Mariner 2hp outboard relic & how to restore?

[conks01]

Hi,

So the sailing club have decided to clear out the club garage, of which there are a number of former member's outboards going for almost free, to a good home. It's fair to say that most have seen better days!

In my stupidity, I've decided to pay £20 for a 2 stroke Mariner 2hp, the lightweight version.

The engine is seized, you cannot pull, it doesn't turn over.

I'm not a mechanic, and have a basic understanding of engines so, as a starter for ten, I'm wondering where I need to start?

Any advice would be appreciated to take me through what I need to do to fully restore this defunct outboard please. If Indiana Jones found it, he would be well impressed.

Thanks.

P.s Are there any Mariner 2M sites or groups out there who I could approach for advice and parts etc. ?

 

[Buck Turgidson]

Look on YouTube for a channel called Mustie1. He's got the magic when it comes to getting engines going.

 

[DownWest]

While at my US family's place on the Chesapeak, I was looking for something to do. There was an Evenrude light twin 4hp sitting in the boat shed. Not used for several years, as it gave nasty shocks if over tick over. It was seized, so I removed the cylinder head and put releasing oil in the bores. gentle tapping got the pistons moving and some fine sand paper cleaned up the rust. Tissues used to take out the residue from sanding. Looked around localy for a fresh head gasket, but no luck, so put it back with some sealer. Fired up after a few pulls, but the shock problem still there. Bit of thinking about the HT path made me think that the rotating ignition plate, that moved the contact breakers to advance the spark, was not well 'earthed' so I wired a jump cable from it to the crank casing and 'Bingo' no shocks. That was in '91
I actually still have the engine, but probably scrap now, as not used for several years.

Then, I was gifted a Yam 2a. Various tries at getting it going, with two previous owners,frustrated but I found that the HT lead was disconnected internally from the plug cap. So works fine now.

 

[Sea Change]

Can you get the plug out?
Throw it in a barrel of diesel and come back in a month. Bring a blow torch.

 

[William_H]

It should be easy to remove the cylinder head. Of course removing SS screws from ali may be difficult and prove that the motor is dead. Be careful to not snap screws off. Use heat lube oil etc. Once head is off then as said, oil in cylinder. Providing piston is not top or bottom dead centre you can get it to move buy fitting a wooden plug into cylinder so that you can apply pressure to move piston with a carefully calibrated bashometer. (Whack with a big hammer) This presumes friction corrosion is in cylinder to piston contact. If friction is in bearings then above should still work. It may be worth filling crank case with oil through carburetor.
Am I a cheapskate to think so, or did you pay too much for it? good luck ol'will

 

[conks01]

Thanks all. That's great advice. I'll make a start on it next weekend!

 

[jamie N]

All of the above. However, if you've got to take the head off, be super careful undoing the head bolts, as mentioned they're unduly easy to snap, but when the barrel is removed and one's tidying up cylinder, remember to massage the piston rings back into springy life; they will have seized.
Oil & patience work, and after all you're not going to be making it any worse.

 

[Andrew_Trayfoot]

Convert it to electric:

Have been using this for 2 seasons now....

 

[Rappey]

Two problems i experienced were - The impellor housing is a stainless insert. The aluminium oxidises behind it, expands and crushed/jams the impellor.
Where the drive shaft enters the engine is a seal. This gives up allowing water to go into the crankcase seizing the crank bearings.
Great little engine if you can get it going

 

[Sea Change]

Convert it to electric:

Have been using this for 2 seasons now....

How'd you do that then? Cool project!

 

[Andrew_Trayfoot]

How'd you do that then? Cool project!

1. Buy a 800w 36v scooter motor with a controller and twist grip of ebay.
2. Remove all the combustion engine parts from the top if the leg.
3. Get a lump of aluminium that you bolt down to the leg.
4. Bolt the motor to the aluminium.
5. Use a shaft coupler with some dampaning built in to join the motor shaft to the engine shaft.
6. Wire up the electrics.
7. Job done.


I initially used my bike battery and then later got a separate one.


Has range to get to my mooring and back in the middle of Poole Harbour with a bit to spare.

 

[Beneteau381]

Hi,

So the sailing club have decided to clear out the club garage, of which there are a number of former member's outboards going for almost free, to a good home. It's fair to say that most have seen better days!

In my stupidity, I've decided to pay £20 for a 2 stroke Mariner 2hp, the lightweight version.

The engine is seized, you cannot pull, it doesn't turn over.

I'm not a mechanic, and have a basic understanding of engines so, as a starter for ten, I'm wondering where I need to start?

