2006 Mercury Parts Questions from newbie

[PriceTR24speed]

My search skills are lacking so if this has been covered please direct me to those threads.

I have a new to me 2006 Mercury 15hp 4 stroke and am struggling to ID correct part numbers and looking for good vendors. One vendor told me that year motor was built by Yamaha and parts are more readily available?

1- When trying find correct part #’s on-line it can be very confusing - I can find section for my serial # range but then my model # won’t be listed or visa versa. Are parts manuals available or is there a go-to online resource to find them along with cross reference for discontinued parts etc?

2- How critical is it to get OEM parts vs aftermarket? I am big on using OEM but not opposed to Amazon/Chinese aftermarket stuff if price difference is significant and quality is usable. Example OEM carburetor is $350 aftermarket $100.

3- Any specific aftermarket brand that has best quality for $$$ or American made? See Quicksilver a lot how are they?

4- What parts are the exact same Yamaha to Merc and which are not? Any resource for cross referencing Merc to Yamaha?

Basically any info, hints, hacks, resources, vendors, etc. Greatly appreciated.

 

[airshot]

The problem with aftermarket is, their quality control, and they make a part to fit a variety of mfgrs, so while it might fit...it wont be specific to your model. Non functioning parts, then aftermarket is fine, but, functioning parts are a big gamble. I belong to numerous boating forums, one of the most common issues are...I replaced the carb with an after market and it runs crappy !! Sometimes people go thru multiple carbs before they get one that actually works. Been a boater for over 60 years, in most cases you are far better off to get a " factory" rebuild kit to rebuild the original carb than buy an aftermarket carb. OEM parts generally work correctly right from the start, but after market stuff is a real crapshoot !!

 

[MrGiggles]

Unfortunately that is the area where Merc was using Yamaha powerheads, so parts can be a bit of a crapshoot.

Quicksilver is a parts supplier for Mercury. Kinda like Ford and Motorcraft. I'd use their parts in a heartbeat.

Aftermarket is hit and miss. I don't use white box chinese stuff if it can be avoided. Sierra can be okay, I haven't had issues with them, but know people that have.

 

[JL8Jeff]

I've used CDI stuff when it comes to spark related parts, they seem to be pretty good quality and might even be better than oem. Stay away from the cheap chinese spark related parts, they won't last.

 

[Still Afloat]

I typically search for the part directly on Mercury’s website then Google the part number. There is usually a better price to be found for an OEM part.

I’ll second CDI for electronics. Replaced the voltage regulator on the 115 Rude with CDI and couple of years ago and it’s working good.