The smoke comes from short hard or long runs. If the motor is trimmed up when u come off plane it allows oil to sit and drain into the combustion chamber. When u start to go to your next spot and fire up the motor if it is still trimmed in the up position it is burning the oil out of the combustion chamber no harm is coming from this to the engine. I had the same problem and from some trial-and-error I have figured out that if you trim the motor down when you come off plane to make the motor almost in a level position or slightly below level position it will not allow that oil to drain into the combustion chamber it flows into the oil passage which drains back into the sump where the oil sits and it will not smoke anymore. This has worked for me and I have had my motor 2 years now.
You are 100% correct as we have had many Merc techs say this. Few also noted the Mercury released a service bulletin on the issue telling the customers to remedy the issue with these methods. In our opinion that's not a very good enough excuse to cover up a potential design flaw. Time will tell!
Lol. Trimming the motor down when coming off of plane is outboard 101. People driving boats in tournaments nowadays have zero clue about trim, prop size, or just how to drive a boat in general.
Hi y’all bought a 2022 Phoenix 19 Pro XP with a 225 Merc V8 Pro XS. Motor was made in September 2021 I believe. Just finished my 10 hour break in and she flies no issues smoke or otherwise so far …but thanks for the heads up. Prop is Fury 24 -3 blade. 72+ with plenty more, just trying to learn how to correct the chine walk so I live to take her out again.
@@TeamMarineService Thanks Bro.ive honestly not heard the smoke thing being a big problem. I got a ton of Friends with 250’s and none of them smoke. Maybe our dealer didn’t overfill them with oil. Anyways, with a 8 year warranty I’m gonna run the hell out of it, lol
Even Yamaha sho’s smoke at. Startup if trimmed all the way down and was shut down in full down trim. It is just physics, auto engines are oriented different with cylinders pointing up where oil can drain back down away from the cylinders instead of into them.
Andy... SMOKING UPON STARTUP.... I know it's 2 years later, but.... Page 61 in the owners manual covers it ('21 225hp Pro XS)... States "With the engine turned off, tilt the outboard up to a point where the trailing edge of the anit-ventilation plate is higher than the leading edge. The tilt angle will help to eliminate or reduce engine smoke on start up. Tilting the outboard up, allows oil in the cylinders to run down cylinders and return to the oil sump. With the outboard level or tilted in, oil from the cylinder walls can run down to the bottom of the cylinder and form a puddle behind the piston/rings. The oil can then weep into the combustion chamber causing it to smoke upon startup... yada yada yada
We understand what is at play here for sure....however, let the junior engineers go play ping pong or foosball and let the real engineers create and design an outboard that doesn't have to dedicate a full page of their owners manual to cover up a design flaw. It shouldn't do that
Merc just published a bulletin about start up smoke being a problem for the customer not a problem with the engine. They're saying that if you store them with the engine level or trimmed all the way in oil runs down the cylinder walls and sits on the rings and weeps past on start up causing a "puff to 10 seconds of smoke"
Great info Erik thank you for posting that! Imagine if your new truck did that and the manufacturer released that bulletin. The fix is ya just have to park your new truck on a slight incline rather than your flat driveway. Hahaha
I absolutely agree, if I was the customer I'd be upset actually even just as a Merc technician it bothers me. It seems like a cop out. I wonder if they're going to warranty the O2 sensor but they better get it worked out properly before they start catalizing these engines in the near future.
Been running Skeeter / Yamaha for 27 yrs with Team Skeeter. I run now a ZX225 / 225SHO with a 25 " prop for all around use and a 27 "" when I need to lay it back and travel to a new area.MERCURY motors are black anchors and want work!!!! CATCH YOU A SKEETER /YAMAHA
2019 250 Merc on 2019 20 Pro XP. 24P Fury 3 blade. 75 MPh, 6000 RPMS fully loaded with fuel, livewell and two 220 anglers. I did have smoke on start up but after first oil change. Never smoked before that. The dry engine holds 7 quarts. When changing the oil, only add 6 quarts. ! quart remains in engine. Manual says oil level should be on middle dipstick bead, not the top.
Late answer but just watched the video, as a 4 stroke engine mechanic smoking when starting or restarting after sitting awhile is oil in the combustion area. This us usually valve guide seals or oil leaching into the combustion area some other way. You start it and it smokes at first as it is burning the little bit of oil then cleans out, just a thought.
250R owner here. Have seen 91mph in my Allison Xb21/250R. Run a 30 Promax or Performance Prop BC 30. Max 5 was best handling, but cracked in 3 trips. Under warranty. Been a year. No prop yet. 250R is a beast on this boat though and I have no complaints granted, I do see smoke "blow by" that iimagine loads up on the valve seats after a long run and motor is tilted up. Just my observation. Just wish we could have access to the software to play with the fuel curve.
I was that guy in an '87 Ranger w/a Johnson 150 back in 2017. First tournament on Seminole, at blast off I was #13 and I passed all but one boat heading to my first spot. After weigh-in I was asked numerous questions about what I did to make that motor run that way. Lol# Full throttle and hang on! Lol!
A mercury will shut down running a small prop. My old 225 optimax came from a dealer with a 23 pitch and was hitting the rev limit. I ended up running a 25 on 225 21’ pro craft and was hitting 69 in the summer and 73in the winter.
After owning 8-250 2-stroke ProXS motors in the last 13years before 2019 with near 0 problems I am out now.Other than the problems that ya'll mentioned Mercury says you can't use lithium starting batterys or no warranty,Mercury says no preformace up grades of any kind or no warranty.So I say no Mercury for me .IMO they have made the new motors way to complicated to withstand the abuse that bassboat owners give there motors almost all the time.I have been running the blue motors since 2018 and 0 problems so far.Hopefully Mercury will work out the kinks soon.And may be back.
Lol, I’m running a 1988 Mercury 175 XR , your smoke comments make me giggle, ever had to wait til the smoke cleared before pulling off the dock or you couldn’t see? Yup, that’s me.
We just moved to a lake house last fall and are about to order a boat. We mainly expect to ski and tube with it. And joy ride. I like to go fast... 150 acre Lake has 45mph speed limit and 190hp limit. We decided to go with a Lowe SS210 CL with a 150hp (comes with a mercury). I want to get the most bang for our buck. The pro xs is about $500 more and I've been researching whether to pay the extra or not. After watching this video, I'm leaning towards not. As a new boat owner, I still don't really understand the difference and what we would be getting for the extra $500... Based on your prop size comments, I'll be researching that next! Also whether 3 or 4 prop is better. So many decisions, but we want to try and get it right the first time!
Had 1991 Javelin 396F/S with a 1990 Evinrude XP200 with a OMC Raker 24p. Would run 60 to 65 on GPS fully loaded. Sucker would drink gas. It barely got 1 mpg. Lol Was always reliable. Pre-mixed in the gas tank, VRO was removed.
Mercury has had problems with the TPS sensors failing and malfunctioning on the 250s that has been one contributing factor on fuel mixture and smoke on startup issues
I have a 225 pro xs on a 1975 lund (long) It came stock with the 19 prop. I tried the 21 as well. the 21 did three miles an hour faster. however my hole shot with the 19 is 3 times quicker. so if you want speed go big if you want the best overall performance stick with the 19. At 6000 ft altutude here in Colorado my boat does 56 mph it takes the guys with the big props at least a mile to catch me.... and they only end up at 59 mph.
I have ranger 188p aluminum , mercury 115 boat with a 19 pitch high elevation (colorado ) as well runs about 46 mph but rpm will get up there a bit , seems about good as is gonna get though, what you think, had a 23p it was terrible …
The smoke when u cut the motor on happens when u start it trimmed down. Its something about how the pistons are positioned in the motor. Have it trimmed up and it wont smoke. I have had the 225 4 stroke since it came out and its hauling a 21ft nitro tournament loaded at 71mph with a 23p prop.
