I picked up this motor with a fishing boat the guy told me that its a 9.5 HP wizartd, I don't know anything about motors so I was wondering if there was a website were I can dl instructions and stuff like that for this motor, also very dumb question does this motor have reverse? any help with this motor would help, havn't started it yet but he said it works

Well Emmet....not sure what the guy you bought the motor from knows about old outboards. Your Wizard is a 6HP (not 9.5) "Super Twin" made my Mercury. The WF4s were made in 1949 and 1950. It does not have reverse, however, it does rotate around 360 degrees, allowing you to go backwards. It is based on Mercury's KD4 model, which was sold a couple years earlier, meaning that a lot of parts will be interchangeable.

A good source for KD4, and consequently WF4 parts, is:
http://www.eastcoastmarineservice.com/kd4.html


You can pick up a Mercury manual for those vintage motors on the above website. It is a general maintenance manual that covers a large range of HP models. Before you start investing too much money, you might want to figure out a few basic mechanical questions first, most importantly, does that motor have spark and do the cylinders have good compression? Once you answer these questions, you are on the road to either doing some maintenance or deciding that it is not worth in the investment. If it is a running motor, there are a few preventative measures you should consider before you take it out for a day of boating (new plugs, new water pump impeller, new lower unit lube). Check back here for help as you "diagnose" your motor.

As far as the basics, here they are:

Spark Plugs= Champion J7J, gapped at .025 (there is probably an updated plug to the J7J)

Oil/Gas Mixture: 16:1 (8 ounces oil per gallon gas)

Lower unit lube: Lubriplate #105 Grease (available at Napa Auto and Oldmercs.com). Do not use conventional lower unit oil in this model.

Good luck!
JP

Ok have an update on the atempting to start this motor, we have got it to start and stay running for max of about 10 seconds no matter what setting we use or things we tried it would start up and then die right out, any suggestions? thanks Emmet

Emmet-

At first blush, it sounds like a carburetor issue to me. Chances are, if it hasn't been cleaned recently, that it is gummed with fuel varnish. It is also likely that the carburetor float is cork and if it was dried out it may be absorbing fuel and not shutting the fuel flow off properly....thus flooding the motor. I have this problem with my 1949 Sea King. First thing you should do is remove the carburetor and give it a good cleaning inside and out. You can try to salvage the cork float by sealing it with either super glue or a fuel-proof butyrate dope (used on model airplanes). You can also replace the float with a new plastic variety available through oldmercs.com.

It is also possible that the ignition coils may no longer have a good/consistent spark. If you have a flywheel puller (you can get a cheap harmonic balancer puller at any auto store), you might want to inspect the coils. Although they still might be putting out some spark, if you take off the flywheel and find that the outer plastic on the coils are cracked, it likely means that the coils are shot. Unfortunately, the coils start to get a bit pricey for these old Merc Wizards.

But, the fact that it does start seems to point to the carb/fuel system, so I would start there, as cleaning it up only costs you ~$2 for some carb cleaner.

Keep us posted!

JP

since you seem to really know your stuff about this engine could you walk me threw taking the carb off I really am new to this stuff and don't want to take any more bolts out than I have to because I am really really good at loosing bolts and stuff LOL or is there a website that might walk me threw it, Thanks
Emmet

Hi Emmet-

Well, I have never actually worked on your model (my Wizard is a 1955 5HP model), but the maintenance I am suggesting is good troubleshooting for most two-stroke outboards. Most older Mercs have Tillotson carburetors, and back in the 40's, the carburetors were very simplistic, so don't fret too much about taking it apart. If you have a digital camera, snap some pictures and email them to me....then I can better help you the process. Take pictures for yourself, so you can remember how things go back together. Usually there are two nuts that have to be loosened to remove the carburetor from the crank case. Once you get it off, it should be fairly simple to clean. You'll want to open the bowl, clean everything out and inspect the float. It also should have two needle valves (with flathead screwheads), you should remove those and spray out the chambers. Also, make sure all the gaskets are in good shape. If torn-up/dried out, you'll need to get a rebuild kit (usually about $15) for the new gaskets.

