Water jacket cover gasket...(or "head" gasket), Mercury 115

[SaltH2OHokie]

Replacing the "cylinder block cover gasket" my 115 inline Mercury, as it was referred to in the parts manual I was perusing, since it has sprung multiple leaks after replacing the impeller (apparently producing more pressure). From the little bit of reading I'd done, I was prepared for at least 3 (on the low end) of the 16 bolts to break off, but to my pleasant surprise, I popped em all off this afternoon before I had time to think too hard about it.  Longest part of the removal was finding one of my 7/16 wrenches that was the correct blend of long, offset head and skinny to get at the bottom 3 or 4 bolts.  It's off now, but I had to stop to go to a birthday dinner, so one night this week I'm going to clean it up and put a new gasket on there, but my question is: what gasket sealer to use?  Friend of a friend is familiar with working on these inlines and said to use 5200, which I'd never heard used in a "gasket" application, but he swears it works wonders in this specific situation.  The google results on various engine or boating forums seemed to lean toward Three Bond 1194 (which I have never used, and wouldn't know where to find).  From the little bit of looking I did, seems it costs more to ship it than the tube of sealant costs, which doesn't appeal to me.

Any thoughts?

As an aside, my friend, who is a pretty good/smart mechanic, just couldn't grasp how what I was pointing at was not "the head".  I'll send him a picture tomorrow, because once you pull that sucker off, it's very clearly NOT "the head".  Which is good, because water was squirting out of it...and water squirting out of a head would be a much bigger deal  

[seabob4]

Ryan, like my old 700 (I6 70 hose).  Doesn't have a head, thanks to Farley pointing that out.  Is that the plate on the side of the block, or the "cover" where the plugs are?

[SaltH2OHokie]

Ryan, like my old 700 (I6 70 hose).  Doesn't have a head, thanks to Farley pointing that out.  Is that the plate on the side of the block, or the "cover" where the plugs are?

I've got the plate off of the aft portion of the motor, that the plugs screw "through". I think the exhaust side is a bit more involved, so hopefully I don't have to tackle that right yet.

[fitz73222]

Mercury P/N 92-34227Q02 Sealing compound. It is designed for what you are doing. Order it from Ishop Marine. $16.00 for a can. Use it on both sides of the gasket surface and on the retaining bolt threads. Just a thin film. Make sure the block and water cover surfaces are scraped clean with a razor blade and wiped with acetone. Do not use abrasive rotory tools that can create an uneven surface. They key is flat,clean and torqued evenly. I've been using the sealing compound for 30 years for exactly what you are doing without any leaks. I strongly recommend you use this compound and spend the money to do it right. I've never used anything else.

[SaltH2OHokie]

Mercury P/N 92-34227Q02 Sealing compound. It is designed for what you are doing. Order it from Ishop Marine. $16.00 for a can. Use it on both sides of the gasket surface and on the retaining bolt threads. Just a thin film. Make sure the block and water cover surfaces are scraped clean with a razor blade and wiped with acetone. Do not use abrasive rotory tools that can create an uneven surface. They key is flat,clean and torqued evenly. I've been using the sealing compound for 30 years for exactly what you are doing without any leaks. I strongly recommend you use this compound and spend the money to do it right. I've never used anything else.

You've been doing it 3 years longer than I've been alive.  I shall certainly trust your advice.

[fitz73222]

Gee thanks Ryan...

I'm pushing 35 years here at work; most of the people here weren't born when I started! Damn I'm getting old...

[SaltH2OHokie]

Gee thanks Ryan...

I'm pushing 35 years here at work; most of the people here weren't born when I started! Damn I'm getting old...

At least that gets you some respect (I hope).  I'm 27 and am trying to manage a collection of guys that are down to a person older than me, and many of them have more experience than I have years living...but I'm their boss.  Certainly takes a different management style than "usual".  One thing I've learned from being in this position though is to lean on experience when I can...and when I can trust it...

So in this case, I'm leaning on your experience  

[Georgie]

Farley,

You know if Merc Perfect Seal is the same as OMC Gasket Sealing Compound  http://www.firstchoicemarine.com/p-71237-omc-4-oz-gasket-sealing-compound-508235.aspx?gclid=CJbh8trAir0CFaVQOgod12gA9w  or are the formulas different?

[fitz73222]

Farley,

You know if Merc Perfect Seal is the same as OMC Gasket Sealing Compound  http://www.firstchoicemarine.com/p-71237-omc-4-oz-gasket-sealing-compound-508235.aspx?gclid=CJbh8trAir0CFaVQOgod12gA9w  or are the formulas different?

You know Ryan, I always thought it was because it smells the same and is identical in viscosity and color. Kind of like melted carmel.

[Georgie]

Thanks.  I've been doing a ton of research lately for my own rebuild and most sources were saying that perfect seal was a near-exact substitute for the OEM gasket sealing compound, but that's only internet research and I figured you'd have personal experience with both.  http://www.boats.net has the OMC version for $7-something in a 4 oz can.  Part No. 0508235  It's used on most seals or gaskets that don't need to be installed dry or use a specific gasket adhesive or anaerobic gel-seal.  It's also used to bed many of the fasteners and acts as both a locking agent and an anti-corrosive barrier.

http://www.boats.net/parts/detail/omc/O-0508235.html

[Georgie]

...and the additional info I added is obviously for Ryan's benefit, not yours as I'm sure you already knew it.  

[SaltH2OHokie]

Sweet.  Thanks Ryan/Farley...had some parts ordered from Boats.net that hadn't shipped yet and was about to add on that sealer without changing ship date, nor shipping cost  

[SaltH2OHokie]

Balance of parts to complete carb rebuilds and water jacket gasket are to arrive tomorrow according to FedEx (and I won't be here), so probably Sunday night, I'll try to get gasket replaced, taking pictures along the way for critiques, and then pull the rack of carbs off.

I reckon following carb rebuilds I should check/set timing...anything else?  Compression test I could do all but the bottom cylinder...don't think I can squish my sender down into that space without interference from the lower cowl (which should be TWO PIECES, in my humble opinion).  No real reason to suspect a cylinder (or two) are down, but I realize that if I'm still having less than perfect running its a good thing to rule out.

One other question: Why are spark plug wires so dang expensive for this thing?  $100/set without plug boots.  That's more than I've paid for Hi-Perf wires for a SBC, and that included more wires, longer wires, AND boots for both ends.

[fitz73222]

On an ADI engine like yours (no distributor) I've never seen the plug wires go bad unless they were damaged some how. Not enough aftermarket need so Mercury gets to charge what they want! Leave um be...

[SaltH2OHokie]

On an ADI engine like yours (no distributor) I've never seen the plug wires go bad unless they were damaged some how  . Not enough aftermarket need so Mercury gets to charge what they want! Leave um be...

"Damaged somehow" might describe mine after who knows how long salt water has been spraying on them. The boots are junk, but I can replace those...I was just figuring corrosion may be taking its toll on the wires/ connectors.