more help.....please!!!!!!!!!!!

[shrimpman steve]

OK, silly question. How does one check the oil level in the 90hp mercury 2 stroke? there is a dipstick attached to the resevoir cap with a tab on it. do you screw the cap all the way down, what is the tab for?

thanks in advance

[Gerry Zagorski]

Don't think there is á dipstick to check oil level. The tank should be translucent which shows you the level. I think the tab you are talking about is probably a sensor warning you when oil gets low, you dipstick

[shrimpman steve]

Originally Posted by Gerry Zagorski

Don't think there is á dipstick to check oil level. The tank should be translucent which shows you the level. I think the tab you are talking about is probably a sensor warning you when oil gets low, you dipstick

that hurts me

but there is a dipstick attached to the cap. it states one quart low and two quarts low with crosshatches. I would call that a dip stick, you dipstick.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Then put one or 2 quarts in it dipstick

All kidding aside, if it's anything like the mercury outboards I've owned, there should be a float in the oil tank and when it drops down to a certain level a low oil warning alarm should sound. The reason I know this is because when we'd tilt the engine back to clear the props of fishing line, every once and a while the float would stick. Even though there was plenty of oil in the the float sticking would cause a low oil alarm.

While I'm at it here, one more piece of advice. If your fishing lines ever get tangled up in your prop you need to clear it before putting the engine back in gear. Line, especially braid, can get wrapped behind the prop and ruin the seals on the prop shaft. Once that happens water can get into the lower drive unit, break down the drive oil and could make for a costly repair.

You also need to be cognizant of your engine alarms. They should sound a few beeps when you turn the key in the on position before starting, this way you know they are working. Once you have the engine running there are usually a few reasons they might go off. Low oil or overheating are usually the main culprits. On most 2 strokes this will cause the engine to go into safe mode and will not allow you to go past a certain RPM so you can at least limp your way home hopefully with out causing damage to your engine.

If your engine does ever go into alarm, I would suggest you immediately try and remedy the situation. Put more oil in if it's low or see if you may have picked up a bag or something on the lower unit intakes which would restrict the flow of water. If you can't remedy it, get a tow since you don't want to chance ruining the engine by running it under alarm. Besides, you may as well use that towing insurance and get the experience of getting towed under your belt too

[badfish88]

im not sre what year motor u have. i have a 2002 125 4 cylinder with the oil tank on the engine. I have the same dipstick you are talking about. The problem is if you fill all the way to the full mark, i get oil splashing out of the vent hole when trailering and makes a mess of anything under the cowel. I keep my level at exactly half tank. I can run almost 60 miles on that. Also as stated in the owners and (climber book) you can run 20-30 min of full throttle when your low oil alarm sounds before the pump runs dry. The metal tab ( if your talking about the one on the dip stick) is simply to hang it on the filler neck y u top the oil off while under way. Im not sure how close to shark river u live, but im rite behind the USCG station Ive had my 125 for 2 years, and have been to the pistons and back, so im fairly familiar with it. I do belive the 90 is essentialy the same engine. Is your motor a 2+2 (runs on half the cylinders at idle?)

[shrimpman steve]

bad,

you answered my question about the tab on the dipstick (to hang it while filling) My motor is a 3 cylinder not 4. I also experienced oil coming out the vent at the top, put less oil in and that problem stopped.

Thanks for the advice guys! It's all good!