Glad to hear that you've got a good one...as far as the smoking issue the question we have is "should a new motor smoke upon start up period??" What if you bought a new truck and it only smoked when you were parked in your flat driveway but if you were parked on an incline it would all be good and Chevy/Ford/Dodge just said ooohhhh it's just the piston positioning! That answer doesn't sit well with us.
Team Marine Service i completely understand its not a good answer lol cuz it shouldnt be doing that but thats what a service tech told me when i asked them about it but i had never heard of any of the issues in the vid before so it was interesting to watch and im waiting for some answere myself especially why in the heck they are wanting to run a 19p prop lol
@@TeamMarineService The smoking issue has been widely discussed on BBCBoards as too much oil in the oil reservoir. If you fill it up to halfway between the marks the engine doesn't smoke.
2020 225 Pro XS slight smoke on next startup if a long run s made and I leave it tucked all the way down. If I tilt it even it never smokes at all even after a long haul! Performance is good 72 to 74 at 6000 rpm loaded. Fury prop has been blueprinted!
The only time I've had fire up smoke has been when you leave it trimmed all the way down when you fish, The dealer said trim them up to level or higher when sitting because "when trimmed fully down the oil can leak past seals into cylinder heads hence the smoke"
I’ve got a 2021 250 proxs that has 300 hours on it in 11 months.. Smokes like hell on start up and run different top end speeds day to day 10 mph differences… I pay cash for this motor and I’ll admit I fck Ed up too 🥴
Had a customer with a 21' ranger, Honda 225 and he was so damn happy to get 52mph out of it. I went out with him, verified the speed and sure as shit... Dude was happy but wouldn't do a different propeller. So much had to be left on the table...
slight smoke on start-up of a pro xs is a known issue with merc. evidently it is from starting the motor with it tucked all the way in... this causes oil to leak up through the rings (bad design in my opinion) mercury's "fix" is to trim the motor up slightly beyond vertical before firing it off.
I have never had my 200 pro xs smoke on start up, but I also take my boat in and out of the water every time. My motor is always trimmed up to load, and I don't trim all the way down to start after launching. Maybe this is why I have never seen the smoke?
I bought my boat yesterday. Was running it of Sam Rayburn and stopped to fish in a cove for a bit. An hour later I wanted to move and when I tried to start it the prop was spinning as if it was in gear. (My boat was in Neutral.) because of this problem my boat wouldn’t start. We had to be towed in and my boat is going back to the dealership to be fixed Tuesday.
Overall considering new technology these new mers are great. Yeah there's been a few issues. As yours sounds to be a shift actuator issue most likely. It's been a known problem but for the most part problem has been resolved. As for the smoke at start up... that problem is known as well and it's true problem comes from leaving engine trimmed completely tucked in at shut down and start up. Level or trimmed out slightly pretty much corrects the issue. I've been a merc tech for roughly 30 years now as well as other manufacturers. They all have issues out of the gate with new technology. Overall it's a great product and little kinks or problems will go away in time. As far as propping goes... crucial for dealers to water test these rigs upon completion. Propping correctly is key to new customers loving or left scratching their heads with the new mercs.... great product as far as I'm concerned and would definitely run one myself
Hi Stephanie it's been a while. That sucks about that situation...what was the result? How's it been running? This week I'm dropping my boat off at Jasper Marine to be powered up with the new 250 Pro xs. I have a 2015 pro xs 250 2 stroke now. Seems fine, but I'm wanting better fuel economy with the 4 stroke. Any thoughts?
Hello, I have a 2023 200 HP, have you ever heard a tic, tic, tic sound after releasing the trim button. So far , I only hear it when the motor is off and trimmed down normal running position, and lower it a bit more, tic, tic ,tic?
I'm running a 150 Merc 4 stroke with a 15.5 X 14 pitch 4 blade Turning Point stainless on a heavy 25ft. triple-toon. Was running a stock 15X15 3 blade but could only get 4800 rpm WOT (...not right). The new turning point got me up to 5400 but still feels like it's under performing. Other than the increased RPM and an annoying prop chatter at idle, not much better. You are right though, seems all dealers think the "cure all' is just changing props. Considering a 200 hp Pro Xs since I won't have to upgrade to DTS and can keep existing mechanicals. Hoping the next set up will get me a better outcome. Great video, keep them coming.
Most dealers either don't care or don't know how to set up a new rig properly. The last new boat I bought was a 2010 Stratos 294/200 opti. They sent It out the door to me with a 24 merc something or other........it was hard on the limiter. I did the set up on it myself and settled on a 27 turbo txp or worked 28 bravo 1(I had from my old rig) set 2.25" below pad. turning 5700 rpm. 5750 is max rpm on regular 200 optis. Would run 75 loaded heavy or 78 solo and light.
I have a 2021 250 pro xs and the only problem I had not getting WOT was the hotfoot screws came loose and out of adjustment. I’m running a 24P 3 blade on a Z20 and have hit 74 mph at 5950rpm
200 mercury use to use 1 nmbattery to start and now is requiring 2 to start and im losing charge very quickly like 20 min on my depth finder or and live wells without any electronics running was wondering why?
Mine I’ll run 68 -70 with the 200 and 23 fury and then 15 minutes later it’ll do exactly what you are saying for the rest of the day and then open back up randomly. Constant struggle. Drives me nuts.
@@TeamMarineService nothing like fishing a tournament with a long run and you are all hyped up at blast off and then there goes a ranger passing a BassCat, then a Nitro, then a who knows what pos with a 135 blasts past you and your co is looking at you like WTF as you putz down the river trying to intentionally hit as many passing boats wakes as possible to break the suction and get another 1-2 mph for 20 seconds.
I have had 3 mercury motors , have had to paddle all three times ,, I went to Yamaha,no issues , want to order a new cat , 14 months on a Yamaha ,,, I’m very nervous about pulling the trigger on that mercury.... very nervous...
I seen some of the train Boats we’re just 200 or 250 outboard engines with 26 pitch props and 10 or 12 inch hydraulic jack plate doing 80 mph. That’s what I’m talking about. I have an offshore Triton 2486 that I am thinking of putting 2200 V8 on hydraulic jack plate with super nice big props I’ll keep you posted
I love our Mercury. However I’m very glad you are telling us these issues. We have noticed some smoke on start up. I thought it was break in period but maybe not. Typing this before finishing the vid so I may have missed something. Excited to watch another awesome vid from you guys!
CrankinBass Check crankcase oil level. Looks like from reports, dealers are over stuffing the V8s with oil. FYI, I have no smoking issues, the motor is stored level, to slightly trimmed in. Oh, and I do not run Amsoil which could be causing smoking. :) Just kidding. As good of a rumor causing issues as some of these other haters are spreading. :) My V8 300 EX been model of perfection for two seasons. FYI.
That's great that your 300 is running strong! If ya get time filter through these comments and find the comment left by the Mercury Technician on the smoking issue and the design flaw!
My 2021 250 V-8 Mercury is one piece of sh*t… I fish full time or let me say I did fish full time until I bought this junk.. Mine smokes on start ups and might be full of oil one trip and not touching the dip stick the next… 62mph one day and 75mph the next.. I get pissed off jus talking about it… I’m siting here typing this sh*t because it fcked up now and I can’t fish, and I fish for my living 🤷♂️ Pay cash for this junk too
I have a 19 ranger 520c 250 merc having electronic shift actuator problems parts are on back order alarm going off won’t accelerate and starts missing and smokes like hell
Thank you very much for your well informed video. I'm in the market for a new boat and the one I was looking at buying, an Encore Pro Angler, comes with this exact outboard motor. For the price you pay you shouldnt be having issues right out of the gate. Based on this video and the comment section I am definitely staying away from Mercury.