Don't fear this carburetor too much. It is not nearly as complex as those used in the 1960s forward. Like I said, you can send me pictures and I can try to help you through the process. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that this is going to solve all your problems, but it is a good start and a necessary step to get it running properly.

Good luck!
JP

ok I have pulled the carb off it looks really clean no gunk inside but I still am going to shoot it with some carb cleaner to just try to help it out, now on to the float, is it suposed to move freely on the um post that its attacked to? I accually had to push the post out threw the bottom to get ahold of it to take it out, if I took this to like nappa or something like could they have something that would work or would I have to order one. thanks for the help
o and by the way I did drop one nut and guess where it went in the garbage can I used to test the motor LOL no matter how hard I tried it still happend LOL but I am sure I can get it out, also when I disconected to gas line nothing came out and there still is gas in the tank could that be the problem that no gas is getting to the carb or is there a suction that would pull the gas out?? because the old copper pipe that is being used for the fuel line is in almost like an S shape on its side, thanks

Emmet,

Yes, the float is supposed to move freely on the float pin. There should be a retainer clip at the top of the pin to control how high the float can travel. Is the float cork?? The updated Mercury float is part# 1399-570 and you can get it at:

http://www.eastcoastmarineservice.com/fuelsys.html#floats

You can ask Napa to check the Sierra parts catalog to see if Sierra makes an aftermarket version.

If it is cork and you want to salvage it, buy a tube of super glue and coat the cork. This will seal it from absorbing gas, which will allow it to properly traverse the float pin to open/close the flow of fuel. If it is dried out, the cork will absorb the gas and become too heavy to float -- then the flow of fuel won't stop and you'll flood it out.

I keep a telescoping magnet with me when I work on my motors to track down those pesky nuts and bolts that get away! ;)

Good luck!
JP

yes it is cork I was going to glue it but with it not wanting to move freely on the shaft I didn't think it was worth trying to salvage, you didn't say anything about the gas line is that normal for the gas to just not run out when I take the line off at the carb

You're right, replace that float. Sorry about neglecting the the gas line. Although it is possible (although unlikely) you have a clog in the gas line itself (remove it and try to run liquid through it), you likely have a clog at the connection with the gas tank. If old fuel was stored in it for a long time, it would be a good idea to clean it out. There is likely debris and rust particles built up in addition to fuel varnish. To clean it out, remove the tank and cap off the fuel line connection. Pour in some white vinegar and add a small section of chain or a few small nuts and bolts. Put the gas cap on, and shake it up good. The chain or nuts/bolts will knock off any debris that has latched on to the inside of the tank. You may need to do this a few times until it flushes out clean.

As far as the copper line, you could pick up some cheap pipe cleaners and see if you can un-plug the line, but like I said, it sound like the source of the problem is in the tank itself. I have had this problem on a couple of motors.

YIPPPY LOL it runs longer now LOL it wasn't the float it wasn't the tank I don't know what it was but I cleaned it up put it back together and first pull it ran for like a minute, now I think I have to figure out all the setting of the set screws on the carb to keep it running anyway to know how to do that? any sugestions like all the way in and then half turn or full turn or something like that? thanks

Okay, while it is not running, you want to set the needle valves to their initial settings. You want to start with the high speed needle valve. Turn it in all the way clockwise until it lightly seats (do not tighten it). Then, back it out 1.5 turns. Do the same for the slow/idle needle, but back it out only 1 turn.

The only real way to get this set/running properly is to get it out on a boat. Once you start it, always start with the high speed needle. Get it running all the way open (full throttle), and make 1/4 turns (counterclockwise) until it runs the best (least smoke and highest horse power); after each 1/4 turn give the motor a few moments to adjust to the new setting. If after you reach a point when it continues to hiccup after you allow it a moment to adjust, bring it back clockwise a 1/8 to 1/4 turn,and you should be at the ideal setting.

