Mercury 2.5L 200hp EFI 2002 VST cleaning

[tony1204au]

Have the above engine, that has taken a mouthful of saltwater....

Have taken apart the VST, most of it is clean, except for the inlet needle area.
I will replace the needle, but I was also hoping to replace the seat.
The parts book and the service manual dont show a seperate seat, but looking at it, it looks like it is a seperate part... Havent attempted to remove it in case I damage it.

Can I remove the seat?? and how?? or what is the best way to clean it?

[Jay Smith]

Had a GREAT MERCURY MASTER tec teach me how to work VST's.. FIRST you must have a new replacement gasket BEFORE you attempt. After removing all screws I remove the needle and seat and use some rough lapping compound on the end of a Q-Tip and lap the seat surface until clean. Next clean out the rest of the tank with carb spray, I use carb spray and compressed air to clean tanks, seat area and blow out lower pump screen , then I assemble back with original needle and cleaned seat , been working like a champ for me...

BTW: This info came from Chris Justice IMO THE best Mercury mechanic on the planet !

Jay

[tony1204au]

Thanks for the response Jay, my needle is stuck in the seat quite badly with salt... I will replace it..
The seat looks like its brass. Doesnt appear to be an obvious way to remove. How would I remove the seat?

[Jay Smith]

Man ya got me , never had one that was salt water infested... I might still try the ROUGH lapping compound and the Q-Tip ya might be suprised that compound is bad to da bone..

Jay

[tony1204au]

Old thread revival...
But I thought it may help someone out some day...

When you buy the VST inlet needle from mercury, it comes with the brass seat...
I couldnt just remove the seat... maybe salted up too much... but carefully using a drill, it did come out eventually...