Ummm that is a false statement...you can not only see pictures and read plenty of info on the engines but also watch videos simply by following the correct path under engines, outboards, and then clicking on the ProXS engine line.
I'm that 19 pitch prop guy. Have a new lund crossover with a 175 pro xs. Can barley get over 5000 rpm. Guessing in need a different prop and some sort of settings work on the engine?
Got a 2020 Triton with 250 Merc in July . It started smoking on start up. Left the lake , it was leaking oil out of the water intake . Pinhole in block . Got a brand new motor from Merc . If it's smoking on start up , it's got an oil leak somewhere .
Thanks for the shout out for the little guys. I wish I had a 200. I have a new Mercury 75 and have been wonder what would be the best prop for it. I have a Ranger RT 178 and am looking to push it a bit faster than 45 mph fully loaded. Of course, if that’s not possible, I’m not too worried about it.
It all depends on the lower unit final gear ratio. That set these motors up to use the most efficient Prop which it around 17"-21". Everybody should prop out their boat. Motor height, A cupped prop or surface prop can be ruin higher.
2020 200 Pro XS Same problem only can get 5400 RPM Ran 19 pitch tempest , 21 rev 4 and 23 fury . Same results on all 3 . Took to dealer and ran with computer . Hot foot sending 100% throttle, motor receiving 100% . The throttle position sensor said 54% . Called engineer from Merc and he said it was a prop issue . When the dealer told him we ran those 3 props with same result he had no answer . They have called them 3 times with no response. If anyone has had an issue like this taken care of could you please comment . Thanks
Theres so much variation on each boat !! I've heard from my friends in the bass tournaments we fish huge events hear alot of small talk on these day to day issues, most run a 24 fury vented 1 hole plug 2 holes props expensive but works well for 200 pro xs
pretty sure throttle position is in degrees not %, so 54 is closer to 60% open but still. I am almost 100% certain that the DTS engines are power limited by TPS, the 200 and the 225 are mechanically the same. only difference between the 200 and the 300 is the airbox, throttle body is bigger and PCM calibration
Jake Gardner I have the same problem with my new 300 pro XS only makes 5480 rpm gone down to a 21 rev for and still the same rpm Engine is gutless dealer keeps telling me to put smaller prop on to cure problem this is bullshit they don’t know what the hell they’re talking about the engine is not making its power period keep me updated
I bought a Mercury 250 on a blazer 650 picked it up 6/10/2021 first time I took it on the water it was leaking gas bad. When I took it out of the water I notice a lot gas was coming out of the foot. I had it for about a week been a dealership ever since.
I have a buddy who got a brand new motor that was in demo mode. Only ran at 75% power until he took it to someone who knew what they were doing... DTS motors are bad about that.
@@TeamMarineService is that the issue most are seeing? I know that 300 ProXS ran like a scalded dog after it was flashed into operation mode. Extremely high torque and runs better than a 300 should.
@@mosquitofleetfishing6599 Thanks for the info, I have never heard of that and will pursue this with my dealer, someone will eventually own up to what the hell is causing all of these not to rev
I have a brand new Pro XS 250. Mine smoked and they said it was idling too high. I had to take it back because I was getting six beeps and knocking me off of plane. They could not figure it out, but they some how fixed it without telling me what the problem was. I am running a 24 pitch on a 2005 Triton 21x.
Adam Bolling overfilled the crankcase with would be my suggestion. Report this dealer to Mercury. Make sure dealer does not erase any forensic data on the logs.
Alot of dealers won't give you a prop to try out. They all say it would be used. If someone doesn't know how to correct his running issues doesn't need a boat. Then again some people are to lazy to adjust their jack plate. Sounds like the dealer didn't have a 24 pitch prop so they threw a 19 on it to make the sale.
I have a Tracker targa v19 deep v with a 200 pro xs. It came with a tempest plus 14.6 x 17 pitch 3 prop. Only getting 45 mph. What should I do rpms around 5600. I know it can get better than this.
AMEN!!! Having issue with 2000 Merc. EFI Optimax 200hp At time of deal & purchasing was guarenteed " BOAT SET UP, RUNNING TOURN. READY" drove 6.5hrs, got there lil after dark. He had trailer back in dock, boat at dock running. Said motor has lil issue staying running when putting into gear. Ran out in big circle, ran your wig off then back to dock. Loaded boat on trailer. Finished paying drove 6.5hrs back, next morning backed in dock couldn't start. Drove 3 hrs to only dealership that willing to touch 2000 Merc. $2500 & 5months later, motor still dies when puttin in gear new fuel pump & mounted my hotfoot. Took to lake to test, couldnt even keep it running to back of trailer. Couldnt drive thru NO WAKE area without dieing. Hit the open, floored it too off perfect, blowing top off mermaid fast. But even after after 30 min running still couldnt keep running at idle. Now, we decide to trolling motor Fortrex out & graphs to do lil fishing. 😳😡 Now when I start finding other crap that worked fine b4 taking to shop. No trolling motor( batteries bad ), bow Lowrance lil graph wont come on, Hummingbird at console has no power, starter with broke shaft laying in box in storage area, carpet ripped & cut under console, waterpump barely spittin every other turn, fuel tank went from full tank of new gas at time of drop off to lil under half tank & bulg & livewell empty pumps not working now. My 1st time ever Ive taken any thing to a shop( an Ive been mechanic or around it since I was a kid in my 50 yrs) but Ive never seen any equipment go into a shop with one issue & come out with more crap wrong then what you started with!🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 Oh, even broke wheel off jack, safety chains bolted to tongue hooked completely ripped apart. So, Ive started with most important in repairing myself is $400+ for new trolling motor batteries, new water pump impellar replaced, changeing out lower unit gear oil. Still gotta fix some lite issues in storage trunks & trailer. Recover & mount some bunk rails. They said they replaced fuel pump in the housing area, by looks of fastners doesnt loik like they even been torqued on? Starter looks used, an I wouldnt have a clue whats causing it to not stay running or even running when switching gears or idleing in gear. SO...PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD ALMIGHTY!! Please, Im begging, I would get on my knees but my disability wont let me get back up.. We have no more in savings to help with repairs. We pray daily for knowledge on what to do. Its a 2000 Merc. EFI Optimax 200hp, all we have is my monthly disability, but after paying my med ins, medicines, loan on boat, morg. & utilities. Leavea me lil over $86 for rest of month. So any advice would be greatly & blessing. I would even come & work off any help, sorry thats bout all I have to offer. We even discussed selling it, but I cant sell if not running proper. Thanks for your time, God Bleas.😇🙏
I'm getting ready to purchase a bass cat caracal. It has a max horse power rating of 225. My question is, does the 225 have any/more issues than a 250.
Find out your wot loaded as usual. Find your wot range in your manual. Let’s say your spec WOT is 5400-6200 and your running at 6200 you can increase your pitch, get it closer to 5800ish (up 1 pitch equals roughly 200 less RPM). There’s lots more that goes into it but just some basic information.
How fast should a 2001 Merc Opti be going? My Champ originally had a 23P prop on it but I was only getting about 5200 rpms. Felt low, switched to my buddy’s 21p which is what the Merc website recommended but now after listening to this vid, I have pause. I’m getting roughly 50-55 mph wide open
300 Pro XS V8 = perfection. Second summer. No issues. Runs faster on my boat than racing 2.5EFI. Depending on load, run 27-32” props. Mazco, Spinelli, Mercury racing.. All work great. Lower case is good for solid 80mph+ (yes, sport master lower had on my 2.5 is better for boats able to run 90+). NO issues with low RPMs, or low top speed, cruise fuel burn is insane low. Best motor I have ever run or owned.