Once you have it running well at high speeds, start bring it down to slow speeds and follow the same process until it is idling smoothly.

The key is to get it good and warmed up, running well at high speeds before you mess with the idle.

JP

ok will give that a try now is there any way to tell which one is which, i know without looking at it its probably hard to discribe. I am thinking that the high speed is going to be the one beside the choke and the fuel shut off, the slow and idle one I am going to have to look or ask around but thanks again, will keep informed

Well, usually the high speed is the lower of the two, and the idle is the top (at least on the motors I have).

where might these be? front? side?

If you have a picture, I might be able to help you out better. I have a Tillotson AJ carburetor on my WH6. The high needle is on the front, lower portion of the carb. The idle needle actually is located on the right side of the carburetor (port side of the motor), higher up. The valves are made out of brass. Again, I'm not sure your exact carb model, and there are differences in the various Tillotson carburetors.

I'll email you a picture of mine for comparison.

JP

thanks from the picture it looks like I have to correct ones I did try the high speed needle last night but it still didn't run for a long time, I think I am just going to have a friend of mine that might know a little more about these things come over and help, thanks so much for all your help

I just got to thinking about something, how much room was I suposed to put for the float to move should I put that clip directly on top of the float or is is suposed to be at the top of the shaft or doesn't it matter

Yep, it does matter, but you're going to have to figure out the appropriate position once you get the new float. I would make sure that it doesn't get past the top 1/2 inch of the float pin as a starting point....I think there is a retainer clip that can be positioned to stop how high it can move on the pin. If the float is allowed to travel all the way to the top of the float pin, it probably won't stop the gas flow before it "floods." Conversely, it isn't allowed to move the appropriate distance up the pin, the motor will not get enough gas to run properly. That's why it may take a little trial and error to get it right.

This is probably a lousy description, as it is hard for me to describe, since I am guessing as to what your bowl looks like on the inside. Pictures would help if you have access to a digital camera.

no that was not bad at all, very informative, there is a small pin that will stop the float so now it looks like I have to figure out where it needs to be, I will try to get the pics when I tare it apart this week thanks

AJ series Tillotson carburetors I have worked on all
pretty much same...cork float is pinned to float
rod by two hairpins clipped into grooves (one above
and one below cork float) as fuel flows into chamber
float rises and lifts float rod. Bottom of float
rod is flared, as it rises it fits into float valve
and progressively restricts inflow of fuel...as
fuel is drawn out of float chamber by vacuum created
by flow of air thru carburetor venturi the fuel level falls and cork float with it lowering the float rod
and allowing more fuel to flow into float chamber.
Much simpler than computer controlled fuel injected
engine with all sorts of input sensors.
Hairpins are easy to lose and tricky to install.

so your saying that there might be groves where the top pin goes, that sure would be nice, but I know my luck. LOL guess I will find out later in the week

Emmet-

Yep, Louis did a better job of describing the float...it is a lot like the set-up on my 1949 Sea King. If you look at the brass float pin, you should see small gooves in the pin toward both the top and the bottom as Louis described. The retainer clips should hold on to those grooves, and by doing so, will control the distance the float can travel. It's not a perfect science, however, as I have to actually position the clip below the top groove on my Sea King Carb because of a change in the weight of the float after re-sealing it. Since you are going to use a new float, I am hoping that won't be an issue for you.

JP

Just wanted to say a big thank you to all your help and mind for knowing so much about this wizard I got it to run very nice for a long period of time I am going out this weekend to try it on my boat on the lake, I can't remember what the fuel mixture is do you know what it is? thank you so much

Glad to hear that it is running much better. 16:1 is the proper fuel mixture on that model. Keep up the great work!

JP