Mercury 40HP 4 stroke 2013

I am getting close to buying this motor. I have a couple questions. The first may be a stupid question, but I thought I would ask.

1. If I take this motor off the boat it is on when I buy it, can it just be transferred laying down in the back of a pickup truck? With the oil in these things, I didn’t know if there was a certain way they had to be transported.

2. I usually run non-oxy with seafoam in my gas year around (2 stroke). Does this motor still take non-oxy gas or is regular unleaded the way to go?

I appreciate any feedback.

Thanks.

1. Most motors should either have a picture on it telling you which way to lay it, or flat tabs on the motor indicating what side to lay it on. If neither, I would store it cylinder facing up.

2. I always run non-oxy in any recreational motor, 2 or 4-stroke. Lasts longer and runs better. You can still use Seafoam, just not as much a your 2-stroke. It should tell you on the bottle how much to put in.

Google >>>> Mercury 40HP 4 stroke 2013 owner manual

There does not seem to be any mention in there of transporting/storing other than vertical.

Might want to consider draining all fluids before transport laying on side??

I’d call a dealer to make sure.

-J.

Thanks for the responses guys! I just found a document that shows vertical is obviously best, but it can also be transported tiller handle side down or back side up.

Gerty wrote:

1. If I take this motor off the boat it is on when I buy it, can it just be transferred laying down in the back of a pickup truck?

2. I usually run non-oxy with seafoam in my gas year around (2 stroke). Does this motor still take non-oxy gas or is regular unleaded the way to go?

I always drain the oil if I have to transport an engine in a position that’s not its intended running orientation.

HOWEVER. Make sure you personally fill the oil before you hand it off to anyone. ONLY BAD THINGS can happen handing off an engine that has no oil in it to a repair shop.

As far gas, non-ox is nice if you can easily get it and if you don’t regularly burn through the fuel.

I’ve never understood this impulse to run a fuel system cleaner in every tank full of gas. What problem are you trying to solve by adding a whole bunch of toxic solvents and detergents to every tankful? Your engine will run just fine without all that goo.

Grouse

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

I always drain the oil if I have to transport an engine in a position that’s not its intended running orientation.

Agree on this. If something goes wrong, you will risk filling the cylinders up with oil. If you are just buying the motor, great time to start with fresh oil anyway. (I’d also drain the lower unit too.)

-J.

Thanks guys!

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Gerty wrote:</div>
1. If I take this motor off the boat it is on when I buy it, can it just be transferred laying down in the back of a pickup truck?

2. I usually run non-oxy with seafoam in my gas year around (2 stroke). Does this motor still take non-oxy gas or is regular unleaded the way to go?

I’ve never understood this impulse to run a fuel system cleaner in every tank full of gas. What problem are you trying to solve by adding a whole bunch of toxic solvents and detergents to every tankful? Your engine will run just fine without all that goo.

Grouse

I run a fuel system cleaner MAYBE twice a year. Been doing that since the 1980’s and never had a fuel problem.

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

I’ve never understood this impulse to run a fuel system cleaner in every tank full of gas. What problem are you trying to solve by adding a whole bunch of toxic solvents and detergents to every tankful? Your engine will run just fine without all that goo.

I have a 2014 Mercury 60HP 4 stroke and the dealer told me to use Quickleen in every tank due to a Mercury service bulletin that recommended it. I don’t know if that’s true or not, I don’t know how to find those bulletins, but he knew I lived over an hour away and wouldn’t be buying it from him so I didn’t have reason to believe it wasn’t true. The bottle just says to use “as needed” and I have no idea what that is supposed to mean.

Edit: Googled some more and it appears to be service bulletin 2001-12 but I can’t find the contents of the bulletin. Since it’s from 2001 maybe it doesn’t apply to the newer four strokes, I don’t know.

I run Seafoam with every tank. Same with all the mowers, trimmers, blowers I have. Have not had any fuel related problems.

-J.

mxskeeter wrote:

I run a fuel system cleaner MAYBE twice a year. Been doing that since the 1980’s and never had a fuel problem.

Periodically running some fuel system cleaner I can see, as you say MAYBE once or twice a year.

What I’m addressing is this recent trend where guys think (or are being convinced by dealers and product sellers) to run fuel additives ALL THE TIME. Literally, with every tankful.

There is no comprehensive research that this has ANY benefit to a properly running engine AND there is no research as to the possible detriments to running these very high doses of solvents and detergents to every tank full of fuel.

I don’t run and I’ve never run fuel additives like Seafoam in any engine that isn’t experiencing what I believe to be a fuel system problem that these additives are designed to fix. I don’t see any issues because of this “lack” of adding a couple of ounces of solvent/detergent to gasoline that already has plenty of these ingredients. Bottom line is I don’t buy the hype, and correlation is not causation. I’d challenge everyone to dump the constant addition of additives and verify for yourself if these REALLY do anyting at all when it comes to any kind of prevention. My opinion is dump them for a year and you won’t be back to buying them again.

Grouse

Jon Jordan wrote:

I run Seafoam with every tank. Same with all the mowers, trimmers, blowers I have. Have not had any fuel related problems.

-J.

I am with Jon on this one and I have never run Non Oxy fuel either in any two stroke I own. The manufactures say 10% ethanol is what the engine was built for so that is what I do.

Actually running Premium in a engine not designed for high Octane will cause faster carbon build up. Higher Octane fuel burns slower so leaves more deposits in the engine around rings and valves.