I recently acquired a Fisher 14' boat with a 1997 mercury Force 40 hp (ELPT) on it. Serial number 0E271XXX. This boat has not been used in 5 or more years, it has just been sitting in a barn collecting bird poop. I haven't tested the compression yet, but the flywheel does turn by hand so it is not seized up. The only information I could get from the owner is that the engine bay was filling with water when he was running it on the river. So either he had water coming in, or there is a leak somewhere that is bringing the cooling water into the engine compartment rather than the head.

1. 1996 Mercury Force 40 Hp Repair Manual
2. 40 Hp Mercury Outboard Manual

So I am looking to take it apart this spring and see what I can find. I am looking for a decent service manual for this outboard, but can't seem to find anything about this specific model and year. I have found 1996 manuals for 40 hp and I have found manuals for 4-150 hp, etc. Is the 1996 similar enough to the 1997 model that the 90-831250 manual (on ebay) would work for me? I am not really looking to spend a ton of money on a manual unless it is the correct one for this motor.

1996 Mercury Force 40 Hp Repair Manual

40 Hp Mercury Outboard Manual

Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks for your help. I did try the search function with 'force 40 hp' and got about a thousand hits, with fewer than 5% actually mentioning a 40 hp outboard.