Mercury 4hp not pumping water, possibly thermostat, undone the two bolts holding the housing, wacked with hammer not coming apart, ideas?
Further where can I buy a workshop manual?
If you have both bolts out OK then try boiling water poured on the housing and further gentle hammering with a wooden block taking the blows. Sometimes putting close fitting nails into the two bolt holes (but not quite going into the threads) and putting a rocking force can ease such things off.
However surely on your model the water flow exits the tell tale before the stat so the problem likely to be elsewhere??
Couple of lads I used to 'work' with, referred to loosely as Technicians, had a mock crest on their workshop wall consisting of Crossed ball pein Hammer and a Condom, motto inscribed below "If you can't fix it, f##k it"
The biggest hammer in any toolbox is referred to as the 'Gentle Persuader'.
Classic 
