Finding out age of an outboard motor.

[Ayahuasca]

I have a little Mercury 3.5 hp four stroke that I want to get rid of. Thing is, I cannot remember how old it is. Is there a way of finding out?

Ta.

[CharlieAlphaMike]

Look for the serial number label on the engine. There should be a 'box' to the bottom right containing 2 numbers. Those 2 numbers relate to the year of manufacturer.

[Ayahuasca]

Cheers. Unfortunately there is no box.

[dudleybloke]

Can you find any date codes moulded into the plastic?
Not a definite way to tell but should put you in the ballpark.

[pequod]

A little googling will tell you that Mercury don't use date codes on their outboards since about 1996! Why not, I cannot fathom.

However, your 4 stroker will be from 1996 and I would suggest contacting Mercury with your serial number whereby they may be able to identify a range of years when they were built.

Frankly, I wouldn't worry about the age. If it is in good condition and has been regularly serviced (with receipts) and used, and can be demonstrated in working order, it will have a market value. The general value of these outboards can be gauged from such places as ebay, amongst other web based selling places.

HTH

[Condi]

Is there not another plate near the headstock?

Looks something more like this;