Glad to hear yours is good. But your statement that it’s faster than your 2.5 leaves to be desired. You are saying that your 4+ liter v8 is faster than your 2.5 liter v6 really doesn’t make it sound so good!!!
@@catlifeoutdoors6369 you must not understand Mercury outboard platforms. If you did, you would know what I was talking about. What does not make sense to you? I am comparing my old racing 2.5EFI (sportmaster), with the V8 300XS (no sport master) on a V 21’ V hull. What does not make it “sound so good”? Sounds like you have an agenda.
@@mediaspeedfilms1334 They will probably call a board meeting with their higher ups and the lead technicians and discuss amongst themselves how these issues they've known about are coming to light and then the lead engineer for the v8 platform will get called in and say "Guys I told you!!! We shouldn't have rushed this to market before ALL of the corks were worked out!!!"....I can see this happening!
@@burneraccount9253 Hahaha I hope this is happening. Lord know if Mercury missteps this and contacts Team Marine complaining about the video they will film it all and release a video on it the next day. Lol
Bought a 2021 bay boat. With my 1st Mercury 300hp ProXS. Lower unit went out at 80 hours (Yes only 80 hours) and Mercury is refusing to warranty the issue due to marks/scratches on the skeg. $9500 fix. I've owned 3 Yamaha 250 SHO. Put 500 to 800 hours on them with absolutely no issues. I'll never own another mercury again. Shoulda stayed with Yamaha.
Brand new engine designs you want to stay away from the first 2 years they are made to get the bugs out. I bet the people who put the mercury model on before the pro xs aren’t having problems. Anything new always wait a couple of years to let the company work the bugs out. You can test a engine on a private lake till your blue in the face, but turning the engine over to a real customers is the real test in deciding if an engine is reliable or not!
If the only way to tell if a motor is reliable or not is to turn it over to real customers but you say to stay away from them for the first couple of years until the bugs are worked out, how would they get the real test? 😉😂
@@TeamMarineService Hmm, good to know. Until more is known, I give Yamaha the edge since it's basically a detuned 335hp motor. Might have to reach out to Hydro Tec Marine Performance or Simon Motorsports.
With ASC on the new mercs they 100% must be propped using G3. You will never feel a rev limit like the old days, the control software will not let it go over max RPM. So you can have a super low pitch prop and you'll think it's fine because you're spinning full RPM but the engine is not loaded down
you are exactly right. I work for a North West aluminum patrol boat builder and we use it to our advantage when you have a boat that has wide load carrying capacity. you can prop it under and let it go to the redline and it holds it self back, then load the hell out of the boat and it loads down the engine to 100%. We had a run of boats the other day with twin 250's (deep vee offshore aluminum cabin boats ) doing 57mph with 19's at 6000 (Verados) Definitely could have put a 20 or a 21 on it and pulled it over 60 no problem, but the boat didn't need to go any faster for the customer. also the cost of repropping 20 engines adds up.
2020 Mercury 150 ProXS. Low Voltage Alarm. Put new 27 series Interstate battery. Fished 2 days and now Lox Voltage alarm and 10.1 - 11 volts. Running 6000 rpm Low Voltage alarm and motor startered running rough so I docked it. Help Please!
Got a new Merc 300X with 23” four blade s/steel prop, only 5hrs run time, and the problem is it won’t go past 5200 rpm. It will not peek out at the max Rev’s….Why?.? ?
The smoke comes from short hard or long runs. If the motor is trimmed up when u come off plane it allows oil to sit and drain into the combustion chamber. When u start to go to your next spot and fire up the motor if it is still trimmed in the up position it is burning the oil out of the combustion chamber no harm is coming from this to the engine. I had the same problem and from some trial-and-error I have figured out that if you trim the motor down when you come off plane to make the motor almost in a level position or slightly below level position it will not allow that oil to drain into the combustion chamber it flows into the oil passage which drains back into the sump where the oil sits and it will not smoke anymore. This has worked for me and I have had my motor 2 years now.
You are 100% correct as we have had many Merc techs say this. Few also noted the Mercury released a service bulletin on the issue telling the customers to remedy the issue with these methods. In our opinion that's not a very good enough excuse to cover up a potential design flaw. Time will tell!
Fishing in a tournament that is the last thing I would want to worry about and have to remember everytime i stop. What a pain in the ass IMO
Lol. Trimming the motor down when coming off of plane is outboard 101. People driving boats in tournaments nowadays have zero clue about trim, prop size, or just how to drive a boat in general.
I have had the 2020 merc 225 pro xs for 7 months and so far it's been great. Love the engine.
Good to hear Brian!
Same here! Running a 27 pitch prop four blade fury on a 21 foot blazer. Great hole shot and 75mph
Yes, smoke issue on start up and no top end ? Help so glad I found this channel
What prop are ya running?
I have a 2005 Mercury XS Optimax 250HP 2 stroke with 26 pitch prop still going strong.
I have a 225 with a 26 and it does an awesome job as well
Hi y’all bought a 2022 Phoenix 19 Pro XP with a 225 Merc V8 Pro XS. Motor was made in September 2021 I believe. Just finished my 10 hour break in and she flies no issues smoke or otherwise so far …but thanks for the heads up. Prop is Fury 24 -3 blade. 72+ with plenty more, just trying to learn how to correct the chine walk so I live to take her out again.
2021 .204 Ballistic 27P prop.....80.4MPH with full live wells, 47 gallons of fuel and tournament loaded tackle. Mercury 250. Runs like a boss
You got a darn good one! Keep rippin it Kevin! 👍🏻
@@TeamMarineService Thanks Bro.ive honestly not heard the smoke thing being a big problem. I got a ton of Friends with 250’s and none of them smoke. Maybe our dealer didn’t overfill them with oil. Anyways, with a 8 year warranty I’m gonna run the hell out of it, lol
@@Kdavis8377 if it runs smooth and you do maintinence on your end its gone last longer then your 8 year warranty
Bought a 225hp mid 2020 and it revs out to 6000 rpm with a high five 23 inch prop. Goes great.
Awesome, good to hear....what boat and what speed are ya getting?
Hes got a crestliner I assume... lol no tackle no gear lol
Even Yamaha sho’s smoke at. Startup if trimmed all the way down and was shut down in full down trim. It is just physics, auto engines are oriented different with cylinders pointing up where oil can drain back down away from the cylinders instead of into them.
Andy... SMOKING UPON STARTUP.... I know it's 2 years later, but.... Page 61 in the owners manual covers it ('21 225hp Pro XS)... States "With the engine turned off, tilt the outboard up to a point where the trailing edge of the anit-ventilation plate is higher than the leading edge. The tilt angle will help to eliminate or reduce engine smoke on start up. Tilting the outboard up, allows oil in the cylinders to run down cylinders and return to the oil sump. With the outboard level or tilted in, oil from the cylinder walls can run down to the bottom of the cylinder and form a puddle behind the piston/rings. The oil can then weep into the combustion chamber causing it to smoke upon startup... yada yada yada
We understand what is at play here for sure....however, let the junior engineers go play ping pong or foosball and let the real engineers create and design an outboard that doesn't have to dedicate a full page of their owners manual to cover up a design flaw. It shouldn't do that
Merc just published a bulletin about start up smoke being a problem for the customer not a problem with the engine. They're saying that if you store them with the engine level or trimmed all the way in oil runs down the cylinder walls and sits on the rings and weeps past on start up causing a "puff to 10 seconds of smoke"
Great info Erik thank you for posting that! Imagine if your new truck did that and the manufacturer released that bulletin. The fix is ya just have to park your new truck on a slight incline rather than your flat driveway. Hahaha
I absolutely agree, if I was the customer I'd be upset actually even just as a Merc technician it bothers me. It seems like a cop out. I wonder if they're going to warranty the O2 sensor but they better get it worked out properly before they start catalizing these engines in the near future.
