4 stroke outboards
 

Hey guys can you give me some thoughts on which is the better engine 120hp----200hp people here say nothing can beat a yamaha

The 2.5L OPTIMAX was a GOOD engine in my opinion. It was a little louder than the rest, but you can't beat the OPTIMAX for economy and they were pretty reliable after about 03 on.

They all burn down---no matter what the brand---I suggest you talk to several mechanics that work on different engines and see what the consenisious is.

Parts supply and service should be a huge consideration for you.

you can read my opinion in the Yamaha thread that Ridge Runner started, if I had the money, I'd be hard pressed to buy anything other than a Yamaha four stroke, they have their issues, along with every other motor out there, but I've seen far better use out of the Yamaha than any other fourstroke

i've heard good things about the merc 150 4 stroke. not a lot of real world experience yet. a friend of mine is putting one on a 20' dusky. that hull is very similar to a wellcraft, so i.m very interested how it works out.

I saw a 24' Proline guide with a new 150 4-stroke Merc. It was riding out nice. Time will tell there. Who is making the mid hp Merc 4-strokes? 115 range for instance?

my mate has a Suzuki 4 stroke he had the computer box vibrate off is the any else I need to look out for on these engines . he really like the engine and a lot of people bag him for having one they say **** engine

SUZUKI's have had corrosion issues, but other than that much trouble.

my mate loves his he has had no problems and its good on fuel is there something like extra ANODES on it to slow it down or is it just a cheap casting . I think having a good earth helps . Few of my mates a rev heads they all want to be the fastest but they always run low on fuel lol

Corrosion issues are just some of the issues---try to get parts---LOL

Everybody loves a new engine---get 5 or 6 years on one and see what ya think.

I was told suzuki's are good in fresh--but Salt is a NO-NO.

Check weight of 4 stroke - especially 200 hp.

487 lbs for Yamaha(4stk), 510 for Merc(4stk), 433 for an e-tec 200(all 20 inch models). Keep in mind, all these weights are without a prop or fluids. No where as much difference as it used to be. To compare apples to apples, merc 175 Pro XS Opti weighs 431(makes right at 200 hp), Yamaha HPDI at 468. Personally, I don't believe any of theses weights, they all lie, I've seen the shipping tickets on new engines and they are all suspiciously much heavier than the weight of the engine and crate. I've had most of these engines swinging from a hoist at one time or another and find it hard to believe any of them are close to the weight of a 2 stk Merc. There was a bass magazine that weighed each of the new four strokes a few years back and found major differences in advertised weights(Suzuki was the worst) and actual weights, they lost a bunch of advertising money over that article and you haven't see a similar one since

suzuki
 

I just repowered my 88 v20 cc with the 2013 Suzuki 140. I love it so far and everyone that I talked to about repowering had only good things to say about Zuks...and Yamahas.

search this forum for DF140 to see my old post regarding corrosion.

Still love the engine. perfect for a V20. Runs Great. Great gas miles.

As for parts I have had no problem getting maintenance parts from Boats.net

GREAT site, pictures of everthing . every thing from anodes, gaskets, fuel filter, oil filter, screws, water pump....Suzuki Parts.

+1 on the Suzuki 140.
I have about 1300+ hrs on mine now, it gets a lot of use here in the Keys.
Parts are not cheap, but nothing is.
I have changed all filters and plugs at every service (120 hrs), And have had to rebuild the Trim/tilt rams once.
No other problems.
I run at 4000-4200 rpms and get 18-20 KTs depending on load and clean bottom.
I also pull pot in season with a lot of in/out of gear. Can't think of a better boat and motor combo.

Yamahas have a huge following here and 90% of bay boats and offshore boats have them. My buddy has an Express 17 with a 60Yammie 4 stroke and we use the PISS out of that boat. Hunting, fishing, floundering, etc...Id bet my life its going to start and run every time.

Yep, mines still young, 400hrs, but is a workhorse. I have the 150 that weighs substantially less than the 200 and is ALMOST the same engine. Only issue Ive had is the fuel injectors getting clogged. Took two hours and one screwdriver to clean them out and I got and still have the best performance to date for that boat.....

1985 CC F20 with F150 4stroke on a bracket(avatar pic, you can see the waterline barely changed with addition of four stroke over the old Johnson oceanrunner)

40Gals of gas with three guys on board Im still gettin good numbers
5400 2.6-2.8MPG 43MPH
5000 2.8-3.3MPG 38MPH
4500 3.5-4.1MPG 28-32MPH This is best cruise on my boat but is highly dependant on the seas

the new Yamaha 200 weighs the same as the 150, they are both four cylinders now.

hey spares my mate said he was told that they build up salt on the oil cooler and there is some anodes on the engine block behind some plate he wants to check and replace them I need to do it for him anything I need to look out for

I haven't worked on the new 200's yet, so I don't know about any oil cooler, as far as I know the 150's don't have a separate oil cooler, they do have a fuel cooler that runs vertically on the fuel rail that I've seen stopped up before. Ya'll may get a different version down under than we do. Yamaha has those small anodes all over the block, make sure you get new gaskets for them and clean the holes out go, I use Mercury perfect seal on the gaskets when i put them back together, if it leaks, it will be spraying salt all over your engine. if you are going that far, I'd recommend replacing the thermostat while your at it

So whats the difference now if the have the same PHead.......CPU output?

The old 150 was already close to 170 at the prop according to several independant tests of teh 150, so I'm sure with some porting changes to the head, intake, exhaust, and a bigger throttle body that 200HP wouldn't be that much of a stretch.

Gotya......Well Ive been happy with mine with only one additional problem Im sure you can relate to Ferm......New daddies dont get to fish as much as they shouldv1

Variable valve timing

I was asking about the 140 Suzuki lol

Ive heard to have this checked at 500hrs but a couple of the mechs Ive talked to said they havent had to adjust any that came through the shop yet. Have you seen/heard any that needed adjustment?

variable vale timing is how they get the extra 50 hp out of the 150, just like the 200/225 vs the 250 Yamaha. You're talking about valve clearance. They told me you had to have it checked at 600 hours, I did three the first year I was in business, its a pain in the ***, my friends with the harbor taxi had theirs checked by me at 2000 hours, it was dead on the money. BTW, they didn't replace the timing belt till they hit 5000 hours, Yamaha paid for it to be done and wanted the old belts back

dayum...

Cool.....Yea someone told me it would run close to $500 in labor and probably wouldnt have to have it changed. Since Im now outta warranty I might wait awhile.....just rolled 400 this month

I love my Johnzuki 140. Have used it in fresh and salt mixed for 10 years now...no problems with corrosion, but i wash it off after every use and 5 days is the longest it has ever stayed in the water (down in the Keys).

As for parts availability, I have no problem getting oil filters and a water pump when needed....thats all I have ever done to it.

I remember seein' your boat at the intersection...cravin' it bad!!...that 140 made it about bullet proof...:nice:

Seems like that was yesterday.