Any advice would be appreciated to take me through what I need to do to fully restore this defunct outboard please. If Indiana Jones found it, he would be well impressed.

Thanks.

P.s Are there any Mariner 2M sites or groups out there who I could approach for advice and parts etc. ?

Take the plug out, start squirting jollop (wd or similar) into the cylinder, let it sit for a bit then put a spanner on the flywheel nut and lean on it both ways, gently and keep lubing. Be careful you don’t undo the nut. The key is gentle gentle and lots of jollop. It will come free eventually.

 

[Refueler]

I would be first in queue to get it .... 20 quid ?? Even seized worth more.

Worth giving it to a service guy and get a good engine ...

Am I the only one to notice that 2strokers are hard to get now ? If they come on the private sale market - they go for good prices ...

Basically because they are more practical than the 4 strokers ..

 

[Refueler]

Take the plug out, start squirting jollop (wd or similar) into the cylinder, let it sit for a bit then put a spanner on the flywheel nut and lean on it both ways, gently and keep lubing. Be careful you don’t undo the nut. The key is gentle gentle and lots of jollop. It will come free eventually.

I did that to my Vire 6 .... destroyed the crank seals !

 

[Beneteau381]

I did that to my Vire 6 .... destroyed the crank seals !

Why?

 

[Sea Change]

I would be first in queue to get it .... 20 quid ?? Even seized worth more.

Agreed. Worth it for parts alone.

A few years back I found I needed a new carb for my old 2T. The genuine Tohatsu ones seemed to go for about £80.
I picked up a 'spares or repair' engine for £50, thinking I'd keep the carb and prop.
Stuck in a barrel and the bloody thing ran. Which was good, but it meant I still needed a carb for the other one...

 

[Refueler]

Why?

The crud that was sticking the piston was then in the crank and seals destroyed when I got it to start .. was fine for about an hours run then it needed to be flooded to get it to start. But as soon as excess fuel was burnt - it stopped.

Its a 2 stroker !!!! It relies on crankcase seals !!

 

[PetiteFleur]

Many years ago I bought an old Seagull from a local auction for very little. I took it home, removed the cylinder head, squirted penetrating oil in and used a block of wood with a hammer and eventually the piston moved and freed up completely eventually. And it started and used it for 3 yrs afterwards.

 

[Beneteau381]

The crud that was sticking the piston was then in the crank and seals destroyed when I got it to start .. was fine for about an hours run then it needed to be flooded to get it to start. But as soon as excess fuel was burnt - it stopped.

Its a 2 stroker !!!! It relies on crankcase seals !!

I don’t recognise that scenario. The two stroke, not stroker, engine sucks clean fuel mixture and oil through the crankcase directly in to the cylinder. It lubricates the bearings and seals on the way, it goes bang and as the piston goes down, the exhaust ports are uncovered and the exhaust goes out, including anything in the cylinder. I suspect that in your example, the engine was badly worn and the resulting wear was already reflected in the seals. For a two stroke to function correctly, the crankcase seals must be good, as I said previously, the mixture is sucked through the crankcase, so any worn seals and the mixture can’t be sucked through the crankcase, it suck’s air instead. But all good mechanics know that.

 

[Refueler]

I don’t recognise that scenario. The two stroke, not stroker, engine sucks clean fuel mixture and oil through the crankcase directly in to the cylinder. It lubricates the bearings and seals on the way, it goes bang and as the piston goes down, the exhaust ports are uncovered and the exhaust goes out, including anything in the cylinder. I suspect that in your example, the engine was badly worn and the resulting wear was already reflected in the seals. For a two stroke to function correctly, the crankcase seals must be good, as I said previously, the mixture is sucked through the crankcase, so any worn seals and the mixture can’t be sucked through the crankcase, it suck’s air instead. But all good mechanics know that.

Exactly ... when the engine threw its hand in - it would only run if flooded ... It was obvious that crankcase integrity was shot .. and the 'draw' of fuel was just not happening.
We removed the engine and started to take it apart .. it was obvious the engine had stood for a long time unused where previous boat owner had the boat standing in his driveway. Long enough that his wife told him to accept my offer !!

When we had literally forced the engine to turn over - 'crap' had then got into the case and assisted with the demise of the seals ... plus the seals themselves were probably 'stuck' on the shaft ...
Forcing the engine to turn over was the 'killer'.

This was the verdict - not only of myself - but also the mechanic who was asked to look at it .... I was honest with what I had done ...

Couple of guys from Newhaven came and bought the engine of me ... they stripped it - cleaned and polished bores, crankcase .. pistons etc and new seals ... put in their harbour workboat ...