@@erikpaterson748 Wow great info!! Hey Mercury ya got your ears on?
Been running Skeeter / Yamaha for 27 yrs with Team Skeeter. I run now a ZX225 / 225SHO with a 25 " prop for all around use and a 27 "" when I need to lay it back and travel to a new area.MERCURY motors are black anchors and want work!!!! CATCH YOU A SKEETER /YAMAHA
2019 250 Merc on 2019 20 Pro XP. 24P Fury 3 blade. 75 MPh, 6000 RPMS fully loaded with fuel, livewell and two 220 anglers. I did have smoke on start up but after first oil change. Never smoked before that. The dry engine holds 7 quarts. When changing the oil, only add 6 quarts. ! quart remains in engine. Manual says oil level should be on middle dipstick bead, not the top.
So what boat you got the 250XP on?
Man that’s messed up one quart remains in engine, what the heck is that 😂
Late answer but just watched the video, as a 4 stroke engine mechanic smoking when starting or restarting after sitting awhile is oil in the combustion area. This us usually valve guide seals or oil leaching into the combustion area some other way. You start it and it smokes at first as it is burning the little bit of oil then cleans out, just a thought.
Just bought a LUND IMPACT 1875 with a 150ProXS I pray to God I dont have issues. Had Mercs in the past and never had major issues, so we'll see.
250R owner here. Have seen 91mph in my Allison Xb21/250R. Run a 30 Promax or Performance Prop BC 30. Max 5 was best handling, but cracked in 3 trips. Under warranty. Been a year. No prop yet. 250R is a beast on this boat though and I have no complaints granted, I do see smoke "blow by" that iimagine loads up on the valve seats after a long run and motor is tilted up. Just my observation. Just wish we could have access to the software to play with the fuel curve.
I was that guy in an '87 Ranger w/a Johnson 150 back in 2017. First tournament on Seminole, at blast off I was #13 and I passed all but one boat heading to my first spot. After weigh-in I was asked numerous questions about what I did to make that motor run that way. Lol# Full throttle and hang on! Lol!
I bought 115 mercury my guy set it up with 21" prop in CO. so far no complaints.
What’s your top end speed at what rpm?
Haha I'll bet merc loves you 😂😂. Love this video 🤙🤙
A mercury will shut down running a small prop. My old 225 optimax came from a dealer with a 23 pitch and was hitting the rev limit. I ended up running a 25 on 225 21’ pro craft and was hitting 69 in the summer and 73in the winter.
The mercury 250 and 300 sound so damn good starting up.
Kinda tractor-ish soundibg to us!
Come for the great rant, stay for the awesome cricket!!
Hahaha great comment!!!
After owning 8-250 2-stroke ProXS motors in the last 13years before 2019 with near 0 problems I am out now.Other than the problems that ya'll mentioned Mercury says you can't use lithium starting batterys or no warranty,Mercury says no preformace up grades of any kind or no warranty.So I say no Mercury for me .IMO they have made the new motors way to complicated to withstand the abuse that bassboat owners give there motors almost all the time.I have been running the blue motors since 2018 and 0 problems so far.Hopefully Mercury will work out the kinks soon.And may be back.
Lol, I’m running a 1988 Mercury 175 XR , your smoke comments make me giggle, ever had to wait til the smoke cleared before pulling off the dock or you couldn’t see? Yup, that’s me.
Hahaha
I have 250proxs V8. I love mine
620 ranger. I have 670hrs on it as of today.
That is good news! What year is it?
@@TeamMarineService 2019
Lol what. Do you live on your boat or...? That's a lot of hours. Do you speed troll with the main motor?
We just moved to a lake house last fall and are about to order a boat. We mainly expect to ski and tube with it. And joy ride. I like to go fast... 150 acre Lake has 45mph speed limit and 190hp limit. We decided to go with a Lowe SS210 CL with a 150hp (comes with a mercury). I want to get the most bang for our buck. The pro xs is about $500 more and I've been researching whether to pay the extra or not. After watching this video, I'm leaning towards not. As a new boat owner, I still don't really understand the difference and what we would be getting for the extra $500...
Based on your prop size comments, I'll be researching that next! Also whether 3 or 4 prop is better. So many decisions, but we want to try and get it right the first time!
The way you say Fond-du-lac is so funny 🤣
He's definitely right... I run a 24 Pitch OMC Raker II on my '87 Ranger 375V with an Evinrude XP175.
Had 1991 Javelin 396F/S with a 1990 Evinrude XP200 with a OMC Raker 24p. Would run 60 to 65 on GPS fully loaded.
Sucker would drink gas. It barely got 1 mpg. Lol
Was always reliable. Pre-mixed in the gas tank, VRO was removed.
I've heard those same stories! Sounds like the quality control team has been on vacation.
Mercury has had problems with the TPS sensors failing and malfunctioning on the 250s that has been one contributing factor on fuel mixture and smoke on startup issues
I have a 225 pro xs on a 1975 lund (long) It came stock with the 19 prop. I tried the 21 as well. the 21 did three miles an hour faster. however my hole shot with the 19 is 3 times quicker. so if you want speed go big if you want the best overall performance stick with the 19. At 6000 ft altutude here in Colorado my boat does 56 mph it takes the guys with the big props at least a mile to catch me.... and they only end up at 59 mph.
I have ranger 188p aluminum , mercury 115 boat with a 19 pitch high elevation (colorado ) as well runs about 46 mph but rpm will get up there a bit , seems about good as is gonna get though, what you think, had a 23p it was terrible …
The smoke when u cut the motor on happens when u start it trimmed down. Its something about how the pistons are positioned in the motor. Have it trimmed up and it wont smoke. I have had the 225 4 stroke since it came out and its hauling a 21ft nitro tournament loaded at 71mph with a 23p prop.
Glad to hear that you've got a good one...as far as the smoking issue the question we have is "should a new motor smoke upon start up period??" What if you bought a new truck and it only smoked when you were parked in your flat driveway but if you were parked on an incline it would all be good and Chevy/Ford/Dodge just said ooohhhh it's just the piston positioning! That answer doesn't sit well with us.
Team Marine Service i completely understand its not a good answer lol cuz it shouldnt be doing that but thats what a service tech told me when i asked them about it but i had never heard of any of the issues in the vid before so it was interesting to watch and im waiting for some answere myself especially why in the heck they are wanting to run a 19p prop lol
@@TeamMarineService The smoking issue has been widely discussed on BBCBoards as too much oil in the oil reservoir. If you fill it up to halfway between the marks the engine doesn't smoke.
2020 225 Pro XS slight smoke on next startup if a long run s made and I leave it tucked all the way down. If I tilt it even it never smokes at all even after a long haul! Performance is good 72 to 74 at 6000 rpm loaded. Fury prop has been blueprinted!
The only time I've had fire up smoke has been when you leave it trimmed all the way down when you fish, The dealer said trim them up to level or higher when sitting because "when trimmed fully down the oil can leak past seals into cylinder heads hence the smoke"
WOW! Just WOW! That should NOT happen!!! Thanks for commenting Kameron! 👍🏻
I was gonna say the same thing I have a a 200 on a basscat I’ve been hitting 70mph conditions permitting.
