Merc V6 History

[techteam]

Hey Jerry

I sent you a PM did you get it?

[rckid74]

Hey Jerry

I sent you a PM did you get it?

I did. --- I don't quite know how these PM's work. I responded to a couple of them awhile back but they never went thru. I must be doing something wrong. I kind of gave up on them!

[techteam]

If you can read them I will send my email address. That's if you want to reply !!

[Dave S]

Rckid74.... you OK?.......Just haven't seen new posts,....Thnks for what you did.....Merckman.....

[rckid74]

Rckid74.... you OK?.......Just haven't seen new posts,....Thnks for what you did.....Merckman.....

Hi Dave --- I'm fine -- doing a little snowmobiling and cross-country skiing -- and waiting for another WI winter to get over. Don't have a lot more to say about Black Max but I am open to any questions anyone may have.

I have a question. Does anyone out there know what F1H2O is going to do now that the 2.5 is out of production? Are they going to run the 2.5's til they can't get enough parts to keep'um going or will they be switching to the new 4-stroke V6--V8 this year, next year? I would think those would be a little on the heavy side for them but what do I know!

[powerabout]

Hi Dave --- I'm fine -- doing a little snowmobiling and cross-country skiing -- and waiting for another WI winter to get over. Don't have a lot more to say about Black Max but I am open to any questions anyone may have. --- I have a question. Does anyone out there know what F1H2O is going to do now that the 2.5 is out of production? Are they going to run the 2.5's til they can't get enough parts to keep'um going or will they be switching to the new 4-stroke V6--V8 this year, next year? I would think those would be a little on the heavy side for them but what do I know!

One rumour is Merc will supply custom 4 stroke on a lease basis ( might mean all new hulls hulls to carry those heavy parts) so all teams have the same engine....
Should go out to tender but unlikely
I think a bigger mess will happen to F2 who use the lovely 200xs (opti)

[FUJIMO]

...Sir Jerry...Please tell everyone about this experimental exhaust......

[RBT]

We need to find a way to get Ron Anderson on this

[rckid74]

...Sir Jerry...Please tell everyone about this experimental exhaust......

Sir Jerry??? No Fuji --- I'm not one of those!!

I've never seen this engine before. It looks like an attempt to take the exhaust out the middle of the exhaust chest probably to make an equal length system. I did design a special crank for Ron Anderson one time to do just that. As I recall, it had the top three cyls (1-2-3) firing 120Degrees apart and dumping into one pipe and then the bottom three (4-5-6) 120 apart into a second pipe. I never heard anything about it after that so assumed it was never made. Maybe I was wrong!!

[Onetime]

Jerry,
What year did you did you design that different firing order crankshaft?

[rckid74]

Jerry,
What year did you did you design that different firing order crankshaft?

Wow!! Now you're really straining my time-enfeebled memory. --- Ron started at Mercury in Dec. '71 --- I think. He wasn't there more than 4-5 years before he went to OMC. So, say 1976. Therefore it would have been sometime in the low-mid 1970's when I did that special crank for him.

[FUJIMO]

[FUJIMO]

...Team Mercury 1976 - Left to Right - Ron Anderson, Jim Schuenke, Jim Welton, Bob Herring, Renato Molinari, Dave Baier, Gary Garbrecht, Gene Trichel...

[Onetime]

Wow!! Now you're really straining my time-enfeebled memory. --- Ron started at Mercury in Dec. '71 --- I think. He wasn't there more than 4-5 years before he went to OMC. So, say 1976. Therefore it would have been sometime in the low-mid 1970's when I did that special crank for him.

Interesting
Ron played with it again in the 90’s. For it to be legal the rules at the time, for the class it was to be utilized in, it had to run stock “looking” exhaust chest plate. Made it tough to reroute the passages for the different firing order.
Crankshaft manufacturing and machining for the V-6 two stroke is not an easy task. Very high failure rate before it’s even in the engine!

[rckid74]

Interesting
Ron played with it again in the 90’s. For it to be legal the rules at the time, for the class it was to be utilized in, it had to run stock “looking” exhaust chest plate. Made it tough to reroute the passages for the different firing order.
Crankshaft manufacturing and machining for the V-6 two stroke is not an easy task. Very high failure rate before it’s even in the engine!

I don't recall any particular machining problems with the V6 crank. I know I got cussed out a few times for making the seal ring grooves so narrow. That led to extra wear and tear on the grinding wheels that finished those. But otherwise it was good. What failures are you referring to?