cable. Fine brass thread is showing. Shoud this be screwed into the housing, and if so, how do you accomplish this? 
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Re:1960 Mercury 400 9 years 7 months ago #108529
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Like Robby said, don't open it up if you don't have too. I have spent a lot of hours with 4 units making 2 good one's. They are hard to get a handle on how they operate.
My Chrysler controls are sooooo simple and work so good, why can't they all be like that? |
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Re:1960 Mercury 400 9 years 7 months ago #108553
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Hugh, I hear you - don't fix it if it ain't broke.
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Re:1960 Mercury 400 9 years 7 months ago #108593
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"Also, my problem seems to be that when I lift the hand throttle, the cable backs out of the case about 3/4 inch. Is that normal?"
Yes. That motion is normal on this style control box. - and - Opening up this control box for service can turn into a small can of worms if you are not careful, but it is no where near as complex as some of the mid-to-late 1980s control boxes. doc |
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Re:1960 Mercury 400 9 years 7 months ago #108667
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Thanks Doc. Good to hear that this is normal.
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Re:1960 Mercury 400 9 years 6 months ago #109370
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Nice looking motor, they sure are fun
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Re:1960 Mercury 400 9 years 6 months ago #109377
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Thanks Firstfibre. I took it out on the lake today for the first time and it ran great. I'll try to post the video if I can figure out how that works.
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Re:1960 Mercury 400 9 years 6 months ago #109400
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You have to upload the video to YouTube or one of the other video hosting sites then paste the link in your post. It should allow us to view it then (as long as it's set for public viewing).
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Mark
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Re:1960 Mercury 400 9 years 5 months ago #110337
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Took the old girl out for a ride over the holiday weekend, (the boat, not my wife - well OK my wife was along, but you get the idea), and she ran like a top once we got going. The only trouble I had was a tendency to die when coming off the hand throttle and shifting into gear.
She is idling at about 1000 RPM. Should I just increase the idle spead adjustment, or do the carbs need to be reset to make the idle mixture better? I don't want to start messing with the carbs if it isn't necessary. What is the "proper" idle speed? Anyway, once we got out on the water she ran really nice. My hull doesn't seem to plane out really good with four people on board until you hit about 5000 RPM. She topped out at 5800 RPM and an indicated 20 MPH, but the Aeroguide gauge (pitot tube type) is probably not very accurate. My phone battery was dead so I couldn't verify the speed. I'm thinking maybe we were doing 25 or 30 MPH at the top end? If anyone else has experienc with the Mercury 400 on a 16 foot boat I would be interested to hear how they perform. Anyway, it was a nice day to be on the water with my family and nothing broke so it was a good day. It's not the years in your life, but the life in your years, Gadabout |
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Re:1960 Mercury 400 9 years 5 months ago #110380
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850 to 900 is a good idle speed, if it has hesitation coming off idle, open the low speed jets 1/4 turn richer ( as per Dave). Do it a second time if needed. That solved my problem
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Re:1960 Mercury 400 9 years 5 months ago #110552
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Hugh, thanks for the info. I'll try that the next time I am "up north". I have my boat at Lake St. Helen, which to us Detroiters is "up north".
Gadabout |
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