Mercury Longshaft (2012)

[Toothless]

Hey all,

I was told by the mechanic selling this item that one should follow the manual for breaking the engine in.

I intend to follow the guidelines however I am wondering if this should be done in neutral or can I use the engine for propulsion (in forward / reverse) while doing this?

Thanks for your help.

[ausaviator]

What exactly is the situation?

You have a Mercury outboard on a dinghy or yacht and you need to run it in?

I have a new Mercury and the manual talked of varying the engine rpm and not running at full RPM until a certain number of hours were on it. Is this what you are doing?

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Adjsut

Hey all,

I was told by the mechanic selling this item that one should follow the manual for breaking the engine in.

I intend to follow the guidelines however I am wondering if this should be done in neutral or can I use the engine for propulsion (in forward / reverse) while doing this?

Thanks for your help.

You put it in gear!

I mounted my new 2012 5HP 4 stroke extra long shaft Mercury onto the bracket I had mounted on my Bristol 27 and used it when I moved it 75 miles to it's present location. (I sailed 98% of the way though)

Probably three fourths of the way thru the breakin period the motor even popped out of the waves when I was coming into port and the over-rev governor had to kickin several times. So it really was run at all RPMs (although I doubt overreving is a good idea for breakin) This was in May. I have used it a lot, but I still haven't quite run it the 20 hours yet for it's first maintenance check. It's mainly used to get me in and out of my slip and the creek etc.

Btw, the motor has been running fine...........

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Adjsut.

As noted, "in gear" (fwd &/or rev).

[Cormorant]

Yes, I recall reading that doing your break-in in neutral can actually be bad for the motor. (Sorry I don't recall the exact reason why.) So get it in gear!

[Toothless]

Great thanks for the info. I am surprised it doesn't say it in the manual

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Adjsut

Great thanks for the info. I am surprised it doesn't say it in the manual

You are right. This day and age they should since most people are not motorheads like we were back in the day. Some of the kids that come into the navy to become mechanics have had trouble putting spark plugs in. They try and put in the pointy end first!

Cars and trucks these days just do not require the same amount of maintenance as they did back in the day. One manufacturer recommends/(requires) that you change the oil every 12,000 miles to keep it in warranty!

Tom
Bristol 27 (Winter Dream)

[perchance]

[QUOTE=Cormorant;1031624]Yes, I recall reading that doing your break-in in neutral can actually be bad for the motor. (Sorry I don't recall the exact reason why.) So get it in gear![/QUOTE

The engine must be loaded to to bed the rings and prevent bore glazing which leads to excess oil consumption.