TOPIC: '61 Merc 500 Service/Repair Manual and other stuff

Hey all,
I've got a '61 Merc500 (s/n 1460448) and am looking to get a service repair manual for it. Marineengine.com has one for "all mercs up to 1965...". Has anyone seen this manual? Is it worth the admission price ($85.00)? So far, it's the only one I've found on line.

Other Stuff:

Does anyone have a lead on a control/power wiring harness and wiring diagram for a '61 Merc500? I've got a wiring harness I can probably salvage, but there are some connections under the cowel that aren't made up and it's not clear where they go.

Does anyone know where I could acquire a tank-to-motor fuel line with connectors for the Merc?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts and advice.

Cheers,
Rob

The Manual is a good one but $85 is a little steep I think I paid $45 for mine.
AS for the fuel line you can get it anywhere I bought my last one at Wally world. They still cary them with the old and the new Merc fittings.

best you can have straight from mercury.covers all from day 1 to 1965.

Covers the basics, and its free to save or print. web.ebscohost.com/serrc/pdf?sid=b16777e4-e081-487a-895a-f6c844e225ca%40sessionmgr115&vid=4&hid=104

You can get most of the info that you need right here-

www.fiberglassics.com/library/File:Mercuryservice004.pdf

They are from old service manuals I scanned. Other than that, the BEST service info is in the manual that you get from Mercury, its a reprint of the original. Pricey, but comprehensive.

-Andrew

Thanks Kerry: I've been exploring my 78A. This helps a lot. I understand the $85 model is 400 pages? If so that would be the definitive go to resource, other than 'Milkdud' 'Mad Props' and all others here. THX all.

Thanks to all for the advice and links!

I hadn't thought to look at Wally World for the fuel line. There's one (supposedly) in-stock a few miles from the house. Going to run down in a few to see if it's the right one.

About the repair manual - My mistake on the price from marineengine.com. It's actually $62.00 + S/H. I still think its a little steep so thanks for the confirmation that it is worth it.

Cheers and happy Superb Owl!
Rob

Update:

Went to wally world but all in stock was fuel line with bulb, so back to the Google...

Found the fem and male connectors on www.vintageoutboards.com for under $30. Perfect fit. If anybody else needs them, part #'s are Fem Connector: #22831A3 and Male Connector: # 30185A3 .

Ordered the manual from marineengine.com. It is comprehensive and has the wiring diagrams I was looking for, but, of course, doesn't have all the handy tips/do's/dont's as my Johnson manual.

A little info about the motor: It came with the boat. It's a '61 Merc 500...

I've read thru some of the manual pertinent to the motor and that has inevitably led to the question: How much time/money do I want to invest to see if it even runs?

The manual calls for specific mercury model tools for doing tasks like removing the water pump assembly, pulling the prop shaft, etc... A forum search turned up www.johnsmcintosh.com/ as a source for some of them. Looks like maybe $100 up to $300-ish investment. Worth it for sure if I want to keep the Merc.

I did some searching in the usual places for parts: OldMercs.Com, Marineengine.com, and vintageoutboards.com. I know the motor is 52 years old, but there doesn't seem to be the "wealth" of parts available as for my '58 Johnsons... a lot of important things like gaskets, o-rings, seals and bearings (I haven't done an exhaustive part-by-part search, this is just a perception).

I think I'll quit the rambling now and get to the point: Looking for honest general opinions of the '61 Merc 500. It seems to be a red-headed step child in the Merc line.

Thanks,
Rob

great motor and parts are to be had. go to john's old merc site for all the info you need. great for pre 65 mercs.

More info.

Went out to the garage with the manual and cracked open the cowl to look at the electrical and think I might have a missing part.



The manual indicated a rectifier should be in there somewhere. I seem to recall finding info about an aftermarket unit...



Is the first pic where the aftermarket rectifier should go?

Cheers,
Rob

Trying the pics again.

and one more time...

bob, yes you do have alot of things missing. so here is my address and you can ship it to me and save yourself some grief. lmho. honestly you have a real good merc and the parts are not hard to find. keep us updated with your progress. frog

no you are not missing a rectifier you have a starter only model.that ground wire goes to one of the solonoid mounting bolts.
that mount for a second fuel pump is not used.