Well its been 3 months and it still needs a new prop shaft (source found thanks to this site)but after mag ,carb,fuel tank and impellor over haul a 16 to 1 tcp 3 oil mix she started right up with a belch of blue smoke.After some minor tweeking of needle valves she came up to full power.YEAH !!!Question..with needle valve bearings,why is 8 0z to gal the recommended ratio??Why wont this engine run at 25 to 1 like a Johnson or even 40 to 1 like most air cooled ,bronze bushed con rods garden equipment..kelly
This is a 1951 engine, not a newer 60's or 70's model. The 16:1 ratio was for the inferior oils they had at the time. With good oil you can thin it to 32:1 without problems (reduces the rainbow oil slick this leaves behind), but it's better to err on the side of more oil since parts are scarce on these old mercury Wizards.
I run all my Wizards on 32:1 mix with Pennzoil TC-W3 oil without any problems. I would only use 16:1 in a pinch if I couldn't find any outboard motor oil.
