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The Running of the Pulse's!!

B

Black Pulse

Member
Hello experts, I need you all to please share some of your boating wisdom!

Ok, about three months ago I went ahead and ordered a 2004 200 EFI 3.0 Liter engine for my Pulse 185 with a Laser II performance prop. It has since been rigged and is sleeping this winter at a local marina in Rosseau while our boathouse gets re-faced.

The old engine was a 1997 175 EFI 2.5 L. At the boathsow, the owner of New Ark said the new engine is actually worse than the old as the 3.0L will make it slower off the line and slower at top speed due to it's added weight.

My marina said the boat will perform much better with the new 200 3.0L than the 175 as the boat is indeed quite heavy and the extra weight and power will be to my benefit.

Who should I believe? Did I make a mistake? What can I expect from my Pulse now? I guess a nice 200 XS with torquemaster would have been good as it is light but my lake doesnt have premium gas which that engine needs, plus a couple marina's I spoke with said Merc is having problems with the relatively new Optimax technology.

Gosh, after dropping about $17 500 after taxes and trade-in of my old engine I hope I made the right decision.

Black Pulse
 
Why did you trade? Was something wrong with your old 175?

$17,500 plus your old motor seems a little out of line to me.
 
Hey Drex,

The engine blew as I was heading home (powerhead was totally gone) and had to get towed to Muskoka Lakes Marine by two nice young kids (thank God as a bad storm was rolling in and we were the only two boats out on the lake)...the engine was unsalvageable, unless I wanted them to rebuild the powerhead at a cost of $5000, no thanks, so they gave me 3500 bucks for it as a trade in for parts...It was a 1997, so the re-sale value wasnt high enough to warrant re-building the powerhead...

B.P.
 
None of my business but if you are looking for more speed why didn't you take your $17,500 + your broken Pulse and trade for a nice, slightly used Pulsare?
 
Black pulse, I have a 2003 225 3.0 Opti ,didnt get alot of time on it before winter set in but I can tell you ,you wont be disappointed if your efi has the torque my Opti has . I went from a 225 yamaha (2.6) to this motor and its like night and day for performance . The price you paid may seem high to people in the US because we get hit so hard with taxes etc. I paid 13500 CDN plus taxes in sept for a new old stock 2003 225 Opti.with 3 year warranty. The guys out here running the whale watching boats and rescue boats run twin 225 Optis and have had great success and excellent fuel economy with them.
 
Even though 25 HP isn't a big deal you'll notice a big difference in the extra torque going from 2.5 to 3.0 liters. You'll probably be able to turn a much higher pitch prop and the extra weight on the transom is probably an advantage on a Mate. Don't let people freak you out, sounds like the decision is a done deal, start thinking about how to dial it in to blow away the local Bajas.
 
don't want to say to much here but i have heard and maybe some one else can verify, that 3.0L optimaxs aren't holding up well. I would strongly advise buying the longest extended warranty you can from merc.
 
Chris E , Now you have my interest what have you heard or experienced with the 3.0 Optis from 2002 up , from what i could dig up most of the bugs and problems were with the 2001 and down.
 
entirely possible, i have seen a '00 throw a rod at 500 hours and was told at the time that it was a 500 hour engine. Haven't seen anything lately, and no one has been to service school yet to see what's up. My service manager was telling one of our customers to be careful of the 3.0l optis but that the 2.5's were running well. I guess like anything, run the best oil and maintain the engine for longevity. Maybe someone else has more current experiance. I do no that the smaller engines 135 - 175 range seem to run flawlessly.
 
BP,

Getting back to your original question about the performance of the new motor versus the old.

Extra weight with a Checkmate usually isn't a bad thing. It typically creates bow lift which normally increases your top speed. Another way to get more bow lift, is to add setback. So I think you'll see a gain in your top speed from the extra weight, and you should see even more from the extra ponies, especially when your get everything dialed in.
 
Black Pulse, What pitch is your laser II , and what type of steering did you put on it? Did you go to the Smartcraft gauges with the new motor?
 
I'm sure you'll gain speed out of the hole and top end. The new motor has a ton more torque, so a bigger prop and more motor weight and 25+ more hp will gain you the top speed, while the torque will maintain the hole-shot. The biggest problem with the 185 series is they're short/narrow and end up with a USCG 175 hp rating, while being almost as heavy as the 2100 Pulsare. If I had a Pulse 185 or Pulsare 1850, I'd be putting a 3.0 on it............
 
Thanks gentlemen for the great responses.

JW, yeah the marina said I definitely needed a 3.0L for the Pulse. They were actually surprised my 2.5 L engine didn't blow sooner, they said it just isn't strong enough to support that boat (nice of the original marina who sold it to me not to mention that little nugget of info!!).

I was thinking of getting a 200 Optimax, or 225 EFI, and the marina said the 225 was out of question (insurance) and actually two different, independent marina's told me they would rather lose the sale than rig it with an Optimax. I dont want to say too much or offend anyone as I know many people on this forum do run Opti's. Both marina's using inside info told me that MERC is having serious issues even now with the Opti's (namely the engine blows very early on).

It is strange how the Pulse 185 is literally 200 pounds lighter than the 2100, go figure!

Black Pulse

Thanks again everyone. Now I am reassured and excited to run the 200 EFI this summer. Stop snowing!
 
I think you made a great choice of engine the efi wil make it go! the opti's yes they were haveing problems with them, i love them have only seen 5 of them come back blown, they had a recall out for the injectors they would fall off and screw the cycl up! but i still stand behind them, great on fuel (when not blown up lol) and great performance engine! i could go on but i won't, post some pictures of the new set up of the pulse! P.S 2 and half months left of frozen water for some of us Canadians!
 
Geez ,You guys got me scared to run my Optimax.Now I have to drive with my fingers crossed so my motor doesnt blow up maybe I should have kept the old Yamaha..Oh well
 
Just pull the cowl and inspect everything once in a while and alway pour a little Merc Opti oil into the gas tank (at maybe 100:1) and it'll last a long time.
 
I've wondered how a 3.0l 200 would compare to a 2.5l 200 also. I would tend to believe even though it's heavier, the 3.0 would have much better acceleration. You shouldn't need as much setback. I wouldn't go any more that 6" to start.

bostoncan:

Don't lose sleep over your 3.0l opti. I have yet to here of any trouble out of the 2002+. And the old ones seem to be ok after the latest update. Also Merc. has extended the warranty on the older ones. I wouldn't be a bit afraid to buy one.

Jim


Coming soon to a lake near you! <span class="ev_code_RED">"Secret Agent"</span>
 
Jim , maybe its a regional fear ,the guys out west here say the newer ones are great motors and problems are rare. Time will tell. Did you check out the video link I posted?
 
yeah good point jkeiper about the setback. My marina told me not to set it back far when I asked as it would just hinder acceleration and performance, especially on the back heavy Pulse as it is...
 
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