Question for our Merc Dealers

[JW]

Neighbor is looking at a 2001 boat package with a 115 Merc 4-stroke. Were they straightend out by then, or is 2001 still a bad year for the 4-stroke 115?

Thanks!

 

[groucho]

You might be confusing the 2001 problem Mercury had w/the Optimax engines and not the 115 4-stroke YamaMercury. To the best of my recollection we had little if no problem w/these engines. The V6 Optimax however resulted in a class action lawsuit which Mercury settled with the unhappy buyers. Maybe someone else has more details.

 

[Wide Open]

Correct.....the Mercury 115 4-stroke in 2001 was indeed built by Yamaha. It wasn't just BUILT by Yamaha......it WAS a Yamaha.

 

[JW]

Now he's leaning towards a boat with the 125 Merc inline from 2001. I think that's a decent low-performance motor, should suit him fine. The 115 inline 2-stroke version had the bad idle circuit, so I told him 'NO' to the 115 inline 2-stroke.

 

[2springers26]

125 4 cyl

JW the 125 also was a 4 into 2 motor as was the 115 2 stk.. runs on 2 cyls til aprox 1800 rpm's.... good motors.... just a little hard to ski & tube with because of the 1800 rpm conversion....Kurt

 

[JW]

I'm surprised to hear that. All the years they made those motors, I read the 115 had the 2 cylinder mode and the 125 did not.

 

[2springers26]

engines...

all oil injected 4 cyl 2 strokers from the late 80's thru 2006 were 4 into 2 motor..100 ,115,125 hp motors..... the 3 cyl 75/90 were not . the v 6's were not... any other questions just PM me....kurt

 

[JW]

So the neighbor got his deck boat with 125 Merc 2-stroke. Like you said, it runs on 2 cylinders at idle. What a crappy system. I can't get the idle right. It idles way too fast, somewhere around 1100. I can turn the idle adjustment screw down (which appears to adjust the timing) to 650 in gear, then that motor will NOT start or run well at the proper idle setting.

What is the typical problem with this setup?

Can it be defeated by removing the fuel cut-off to the two cylinders?

 

[2springers26]

125

the reason it doesn't run on the 2 cyls.. is no idle cuircut in the carbs,,,, set mixture screws to aprox 1 1/2 for starters, make sure the accell pump is not contacting the the arm @ idle,, about .020 gap,, make sure the block check valves are not leaking fuel back into the motor, they are on#3&4 behind the electrical plate area. set idle timing so it will idle in gear with back presure... Only set up with back presure on the exhaust,,,, when set correctly they run great... if it's spitting & sputtering,, the block check valves area feeding cyls 3&4....kurt

 

[JW]

Thanks Kurt! I'm printing that out...........