I was doing the annual service on my 2001 Mercury 90 a couple of weeks ago and stumbled upon some rust where the bracket connects into the engine. I guess this is what allows the engine to tilt. Please take a look at the pics b/c I am not doing a good job describing.
I cleaned off as much of the rust as I could. Is this rust something I should be concerned about or is this common for this area? Seems the paint is peeling a bit by this area. Thanks for your thoughts and ■■■■■■■■.
very common on those motors
it was a retaining ring to keep the steering pivot shaft assembly in place
rust and corrosion now have it permanetly held in place
Do I need to bother epoxying it back in place or just remove the ring? Anything I should do to minimize any future rust or is it not worth the trouble? Thanks a bunch.
Leave the ring where it is. You can clean the rust as best you can. A needle gun or just a pneumatic hammer with a punch attachment works well to removed the tough stuff. Coat with a rust converter, prime with zinc phosphate primer, and top coat with Mercury Phantom Black. After the paint has cured, brush the whole thing with marine grease. It will keep most of the corrosion away.
Iain Pelto
Sea Hunt Triton 160 w/ 90 ETEC “JB3”
Native Manta Ray 14
clean it up if you want, like hairball said, and keep it rinsed down with fresh water