Blog

One of the most common questions we get is: How do I know which serpentine belt fits my engine?

Well luckily we have the complete Mercruiser parts diagram lookup right on our site to make it very simple.

Step 1. Make sure you're on the page for your engine by using our serial number lookup. Simply type in your serial number at the top right of our site in the "Search by serial number" box.

Step 2. Once you're on the correct page you can either:

a. Search for "belt" in the "search for part name here" box, or b., Go to the alternator page where most serpentine belts are found.

Step 3. In this case below we are on the alternator page and there are several choices.

If you're on your phone or a mobile device it may look like this:

Either way, just hover over the spyglass under the Notes field. 

The spyglass/Notes column will tell you important differences between the belts. In this case, this part # is for a Bravo with power steering and standard cooling. You can then click on the part number and see if there is a photo and more details.

If you're still not sure, please use the contact us box and include your engine serial number and we will help!

Don’t let E15 fuel damage your marine engine this summer!

Summer 2022!  Be extra careful in preparing your boat for outings on the water. A change in fuel availability could pose a risk to your boat’s engine and its warranty, so make sure you are checking ethanol-content labels at the gas pump.

E15 gasoline blend is usually restricted from sale during the summer. However, this year it will be available all year long at gas pumps across the U.S. for the first time in more than 10 years.

E15 gasoline contains up to 15% ethanol derived from corn and sometimes other grains or sugars. When the weather is sunny and hot, it can significantly increase the amount of summertime smog. This increase played a big part in the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2011 ban of the sale of E15 during summer months.  

With the major global issues that led to inflation, gasoline has become one of the most affected products. As a countermeasure, President Biden announced an EPA policy waiver that permits the sale of E15 gasoline year round.

While it might be a worthwhile alternative for some cars and trucks, E15 is not a good option for marine engines. That’s because ethanol attracts water from condensation and the air, which in turn can wreak havoc on a combustion engine. Problems that can be caused by too much ethanol in fuel (more than 10%) include the following:

•          Corrosion of metal parts
•          Deterioration of rubber or plastic parts
•          Fuel permeation through rubber fuel lines
•          Starting and operating difficulties

For these reasons and more, warranty coverage on a broad array of repairs and services will become void on any Mercury engine that has been shown to have been operated using fuel with an ethanol content of more than 10%. 

In conclusion, please remember to check the ethanol-content labels at the gas pump. And to avoid serious damage to your engine and voiding some warranty coverages, be sure to only use gasoline with an ethanol content of 10% or less for your boat.  Mercury offers an alcohol tester to find the ethanol/alcohol percentage in your gasoline. You can purchase one on our site here. 

View all fuel system care products here.

Below is a list of Fuel and Fuel Systems FAQ's from Mercury Marines website:

QUESTION:

600 HP V12 VERADO UNVEILING

Mercury Marine is proud to announce the revolutionary new V12 Verado with an impressive 600 horsepower! The 7.6L Verado Outboard is the most powerfule and most advanced outboard on the market.

Mercury Marine has implemented game changers like the steerable gearcase and 2 speed automatic transmission for the ultimate outboard driving experience.  Read more about the V12 Verado here

Watch the complete video unveiling this beast here! 

Mercury Marine often refers to "Link Gauges", "System Link Gauges" or "SC100 System Link Gauges". What does this mean?

These are the small 85 mm (3 3/8") OR 52 mm (2 1/8") SmartCraft gauges such as water temperature, oil temperature, trim, oil level, etc. SmartCraft Link Gauges are basically any gauge besides the tachometer or speedometer.

The SC100 Link gauges allow you to monitor vital engine and boat functions digitally. These are commonly referred to being "daisy chained" between other SmartCraft products using plug-in connections. The SC100 gauges can be connected to a MercMonitro, System Monitor or a SC1000 System Tachometer.

The SC100 System Link gauges come with plastic faces and interface with analog gauges to let you track your vital engine and boat functions digitally. 

If you're thinking of upgrading your displays in your boat and want to get a VesselView then you will need to check to see if the kit you're ordering includes a VesselView Link to talk to your Link gauges.

One of the most commonly asked questions is "where can I find my serial number?". Well that depends. 

If you have an older model Mercruiser sterndrive or inboard engine, most likely it will be on a little tag on the block near the starter.

It's not the easiest to locate! Sometimes it's near the flywheel. Sometimes it's on the flame arrestor. All we can tell you is once you find it, save that number somewhere safe! Then bookmark the page on our site after you input your serial number into our parts lookup by serial number so you can easily go to your parts diagrams. 

Newer sterndrive and inboard engines will have the tag on the engine cover as shown below.

If you have a Mercury outboard engine it's not such a big deal.  The serial number is on the transom bracket on most outboards.

Now if you need your sterndrive serial number that's usually pretty easy depending on the year the drive was made. Usually it's stamped on a sticker on the top side of the drive. See below for locations.

One of the most common questions we are asked is, what's the difference between Quicksilver and Mercury? In a nutshell, nothing.

QUICKSILVER HISTORY

Mercury Unveils New 175, 200 & 225 HP V6 FourStroke Outboard Motors 

BAM Marine was one of the lucky dealers to be invited to the preview and product training session on Mercury's unveiling of the new 175, 200 and 225 HP fourstroke V6 outboard motor held on February 14th, at the Doubletree Biscayne hotel in Miami.   

So many cool things about this motor...where do we start? Well first of all it's a V6 AND a fourstroke.

Can you say QUIET? We saw the engine in the water on a demo boat and couldn't believe it was running. According to Mercury Marine, the 200 HP FourStroke is 15-30% quieter with 50% less vibration than the leading fourstroke competitor. We saw it firsthand.