My DF175 did the same thing during break in. Didn't do it once broken in tho
I’ve got a 2021 250 proxs that has 300 hours on it in 11 months.. Smokes like hell on start up and run different top end speeds day to day 10 mph differences… I pay cash for this motor and I’ll admit I fck Ed up too 🥴
Had a customer with a 21' ranger, Honda 225 and he was so damn happy to get 52mph out of it. I went out with him, verified the speed and sure as shit... Dude was happy but wouldn't do a different propeller. So much had to be left on the table...
At what RPM’s? That motor peaks at6,300 rpms
Update on the ranger z518 2021 200 pro xs 6100 RPMs 70.5 22 pitch fury 3 hours on the new motor haven't raised Jack plate yet
Sounds like you've found the sweet spot mate
@Taariq Taylor what kind of RPMs were you running and do you have a hydraulic jack plate
slight smoke on start-up of a pro xs is a known issue with merc. evidently it is from starting the motor with it tucked all the way in... this causes oil to leak up through the rings (bad design in my opinion) mercury's "fix" is to trim the motor up slightly beyond vertical before firing it off.
We agree with ya Jacob, it's starting to sound like an excuse to cover up a bad design or flaw. We sure hope that isn't the case....time will tell!
I have never had my 200 pro xs smoke on start up, but I also take my boat in and out of the water every time. My motor is always trimmed up to load, and I don't trim all the way down to start after launching. Maybe this is why I have never seen the smoke?
@@TeamMarineService do they still have Reed valves?
I bought my boat yesterday. Was running it of Sam Rayburn and stopped to fish in a cove for a bit. An hour later I wanted to move and when I tried to start it the prop was spinning as if it was in gear. (My boat was in Neutral.) because of this problem my boat wouldn’t start. We had to be towed in and my boat is going back to the dealership to be fixed Tuesday.
What motor is it? Pro XS 250?
Overall considering new technology these new mers are great. Yeah there's been a few issues. As yours sounds to be a shift actuator issue most likely. It's been a known problem but for the most part problem has been resolved. As for the smoke at start up... that problem is known as well and it's true problem comes from leaving engine trimmed completely tucked in at shut down and start up. Level or trimmed out slightly pretty much corrects the issue. I've been a merc tech for roughly 30 years now as well as other manufacturers. They all have issues out of the gate with new technology. Overall it's a great product and little kinks or problems will go away in time. As far as propping goes... crucial for dealers to water test these rigs upon completion. Propping correctly is key to new customers loving or left scratching their heads with the new mercs.... great product as far as I'm concerned and would definitely run one myself
Hi Stephanie it's been a while. That sucks about that situation...what was the result? How's it been running? This week I'm dropping my boat off at Jasper Marine to be powered up with the new 250 Pro xs. I have a 2015 pro xs 250 2 stroke now. Seems fine, but I'm wanting better fuel economy with the 4 stroke. Any thoughts?
What is your opinion of the 2023 PRO XS?
Same issues are happening with the 23’s
Hello, I have a 2023 200 HP, have you ever heard a tic, tic, tic sound after releasing the trim button. So far , I only hear it when the motor is off and trimmed down normal running position, and lower it a bit more, tic, tic ,tic?
I'm running a 150 Merc 4 stroke with a 15.5 X 14 pitch 4 blade Turning Point stainless on a heavy 25ft. triple-toon. Was running a stock 15X15 3 blade but could only get 4800 rpm WOT (...not right). The new turning point got me up to 5400 but still feels like it's under performing. Other than the increased RPM and an annoying prop chatter at idle, not much better. You are right though, seems all dealers think the "cure all' is just changing props. Considering a 200 hp Pro Xs since I won't have to upgrade to DTS and can keep existing mechanicals. Hoping the next set up will get me a better outcome. Great video, keep them coming.
Most dealers either don't care or don't know how to set up a new rig properly. The last new boat I bought was a 2010 Stratos 294/200 opti. They sent It out the door to me with a 24 merc something or other........it was hard on the limiter. I did the set up on it myself and settled on a 27 turbo txp or worked 28 bravo 1(I had from my old rig) set 2.25" below pad. turning 5700 rpm. 5750 is max rpm on regular 200 optis. Would run 75 loaded heavy or 78 solo and light.
Can you do a over and under on a phonenix 919.
Sure! Stay tuned
@@TeamMarineService 👀
I have a 2021 250 pro xs and the only problem I had not getting WOT was the hotfoot screws came loose and out of adjustment. I’m running a 24P 3 blade on a Z20 and have hit 74 mph at 5950rpm
2021 Ranger Z518 with Mercury Pro Xs 200. Running a 22 p Fury and I love it!!!
Glad to hear it!
OMG. I wish you could be in every TH-cam video! You are the best! Great video man.
Thanks buddy!
200 mercury use to use 1 nmbattery to start and now is requiring 2 to start and im losing charge very quickly like 20 min on my depth finder or and live wells without any electronics running was wondering why?
Mine I’ll run 68 -70 with the 200 and 23 fury and then 15 minutes later it’ll do exactly what you are saying for the rest of the day and then open back up randomly. Constant struggle. Drives me nuts.
It just shouldn't be that way and Mercury has got to start helping you guys remedy this.
@@TeamMarineService nothing like fishing a tournament with a long run and you are all hyped up at blast off and then there goes a ranger passing a BassCat, then a Nitro, then a who knows what pos with a 135 blasts past you and your co is looking at you like WTF as you putz down the river trying to intentionally hit as many passing boats wakes as possible to break the suction and get another 1-2 mph for 20 seconds.
And props to this guy. Good info
I agree, set - up. You need to mention new tanks with plastic in the check valve assy's
Good Point!
I have had 3 mercury motors , have had to paddle all three times ,, I went to Yamaha,no issues , want to order a new cat , 14 months on a Yamaha ,,, I’m very nervous about pulling the trigger on that mercury.... very nervous...
Great information Andy!!! Makes me glad I haven't updated from my 2 stroke 😁
No prob Louis!
That’s right 2-stroke proxs
Please answer!!! What are your thoughts on Vexus boats? What's your opinion on their aluminum and glass boats?
Does your "like" mean you like them? Lol
I seen some of the train Boats we’re just 200 or 250 outboard engines with 26 pitch props and 10 or 12 inch hydraulic jack plate doing 80 mph. That’s what I’m talking about. I have an offshore Triton 2486 that I am thinking of putting 2200 V8 on hydraulic jack plate with super nice big props I’ll keep you posted
Definitely keep us posted Luis! Thanks buddy!
I run 52 in my 19’ tracker with a 115 CT Proxs so I’m truly shocked 😳
What Pitch are you running
@@BassmonsterRT88 21 pitch steel Mercury spitfire prop
I love our Mercury. However I’m very glad you are telling us these issues. We have noticed some smoke on start up. I thought it was break in period but maybe not. Typing this before finishing the vid so I may have missed something. Excited to watch another awesome vid from you guys!
👍🏻
CrankinBass Check crankcase oil level. Looks like from reports, dealers are over stuffing the V8s with oil. FYI, I have no smoking issues, the motor is stored level, to slightly trimmed in. Oh, and I do not run Amsoil which could be causing smoking. :) Just kidding. As good of a rumor causing issues as some of these other haters are spreading. :)
My V8 300 EX been model of perfection for two seasons. FYI.
That's great that your 300 is running strong! If ya get time filter through these comments and find the comment left by the Mercury Technician on the smoking issue and the design flaw!
My 2021 250 V-8 Mercury is one piece of sh*t… I fish full time or let me say I did fish full time until I bought this junk.. Mine smokes on start ups and might be full of oil one trip and not touching the dip stick the next… 62mph one day and 75mph the next.. I get pissed off jus talking about it… I’m siting here typing this sh*t because it fcked up now and I can’t fish, and I fish for my living 🤷♂️ Pay cash for this junk too
I have a 19 ranger 520c 250 merc having electronic shift actuator problems parts are on back order alarm going off won’t accelerate and starts missing and smokes like hell
Yep we've seen that issue too! Sucks!
