TOPIC: 76 Merc 402el 40 hp

Looking at a 76 Mercury 402 EL on CL near me. Anyone have any thoughts on this motor? Easy to find parts for? Problems to watch out for?

Not the most popular motor in the Mercury shed! Unreliable ignition systems were probably the worst of it. Not the smoothest engine out there, either. The bottom end had parts common with the 50hp, amongst others.

If I were you, I'd steer clear of that. On the flip side, any 44-c.i. 4-cyl Merc from the late-50's to the last production models in the 90's are some of the best fishing motors ever built!

The first Merc I ever had was a $25 MK58A that I found on the shop bulletin board, way back in the early 80's. I cleaned the points, serviced the water pump, and the motor ran like a charm!

My brother found a dirt-cheap wood flatbottom ski boat, and we skied all summer in the bay on a budget. That motor never missed a beat and I didn't even have the electric start hooked up. It always started on the first or second pull.

On the flip side, a 2-cyl 40hp without an electric starter is a back-and-arm-breaker to pull thru. Not fun at all!

Just my $.02, Cheers.........ed

Thanks, ed. That's very helpful.

What Ed said. Don't touch it.