LIGHT. Wow. The 225 HP V6 is 60 pounds lighter than the competition! 

Fuel EFFICIENT. Superior fuel economy to save you money. Advanced Range Optimization (ARO) automatically adjusts fuel delivery to improve your cruise speed fuel efficiency. 12-16% better cruising fuel economy than the leading competitor. 

INNOVATIVE features.

• Adaptive Speed Control. Let's you maintain a desired rpm regardless of changes in load, condition (such as tow sports, rough conditions, etc.) turns, etc. No need to constantly adjust throttle. This is a first in the outboard industry.
• Idle Charge Battery Management. Alternator output is authomatically increased to recharge low batteries to proper level. Great for those long days of trolling. Mercury's high capacity, high-power alternator delivers 20 amps at idle and 85 amps total at wide open throttle. 

DESIGN. Well thought out. Mercury took into consideration all of the feedback they have acquired from outboard owners over the years. Finally, someone designed the outboard so you don't have to remove the entire cowling just to check your oil! Simply lift up the top cowl service door and voila!...oil check. They also added a really cool option of enabling the owner to customize their engines. You can purchase fatory-painted accent panels or customize yourself. 

LOW MAINTENANCE. 

• Maintenance-free valve-train: No valve-clearance adjustment is required for the life of the engine. 
• Easy access with the top cowl service door with a conveniently located graphic hour-based maintenance decal. 

These engines were designed to be powerful, light, compact and fuel-efficient – truly precision engineered from skeg to cowl. Mercury really had the repower consumer in mind when designing these to fit the 26 inch mounting centers commonly found on older boats. 

Call us or email us for pricing and availability.  

Mercury Racing Propeller Numbers to be Discontinued

Mercury Racing has released a list of racing propeller part numbers that will soon be NLA (no longer available). 

Mercury Racing has introduced several new propeller models that have seen unprecedented demand such as the new Bravo One derivatives, the Revolution 4 XP, MAX 5 and CNC Cleaver props. In order to keep up with demand they must eliminate part numbers and propeller families where demand has declined due to product changes in the marketplace and/or migration to other propeller models. 

The props that will not be made anymore are here. They will stop production of these racing propellers on December 15th, 2017. If you would like to order any of these props, please order before December 8th to ensure you get the prop you need. Shop for propellers at discounted prices here.

Why Doesn’t the Mercury Part Number Match? 

We constantly get calls from our customers asking to order a part using a number stamped on the actual item. We also receive calls from people who are confused because the number on the Mercury part is different from the part number they received after they ordered from our site.

So read on as we explain why the number on the part isn’t the same as the number used to order the part.

Pretend we are working in a manufacturing facility and are putting together a switch. In this example there are 3 components that go together to make one final piece. The final part number is going to be 123456A1.

There is some wire, an outer plastic piece and a clip. The outer plastic piece has a number stamped on it: 123456. The other 2 pieces don’t have any numbers on them at all. You assemble these pieces and create your switch. You then send it over to be packaged. The packaging department has more “pieces” to go with the assembled component. Maybe they add an instruction sheet, a plastic bag and put it in a box. They then put a final part number on the box: 123456A1. So in this case the manufacturer is providing to you, its customer; a complete assembled switch in a box with instructions.  So, when you pull out your old part and it is stamped 123456, it’s not going to match the number used to place the order. It may be similar – but it is not the actual complete number used to order the part.

The best way to order parts is by using the serial number from your engine, drive, etc. Mercury frequently changes (supersedes) part numbers in their system, so the old number you ordered may not be available anymore.  Many of the new part numbers include changes and improvements so your new replacement part may not look like the old one. It may also require a slight modification to how you install it. If included be sure to read the enclosed instructions!  

We've made it as easy as possible for you with our serial number lookup! Just input your number and click on your engine, drive, etc. and you'll have a complete diagram of the correct parts so you don't waste money guessing. 

As always, we are here for our customers via email or by phone. 

Benefits of Owning a Mercury Prop

When you're thinking of spending your hard earned money on a new propeller you may ask yourself, why should I spend it on a Mercury prop vs a cheaper after market prop?  A prop is not just a prop! Here are 5 good reasons you should own a Mercury prop:

1. Over 160 years of prop design experience. Mercury's props are years ahead of the competition. They've been doing it longer, learning along the way and constantly re-engineering and improving.
2. Proprietary technologies. Mercury has patented several technologies, here are a few: Mercalloy®: a revolutionary aluminum alloy made from a porosity-free casting providing superior strength and ductility. X7® Alloy: 30% stronger and 4 times more durable than conventional stainless steel which enabled Mercury to design props that could not be manufactured previously. Flo-Torq® II hub system: cushions and protects your drivetrain from most impacts; sacrifices itself to save your lower unit. PVS® (performance vent system) allows you to customize your prop to match the performance of your engine.
3. Made in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin right here in the U.S.A.! 
4. A full one year factory warranty easily handled through one of the thousands of Mercury Marine dealers throughout the U.S.
5. Use on most engines. Mercury's propellers can be used on a variety of engines such as Yamaha, OMC Johnson, Volvo, Evinrude, Suzuki, Honda or Tohatsu by purchasing a hub adapter kit (see our handy chart)

Mercury offers a wide variety of stainless and aluminum propellers for every boater. Aluminum props are made from Mercury's patented Mercalloy® for better performance and durability. If you are concerned with performance, durability, top speed and "getting out of the hole" choose a stainless prop. Stainless props can withstand impacts that would destroy your aluminum prop. One stainless prop could last as long as multiple aluminum props, making the price of a stainless prop more cost effective.  To browse the complete selection of Mercury props at discounted prices, see our prop page.