any known problems w/2002 2 stroke 115?

[sfy]

am looking to purchase a 2002 merc 115 HP 2 stroke for $2500.
i know this motor has been used on a houseboat at Lake Powell pretty much since it was new. it was a private boat with a group of owners, and as such it does have quite a few hours on it, though i dont know exactly how many.

looking at it, aside from general wear and tear issues such as scratches and some crusty build up in the transom bracket, it seems ok.

when firing it up, it starts quickly and seems to idle very well. the pee hole has a good steady stream. this is a carbureted engine with oil injection.

the person representing the ownership group assures me that it has been well taken care of, including the standard 100 hour check-up and things of that nature. we checked the oil in the lower unit to see if there was any water or metal shavings, no metal or water was found.

what i am wondering is have any of you heard of or ran into any issues with these engines? is there any particular thing i should be watching for?

 

[MercGuy]

Re: any known problems w/2002 2 stroke 115?

I THINK you have the same engine that I do. Mine is a 1998 4 cyl 115.

Assuming that these are the same basic engine I can report that mine has 835 hours on it and has been rock solid with no major and only 1 minor problem.

Having said that I will point out that this is a 2+2 engine which is scorned by many on this board. When running below 2000 RPM the upper 2 cylinders fire, and above 2000 RPM the bottom 2 kick in. Depending on the state of tune of your engine, and how fast you push the throttle open there can be some stumbling as the bottom two light up.

For my part I've got my engine set up properly and it runs very well. Once and awhile it stumbles while going to 4 cylinders, but I understand what's happening and it's not a big problem. If I shove the hammer down all 4 light up right away and I'm zooming away with out a hiccup.

I would not hesitate to buy another 2+2, but thought you should be aware of it before you made your decision.

-Steve

 

[sschefer]

Re: any known problems w/2002 2 stroke 115?

Good solid engine from what I know (which aint much). The basic design hasn't changed all that much over the years. 2+2 engines are fine. I had some problems with my 91 Belgium Mariner 100hp version but it's all fixed now and runs like a champ.

The engines are really simple down to earth engines that just about anyone can work on. They are carbed two stroke engines so keep an eye on the smog laws in your area and where you intend to run it.

 

[sfy]

Re: any known problems w/2002 2 stroke 115?

thanks for the replies.
one more question, would this engine have an onboard computer that would be able to tell me the total hours?

if it was fuel injected, i am sure it would but being carbed i dont know.

edit: a quick call to a merc dealer tels me these are NOT computer equipped.
darn.

 

[sfy]

Re: any known problems w/2002 2 stroke 115?

bump

anyone else have any good or bad things to say about these motors?
it looks like it will be installed within the next 7-10 days, so if i need to run away please tell me why.

had the compression tested, right around 110 in each cylinder, which i believe is acceptable...right?

 

[sschefer]

Re: any known problems w/2002 2 stroke 115?

bump

anyone else have any good or bad things to say about these motors?
it looks like it will be installed within the next 7-10 days, so if i need to run away please tell me why.

had the compression tested, right around 110 in each cylinder, which i believe is acceptable...right?

110 is acceptable but it is on the downhill side as far as a wear indicator. 135-140 is fresh or at least it is on mine with a standard bore and stock pistons. However, you can rebuild this engine on the cheap and make it last a good long time.