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Blew the workhead in the Mercury Optimax 200 today.... Took the number 6 plug out and it was clearly covered in pieces of metal from inside the engine. Only 208 hours and wasn't ran hard at all. I guess they don't make things like the used to anymore. Needless to say their were a few choice words expressed and its probably a good thing no one else was around when it happened. 2nd motor in 3 years...
Dang really bad news sorry! I guess a person can't get insurance on something like that? I know I have insurance on my lower unit with State Farm.
As far as I know insurance only covers lower unit. Guessing it would cover motor too if you hit something with the lower unit that caused motor damage also. Kinda like a vehicle. Definitely not the way we wanted to spend our day diagnosing a motor that we knew the outcome wasn't going to be good. On the bright side we are getting good at knowing what a motor sounds like when it goes... A little too good...
I guess that's one way to look at it!
Sorry to hear that dep, that sux. Hope you get back on the water soon.
bummer man.good luck
Ouch! Sorry about your serious motor illness. Hope you can get back going again.
that really sucks! second motor in 3 years? meaning this motor is only 3 years old? I'm not one to complain but I think I would be talking to someone at mercury and try to see if they would help you out.
I hate to start a brand name war, but I have heard a lot of bad stories regarding merc's. I know they all make good ones and bad ones, but seems like merc is named a lot more than other brands.
Lol, I made a good friend because I had to tow this guy and his low hour four stroke merc back to the ramp. I had to cover my ears the entire ride back, by the end of that ride he was making up new cuss words! I say bad days like that just build character in a person!
That is no good at all. My optimax is 10 years old. Can't complain about it at all. That being said..... if I was looking for a new motor today I would take a real serious look at the Yamaha 4 stroke. I've heard good things about the Yamahas and am getting a little tired of paying such a ridiculous price for that dfi oil for my optimax.
Try to figure out what caused it. The same thing happened to my Yamaha. The mechanic I have working on it knows his stuff!!! He found water had somehow leaked into the oil tank and was injecting water with oil into the cylinders. He asked me if the boat had been full of water? I remembered a month or two before the engine failed, I was caught in a bad storm at Grenada, MS. It rained so hard, it flooded the roads in the campground. No one could get in or out. I had both bilge pumps running and pulled the drain plug as soon as I got back on the trailer. The boat still took on a lot of water. Mechanic said it probably leaked in through the vent. I turned in an insurance claim. Mechanic said he would show the water in the oil injector pump to the insurance adjuster. Insurance company said that if the damage was from flooding, they would cover it. Keeping my finger crossed now.
Good luck with the insurance claim. Please keep us updated on that one, But move that vent no matter what
Dang, that plain sucks! Best luck to you too Speck!
Thanks guys. I already laid out almost 4 grand for a remanufactured powerhead with a 12 month warranty. Insurance said they would have bought me a new powerhead from Yamaha.
Just hope to recoup some of it back
hope you guys get your boats back on the water soon, sure is a bad time of year for these things to happen.
:hesaid X 2Quote:
Originally Posted by south point
Like Specks say have them tell you what caused it. Might have be the oil injector system.
Merc has been offering on and off, a 5 year warranty, was this a new motor, less than 3 years old? If so, it should still be under warranty. Unless you were running it without oil or something crazy like that (I'm sure you weren't) they should cover it.
No it was an 06 with 208 hours on it. No warranty left. The other was a 2001 I believe. Have been warned to stay away from a remanufactured. Don't have the cash flow to buy new. Haven't had a problem with the motors until they blow. Could be a lemon who knows. This one I wouldn't of thought would have gone only having 208 hours on it and wasn't ran hard at all like some tournament bass fisherman.
On the bright side I caught a 15" and 14 1/2" crappie yesterday in a private lake. Attachment 198207Attachment 198208Attachment 198209Attachment 198210Attachment 198211
Nice fish! Sorry about motor!
I run a 2000 year model 200 Optimax with only 300 plus hours on it. Had it a few years and other than wanting to load up once in a while I have had no problems. But it being a Opti I always worry.
Appreciate any info on what caused yours to go.