Help! early serial number identify

[Cheifjunk]

im wondering if you guys can help me identify 2 older merc outboards i have. serial numbers are 5090080 and 5090081. i cant find anything on them and mercury had nothing. i think 1980 225s?

[25two.stroke]

First generation of 2.4L 200 it looks like. According to the old mercury parts program.

[Cheifjunk]

Did they show that serial number?

[Jim Speros]

I tried to look up by serial number. 200 start 5624878 ? 150 XR2 and 175 start in the 4's. Seven digit numerals come be for 6 digit numbers starting with letters. Bam site did not recognize that serial number.

225's had 7 pedal horizontal reeds. your pic seems to show vertical reed engine.

They are very clean and meticulously rigged however they seem to by something put together and not purchased that way from the factory. It shows offshore mid sections. All engines since I've been paying attention in early 80's with lift off light weight cowls did not have painted powerheads.

[Jim Speros]

it looks like the head is off in the pic. What diameter is the piston?

[Jim Speros]

https://www.mercruiserparts.com/2-stroke

I like to use Bam site to search merc parts by serial number.

[Cheifjunk]

im new to the outboards, thanks for looking it up.

they have been taken apart and everything painted and put back together about 20 years ago and never ran. so based on paint is not a for shur.

how do i tell on the reeds what style? that was another question i had.

i was told these were rigged on this boat by mercury in 78 or 79

[Cheifjunk]

[25two.stroke]

It is a vertical reed 200 hp. First of the first. Probably 1980 or earlier. Most people say it only really made 170 hp, but it was marketed as a 200.
Chris Carson will tell you funny stories about them when they were new...he was a dealer for Mercury back then. People kinda hated on those motors when they first came out.
It wasn't till they switched to horizontal reed 2.4L 200hp that the 200 line was worth a damn.

But thats what you have. The first of the first 2.4L 200 hp motor.
Head bolt bosses cast to the cylinder
hard to find exhaust covers with 17 instead of 21 exhaust cover bolts or some nonsense...

[Jim Speros]

3 3/8 is the 2.4 bore.

I can see by the intake and triangle ish shape in side of block half. Horizontal intakes are shorter and do not have the trianglular shape port cast in. The first V6 was a 175 the 200 came out the next year or two after.

Do yu have all the pieces to re assemble?

[Jim Speros]

A friend of mine had the first year 175 on a Sleekcraft tunnel. I recall it was a '77. We used to joke about how tough it was. It got the **** run out of it. We'd say they built it extra heavy duty.

25two.stroke, funny thing on vertical reeds. Another friend raved about his Yamaha . I chuckled at it when I saw it had vertical reeds. It really was a clever change Merc made lining the reeds up with the opening in the crankcase.

[Jim Speros]

I hope you get it going. Looks like it was rigged real nice with nice parts.

[25two.stroke]

Yeah, everything below the powerhead looks badass. Need a pair of 260s or nice 2.5 200s to sit on top there. The motors you have will go if you can put em back together. Let us know if you need any parts, there should be enough parts across the people on this forum to put it back together.

[Cheifjunk]

Man i appreciate the knowledge!
I did get both motors fired up finally for only 15 seconds or so in the shop. I had to learn and go through everything and Its been awsome getting these to fire. They wont stay on it but i do want to run it for nostalgic reasons.

You guys were spot on with my thoughts of getting better power. You guys say 260's? What else will get me the best power and bolt on?

[Cheifjunk]

Im still learning what years and such that interchange. And im hard at learning till i do it the wrong way. Any help with what bolts on is huge info for me