Been saying this for years! I have a 16’ boat with a 90hp & have easily passed boats with 150hp on inshore waters
Plain & Simple...take it back to your dealer!
Let them deal with Fond du Lac's finest! Lol
Smoke problem has been linked to motor having a little to much oil in it.
You're correct, that has been one of the contributing factors!
QUESTION: If you go to Mercury's website homepage notice that you cannot find any pictures or video clips of any PRO XS's! Why is that? Hmmmmm
Thank you very much for your well informed video. I'm in the market for a new boat and the one I was looking at buying, an Encore Pro Angler, comes with this exact outboard motor. For the price you pay you shouldnt be having issues right out of the gate. Based on this video and the comment section I am definitely staying away from Mercury.
@@shawnmartin277 Smart move buddy!
Ummm that is a false statement...you can not only see pictures and read plenty of info on the engines but also watch videos simply by following the correct path under engines, outboards, and then clicking on the ProXS engine line.
I'm that 19 pitch prop guy. Have a new lund crossover with a 175 pro xs. Can barley get over 5000 rpm. Guessing in need a different prop and some sort of settings work on the engine?
Got a 2020 Triton with 250 Merc in July . It started smoking on start up. Left the lake , it was leaking oil out of the water intake . Pinhole in block . Got a brand new motor from Merc . If it's smoking on start up , it's got an oil leak somewhere .
WOW! That is unacceptable, glad Merc took care of ya as they should!
I have a 200 on my 20' flat-bottomed plate boat and I can get 73mph on a 24p prop. Thanks for the info on the smoking on startup guys.
Thanks for the shout out for the little guys. I wish I had a 200. I have a new Mercury 75 and have been wonder what would be the best prop for it. I have a Ranger RT 178 and am looking to push it a bit faster than 45 mph fully loaded. Of course, if that’s not possible, I’m not too worried about it.
I’m running 38 with two guys full tank and full gear in my tracker with a mercury 60
It all depends on the lower unit final gear ratio. That set these motors up to use the most efficient Prop which it around 17"-21". Everybody should prop out their boat. Motor height, A cupped prop or surface prop can be ruin higher.
2020 200 Pro XS
Same problem only can get 5400 RPM
Ran 19 pitch tempest , 21 rev 4 and 23 fury . Same results on all 3 . Took to dealer and ran with computer . Hot foot sending 100% throttle, motor receiving 100% . The throttle position sensor said 54% . Called engineer from Merc and he said it was a prop issue . When the dealer told him we ran those 3 props with same result he had no answer . They have called them 3 times with no response. If anyone has had an issue like this taken care of could you please comment . Thanks
* Help this man out! Good luck buddy!! *
Theres so much variation on each boat !! I've heard from my friends in the bass tournaments we fish huge events hear alot of small talk on these day to day issues, most run a 24 fury vented 1 hole plug 2 holes props expensive but works well for 200 pro xs
pretty sure throttle position is in degrees not %, so 54 is closer to 60% open but still. I am almost 100% certain that the DTS engines are power limited by TPS, the 200 and the 225 are mechanically the same. only difference between the 200 and the 300 is the airbox, throttle body is bigger and PCM calibration
@I think i have the same issue with my 200 what boat are you running?
Jake Gardner I have the same problem with my new 300 pro XS only makes 5480 rpm gone down to a 21 rev for and still the same rpm Engine is gutless dealer keeps telling me to put smaller prop on to cure problem this is bullshit they don’t know what the hell they’re talking about the engine is not making its power period keep me updated
I bought a Mercury 250 on a blazer 650 picked it up 6/10/2021 first time I took it on the water it was leaking gas bad. When I took it out of the water I notice a lot gas was coming out of the foot. I had it for about a week been a dealership ever since.
Love the crickets sound, hahah
I have a buddy who got a brand new motor that was in demo mode. Only ran at 75% power until he took it to someone who knew what they were doing... DTS motors are bad about that.
Glad he found some who solved that issue for him. You are correct!
@@TeamMarineService is that the issue most are seeing? I know that 300 ProXS ran like a scalded dog after it was flashed into operation mode. Extremely high torque and runs better than a 300 should.
What is "Demo Mode"? Do you mean his Demand Linear (throttle opening) wasn't set correctly by his dealer to 100%?
@@markthompson609 demo mode limits throttle and fuel.
@@mosquitofleetfishing6599 Thanks for the info, I have never heard of that and will pursue this with my dealer, someone will eventually own up to what the hell is causing all of these not to rev
If it’s a bass boat you can get a larger pitch prop to go 60mph. It’s different for a Angler or 600 series boats.
I have a brand new Pro XS 250. Mine smoked and they said it was idling too high. I had to take it back because I was getting six beeps and knocking me off of plane. They could not figure it out, but they some how fixed it without telling me what the problem was. I am running a 24 pitch on a 2005 Triton 21x.
Wow that's super weird that they fixed it and wouldn't tell you what the problem was!!!
Adam Bolling overfilled the crankcase with would be my suggestion. Report this dealer to Mercury. Make sure dealer does not erase any forensic data on the logs.
I have a 2018 Mercury pro xs 115hp. Been a great motor
Awesome! Glad to hear it. What ya running it on?
19ft bass tracker pro team
Alot of dealers won't give you a prop to try out. They all say it would be used. If someone doesn't know how to correct his running issues doesn't need a boat. Then again some people are to lazy to adjust their jack plate. Sounds like the dealer didn't have a 24 pitch prop so they threw a 19 on it to make the sale.
I have a Tracker targa v19 deep v with a 200 pro xs. It came with a tempest plus 14.6 x 17 pitch 3 prop. Only getting 45 mph. What should I do rpms around 5600. I know it can get better than this.
AMEN!!! Having issue with
2000 Merc. EFI Optimax 200hp
At time of deal & purchasing was guarenteed " BOAT SET UP, RUNNING TOURN. READY" drove 6.5hrs, got there lil after dark. He had trailer back in dock, boat at dock running. Said motor has lil issue staying running when putting into gear. Ran out in big circle, ran your wig off then back to dock. Loaded boat on trailer. Finished paying drove 6.5hrs back, next morning backed in dock couldn't start. Drove 3 hrs to only dealership that willing to touch 2000 Merc. $2500 & 5months later, motor still dies when puttin in gear new fuel pump & mounted my hotfoot. Took to lake to test, couldnt even keep it running to back of trailer. Couldnt drive thru NO WAKE area without dieing. Hit the open, floored it too off perfect, blowing top off mermaid fast. But even after after 30 min running still couldnt keep running at idle. Now, we decide to trolling motor Fortrex out & graphs to do lil fishing. 😳😡 Now when I start finding other crap that worked fine b4 taking to shop. No trolling motor( batteries bad ), bow Lowrance lil graph wont come on, Hummingbird at console has no power, starter with broke shaft laying in box in storage area, carpet ripped & cut under console, waterpump barely spittin every other turn, fuel tank went from full tank of new gas at time of drop off to lil under half tank & bulg & livewell empty pumps not working now. My 1st time ever Ive taken any thing to a shop( an Ive been mechanic or around it since I was a kid in my 50 yrs) but Ive never seen any equipment go into a shop with one issue & come out with more crap wrong then what you started with!🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 Oh, even broke wheel off jack, safety chains bolted to tongue hooked completely ripped apart. So, Ive started with most important in repairing myself is $400+ for new trolling motor batteries, new water pump impellar replaced, changeing out lower unit gear oil. Still gotta fix some lite issues in storage trunks & trailer. Recover & mount some bunk rails. They said they replaced fuel pump in the housing area, by looks of fastners doesnt loik like they even been torqued on? Starter looks used, an I wouldnt have a clue whats causing it to not stay running or even running when switching gears or idleing in gear.
