Do all two strokes.....
 

Just sound like they are ready to fly apart at any time? Mine is running good, pluggs are a nice color, good compression and fire on all cylinders, but it just sounds sketchy. I have a buddy with an 88 special Johnson and it sounds like death too. This is a 200hp Merc Black max by the way. WOT sounds great, and acceleration is great, just idle sounds somewhere between a steam engine and a top fuel dragster. Any other opinions?

While they do all have a staccato often erratic sounding low rpm cadence the Merc two smokers are the worst offenders I have heard. They remind me of my 454 Chevelle when I put in the high lift cam. My 150 Black Max sounded the same and everyone I have heard also.
Sounds cool, when I grabbed the binnacle I used to pretend I was shifting a Hurst shifter

Like Willie said, Welcome to Mercury.

They are real loud when the cowling insulation and the intake cover have been removed.

Like Willy said...those Mercs have a cam-shaft as big as your leg!!...at idle they all sound like they're waiting on the green light to come down!!... :party:

you would probably have to get a DI 2 stroke (with the opti as an exception) for it not to sound like a top fuel dragster. You should hear a merc race 2.5 outboard engine. That thing sounds wicked. Its hard to describe.

Like above posters stated, normal. It's just the nature of a 2 stroker and the way they breath. Also the lack of oil in the bearings adds to it alot. Remember that a 2 stroker simply oils the bearings by the residual oil in the crankcase that comes out of the fuel whereas a car engine has oil pressure in between the bearings and the crankshaft. 2 stroke engines bearings are designed to last, but not neccesarily to be quiet doing it. My old 81 150 MERC sounds like a top fueler with a mis-fire when it idles.

My father in law has a 112 Johnson and it sounds like a sewing machine at idle.

its probably full of carbon and the carbon is insulating the sounds, j/k its a crossflow joke

So are crossflow's a little quieter/smoother than loopers?

i dont find they are. but the long running joke is that the crossflow v-4's carbon up real easy and at times break the rings.

Yeah they are loud on the hose. And rough running at idle. I dont think it gets much better. Thats how the neighbors know your home from fishing.

hey if you like the way a harley sounds youll love the sound of a merc.
if it sounds bad then its running good

I'm glad to be reading this thread about the Mercs being so loud and sounding like they're about to die. After getting my motor running right, I've not been satisfied with the sound of it at idle. My old Johnson idled like a sewing machine too. Smooth as silk. You could hear the telltale splashing water! This Merc beast though sounds like it's about to croak, the thing shakes a little and is REALLY loud, but touch the throttle and it revs up like a chainsaw on race fuel.