Mercury 150 HP

Question
Dear Ron
I have installed a Mercury 150 Hp inline 6 engine on the back of my 16ft boat. Iam having problems with the remote especially in the forward gear. The problem is when you engage forward gear it engages with a clunk then you have to push the lever right down to nearly 90 degrees and it just takes off,the accelerator is not gradual but all of a sudden. Also can you tell the age of the engine by the serial number which is 5495473 ? yours thankfully Ray

Answer
Hi Ray...Thanks for selecting the undersigned to reply to your question.

I'm not a mechanic but, yes, you can determine the yr. of mfr of the engine from its serial no. Consult a local Mercury Marine dealer, and they'll check it out for you.

I presume you undertook the installation of the o/b mtr, rather than having a qualified and reliable marine mechanic do so. The clunking noise suggests a pinion gear or clutch problem, so best you have a professional diagnose the situation. It might be cheaper and less time-consuming in the long run.

Safe Boating
Ron