SO...PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD ALMIGHTY!! Please, Im begging, I would get on my knees but my disability wont let me get back up.. We have no more in savings to help with repairs. We pray daily for knowledge on what to do. Its a 2000 Merc. EFI Optimax 200hp, all we have is my monthly disability, but after paying my med ins, medicines, loan on boat, morg. & utilities. Leavea me lil over $86 for rest of month. So any advice would be greatly & blessing. I would even come & work off any help, sorry thats bout all I have to offer.
We even discussed selling it, but I cant sell if not running proper.
Thanks for your time, God Bleas.😇🙏
I'm getting ready to purchase a bass cat caracal. It has a max horse power rating of 225. My question is, does the 225 have any/more issues than a 250.
Well given how long is the wait, and how high the price... If you had to buy a new 115hp motor what would you get for yourself?
115 SS Suzuki
Find out your wot loaded as usual. Find your wot range in your manual. Let’s say your spec WOT is 5400-6200 and your running at 6200 you can increase your pitch, get it closer to 5800ish (up 1 pitch equals roughly 200 less RPM). There’s lots more that goes into it but just some basic information.
How fast should a 2001 Merc Opti be going? My Champ originally had a 23P prop on it but I was only getting about 5200 rpms. Felt low, switched to my buddy’s 21p which is what the Merc website recommended but now after listening to this vid, I have pause. I’m getting roughly 50-55 mph wide open
300 Pro XS V8 = perfection. Second summer. No issues. Runs faster on my boat than racing 2.5EFI. Depending on load, run 27-32” props. Mazco, Spinelli, Mercury racing.. All work great. Lower case is good for solid 80mph+ (yes, sport master lower had on my 2.5 is better for boats able to run 90+). NO issues with low RPMs, or low top speed, cruise fuel burn is insane low. Best motor I have ever run or owned.
2 years of perfection...nice! Haha
Glad to hear yours is good. But your statement that it’s faster than your 2.5 leaves to be desired. You are saying that your 4+ liter v8 is faster than your 2.5 liter v6 really doesn’t make it sound so good!!!
@@catlifeoutdoors6369 you must not understand Mercury outboard platforms. If you did, you would know what I was talking about. What does not make sense to you? I am comparing my old racing 2.5EFI (sportmaster), with the V8 300XS (no sport master) on a V 21’ V hull. What does not make it “sound so good”? Sounds like you have an agenda.
Bruh that thumbnail 💀 😂 😂
How about the baby motors? Curious about the 2021/2022 115 pro xs..... thoughts on reliability?
They are okay haven't seen many of them though
I live in the Twin Cities. I was on the verge of getting my boat repowered to the 200hp pro xs. Now I have doubts.
They certainly have some issues they need to figure out!
Was told your not allowed to run any bigger of a motor then a 225hp-250 if fishing any BASS PRO, MLF, etc..????
Yep
Man I wish you were in Texas. Like your straight forward thoughts.
Thanks buddy!
Talk about opening a can of worms. Looking forward to see how this develops!
🤙🏻
God I hope Mercury see this and responds back to Team Marine Service!!!
@@mediaspeedfilms1334 x2 on that!
@@mediaspeedfilms1334 They will probably call a board meeting with their higher ups and the lead technicians and discuss amongst themselves how these issues they've known about are coming to light and then the lead engineer for the v8 platform will get called in and say "Guys I told you!!! We shouldn't have rushed this to market before ALL of the corks were worked out!!!"....I can see this happening!
@@burneraccount9253 Hahaha I hope this is happening. Lord know if Mercury missteps this and contacts Team Marine complaining about the video they will film it all and release a video on it the next day. Lol
Bought a 2021 bay boat. With my 1st Mercury 300hp ProXS. Lower unit went out at 80 hours (Yes only 80 hours) and Mercury is refusing to warranty the issue due to marks/scratches on the skeg. $9500 fix.
I've owned 3 Yamaha 250 SHO. Put 500 to 800 hours on them with absolutely no issues. I'll never own another mercury again. Shoulda stayed with Yamaha.
That's terrible! Hope they came to their sense and helped ya out
Makes me feel even better about switching to Yamaha
Brand new engine designs you want to stay away from the first 2 years they are made to get the bugs out. I bet the people who put the mercury model on before the pro xs aren’t having problems. Anything new always wait a couple of years to let the company work the bugs out. You can test a engine on a private lake till your blue in the face, but turning the engine over to a real customers is the real test in deciding if an engine is reliable or not!
There's a lot of truth here! 👍🏻
If the only way to tell if a motor is reliable or not is to turn it over to real customers but you say to stay away from them for the first couple of years until the bugs are worked out, how would they get the real test? 😉😂
@@debbiekositzke6105 Sponsored "Pro's" 😁
A 19 pitch??? Mercury, Going Boldly...to the bottom! Haha
Hahahahaha
Wide open...to the bottom!
Right puts 250 hours on it and needs a rebuild
I have a Mercury 2011 200hp pro XS. 23 pitch prop and only get 5200 rpm at wot (5800 wot says Mercury) My speed is 50mph? I can’t seem to fix it.
Got a new 200 pro xs on a 20ft boat got her moving bout 73mph with a 25p prop
What kind of boat?
Can the ECU in the Suzuki 250 SS be flashed to a 300hp+ like the Yamaha SHO 200-250hp can without any hardware mods?
Not yet...keyword Yet!
@@TeamMarineService Hmm, good to know. Until more is known, I give Yamaha the edge since it's basically a detuned 335hp motor. Might have to reach out to Hydro Tec Marine Performance or Simon Motorsports.
Love the vids and all the info! Keep it up guys
Thanks buddy! 👍🏻
WHAT DO U THINK ABOUT THE MERCS AND EVENRUDES OF THE 70 S AND 80 S ??
With ASC on the new mercs they 100% must be propped using G3. You will never feel a rev limit like the old days, the control software will not let it go over max RPM. So you can have a super low pitch prop and you'll think it's fine because you're spinning full RPM but the engine is not loaded down
Great Info!!!!
you are exactly right. I work for a North West aluminum patrol boat builder and we use it to our advantage when you have a boat that has wide load carrying capacity. you can prop it under and let it go to the redline and it holds it self back, then load the hell out of the boat and it loads down the engine to 100%. We had a run of boats the other day with twin 250's (deep vee offshore aluminum cabin boats ) doing 57mph with 19's at 6000 (Verados) Definitely could have put a 20 or a 21 on it and pulled it over 60 no problem, but the boat didn't need to go any faster for the customer. also the cost of repropping 20 engines adds up.
2020 Mercury 150 ProXS. Low Voltage Alarm. Put new 27 series Interstate battery. Fished 2 days and now Lox Voltage alarm and 10.1 - 11 volts. Running 6000 rpm Low Voltage alarm and motor startered running rough so I docked it. Help Please!
I run a 25 T1 on a 250 Yamaha with a Bob’s 10” hydraulic jackplate(‘07 Z21 Ranger). It runs 68mph at 56-5700 rpm. What do you suggest
Got a new Merc 300X with 23” four blade s/steel prop, only 5hrs run time, and the problem is it won’t go past 5200 rpm. It will not peek out at the max Rev’s….Why?.? ?
We have a 250 merc the problem with them is blowing lower units to hell
Cracks in top of gear case where prop inserts. Grooving the gear case where prop inserts. Where indention is on newer lower units.