Rod Bearing question

[bbezok]

So hearing about the plastic cage bearings and how it's best to replace with metal cage. I have a set of clean 2.0 pistons and rods I got in a pile of parts off a guy. The motor serial # 0D261952 says 1993 and 135hp.
I was looking at them the other day as they are bagged individually and noticed the rod bearings are metal cage. Is this something Merc used to do before things started getting cheaper?

[25two.stroke]

That motor would have come with plastic caged bearings. Merc actually went the other way around...they didn't get cheaper they started with plastic and went to metal.

[FUJIMO]

...on the same subject, but a slightly different question? the first year, 1976...that the merc 175 came out, then the 200 & 225 into the eighties, etc....the bearings were all metal cage rod bearings. fact. what year, going forward, did mercury start using plastic cage bearings on the v-6 rods?...

[pcrussell50]

Are the plastic cages a MAJOR cause of lost engines, or a minor one? I’ve heard that they are pretty durable, (obviously not as strong a metal)… Not something you would tear down your otherwise perfectly good engine, to replace. Can’t remember where I heard that though.

Fortunately, a couple of my 1987 2.0/150’s are going to be taken apart anyway for other reasons.

-Peter

[Asstracker]

plastic cage bearings are perfectly fine as long as you dont plan on spinning the motor over 7k

[VkingMike]

plastic cage bearings are perfectly fine as long as you dont plan on spinning the motor over 7k Agreed. If you are going to build a motor, then go metal cage.

[racervboat]

For fishing motors no problem.hp motors go metal.Heck 225hp promax's had plastic but limited to 6850rpm never saw a bad one yet.But if your going to refresh or rebuild go metal.

[bbezok]

What I have is defiantly metal cage, and it came out of the 1993 2.0 135......maybe someone was in it before?
So do I assume my 96 2.5FF 200 is metal?

[johnmiffco]

a ball or needle bearing job is to roll while the motor is rotating
when it stops rolling and slides is when it burns and starts galling the crank or rod

how do u keep the bearing roling,,,is proper clearance crank,rod,bearing and being lubed
as stated the plastic cages are just fine on production motors as not turning no big rpm
high rpm can allow bearing to rub into the plastic cage and make more clearance in the cage to stop rolling

the metal cages on the newer high performance motors being steel will hold the bearing slot tolerance better
downfall is the dimple,,,,slot is wider to allow to be dimpled to hold the needle bearing and that dimple can wear
as less metal contact to bearing at the dimple

as stated the early motors had metal cages and bearings were individually inserted into the cages with no dimples to hold them
so the bearing slot in the cages were narrower so now more metal contact to the needle bearing so less cage wear
less chance to slide instead of roll on properly lubricated motor
so in reality super high rpm motors the early cage in an engineering standpoint would be better
but a hassle to assemble motor from having to use """""mercury needle bearing assembly lube """""
to hold the bearing in the cages during assembly
so they went to dimpled meatal cages on hp and plastic cages on production

just my opinion

[25two.stroke]

What I have is defiantly metal cage, and it came out of the 1993 2.0 135......maybe someone was in it before?
So do I assume my 96 2.5FF 200 is metal?

Someone was in it before. And your 96 FF would also be plastic originally. They didn't go back to metal cages till right before they quit manufacturing them all together.

[bbezok]

thank you!

[25two.stroke]

And now mercury only makes the metal caged ones lol...no more plastic cage

[skialot2]

What I have is defiantly metal cage, and it came out of the 1993 2.0 135......maybe someone was in it before?
So do I assume my 96 2.5FF 200 is metal?

My 2000 2.5 200 has plastic cages.