Cleanliness And Care Of Outboard Motor - Mercury 40 FourStroke Service Manual

It is important to note, during any maintenance procedure replacement fasteners must have
the same measurements and strength as those removed. Numbers on the heads of the met-
ric bolts and on the surfaces of metric nuts indicate their strength. American bolts use radial
lines for this purpose, while most American nuts do not have strength markings. Mis-
matched or incorrect fasteners can result in damage or malfunction, or possibly personal
injury. Therefore, fasteners removed should be saved for reuse in the same locations when-
ever possible. Where the fasteners are not satisfactory for re-use, care should be taken to
select a replacement that matches the original.

Cleanliness and Care of Outboard Motor

A marine power product is a combination of many machined, honed, polished and lapped
surfaces with tolerances that are measured in the ten thousands of an inch/mm. When any
product component is serviced, care and cleanliness are important. Throughout this manu-
al, it should be understood that proper cleaning, and protection of machined surfaces and
friction areas is a part of the repair procedure. This is considered standard shop practice
even if not specifically stated.
Whenever components are removed for service, they should be retained in order. At the
time of installation, they should be installed in the same locations and with the same mating
surfaces as when removed.
Personnel should not work on or under an outboard which is suspended. Outboards should
be attached to work stands, or lowered to ground as soon as possible.
We reserve the right to make changes to this manual without prior notification.
Refer to dealer service bulletins for other pertinent information concerning the products de-
scribed in this manual.
Page ii 90-857046R1 NOVEMBER 2001