Is the Merc 90 2-stroke a good motor?

[longshanks]

I've been keeping my eyes open for a good used motor. I am presently using a 1998 60HP 2-stroke, with a jet pump (40-45HP). It's a great motor and I've had no real complaints about it, but I would like to eventually replace it with a 90HP 2-stroke (65HP at the jet pump).

I've pretty much decided to go with a 2-stroke, due to the lighter weight of 90 HP motors in this size class. My decision basically boils down to Mercury or Yamaha, and I understand that the Merc 90 (320lbs) has a bit more power than the Yamaha 90 (270lbs). I've heard both good and bad things about them, but ultimately I'm wondering if the big 90 is going to behave that much differently than my '98 60HP, which I do like. Is the Merc 90 more smoky, noisy, or thirsty than the average 2-stroke 90? I've already read that they have a notoriously rough idle. Any particular years to steer clear of?

Basically, I'd be happy to hear any feedback from anybody with experience with the 90 Mercury. I'm going to be using it in situations that require a powerful, reliable motor and I thought I'd ask what the consensus here is.

thanks all for your time!

 

[4JawChuck]

Re: Is the Merc 90 2-stroke a good motor?

I have a 2003 90 HP Mercury "Classic" 2-stroke.

I think Yamaha makes a better motor but this one was nearly half the price so...

It has been reliable but the starter motor had no drain holes (condensation filled it with water) and is rubber mounted which caused the ring gear to get chewed up a bit, I drilled drain holes in the starter and rebuilt it...replaced the rubber mount rings and it has been a good starter since.

The magneto advance mechanism has cheap plastic snap-on ball ends which caused the timing to jump around...replaced those now it idles like a champ after setting the timing and syncing the carbs. It starts and idles perfectly at 675 rpm and pushes my 16 ft Tuffy to 45 mph with ease.

The Yamaha is a lot lighter but doesn't have the low/midrange grunt of the 1.5L Merc, the Merc is a great midrange/load carrying motor. The Yamaha can be modified to have higher HP with a few hotrodding mods but I was not interested in doing that.

Overall the Merc is built like a Briggs & Stratton, torquey and beefy but poor quality control. I will say the Merc is a lot quieter than the Yamahas, must be the integral head design.

I would have preferred to buy a Yamaha but for nearly double the price and parts sometimes triple what I pay for a Merc part...I'll stick to whats easily available in my area. For someone not so mechanically inclined a Japanese motor might be a better deal but I am not sorry I bought Black.

If you have a racing style light boat the Yamaha is a better setup, if it's fishing or cruiser style where thats not a concern the Merc is a better choice.

I could of bought a 150 Merc for the price of a 90Hp Yamaha, thats unreasonable and having owned a 1988 50HP Yamaha (a great motor if you can stand the noise) not worth the extra cash if you ask me.

 

[longshanks]

Re: Is the Merc 90 2-stroke a good motor?

thanks a lot for your input. I've read about many starter problems on here, probably due to the condensation that you mention. I'm surprised to hear you say that the Merc is quieter than the Yamaha. Since I'd be running it with a jet pump, I'd like to find the quietest motor possible, without shelling out the $$ for an ETEC or a four stroke. My boat is a heavy-duty aluminum 15' with a nearly flat bottom. It weighs just shy of 1200lbs without the motor, so I would like something with some low end/midrange grunt.

I have run the Yamahas before and I really do like them, but I'm not sure that the light little Yamaha 90 would be that much more powerful than my Merc 60.

Can you tell me how much gas that motor burns? My 60 has to work pretty hard to get out of the hole and power through corners, and I'm wondering if the bigger motor will be much worse for fuel economy. I would guess that I'm averaging 3-5 gallons per hour, depending on how I run it.

thanks again for your time