My blown Merc XR2: 'rude guy's observations and questions

[TEXAS20225]

James Perry on your machine work he loves the 2.0,2.4 motas and very reasonable

[TEXAS20225]

if you gonna keep the cowl i got parts free for the shippin

[pcrussell50]

why yes, i am going to keep the cowl. being brought up as an evinrude guy, this cowl is so incredibly funky, it's cool. so yes, i'm interested. pm me with what you've got. thanks.

an where is james perry? not in socal or nevada, i'm guessing? googling turns up nothing.

-peter

[TEXAS20225]

James is my machine shop man very good and in Dunlap Tn it would cost you 30.00 or so both ways shipping but you would save a lot more then that and IMHO better then who took over For Jim ruck oh so much better, i used some others also claiming greatness but it aint so, his sleeve work is unmatchable and so is his porting! he bores with torque plate and has ridged hone for great cross hatch honing very nice work 423 304 0930

[speedinstream]

Just wait till you step on the gas

lmao aint that the truth as far as the clam shell cowling I love them take it off and the whole powerhead is exposed easy to work on I wish I could fit one over a 260

[pcrussell50]

Ok guys, a question... On this 1987, 2.0L 150hp, Do I keep that "idle stabilizer" module on the new (good used) powerhead or are they a trouble-prone headache that I'm better off without? My old old v4 crossflows have no such thing. But this is a newer and more complex thing, this motor is.

-Peter

[TEXAS20225]

i toss all boxs on every rebuild that i do" none"no idle stabilizer, no auto oiler, no detonation controller, no alarm's, only hot horn

[pcrussell50]

thanks tex.

now another question about testing switch boxes:
this good used powerhead came with a couple of switch boxes. is there a way i can test these things before i slap them on the side of the powerhead? i have the factory service manual and it has you test resistance across some of the lugs to test the switch box. is it really that easy?

-peter

[pcrussell50]

so the latest...

a couple of months ago, i bought a used 2.0L powerhead off ebay, swapped it over, and am slowly getting around putting it into use (i have other boats to use in the mean time). once done, i can take my time rebuilding the blown 2.0L powerhead that came free with a boat i bought, (a speedy, pad-vee hull bowrider).

before i test fire the new (used) powerhead, i've just been doing some basic checking: compression, spark on all cylinders, no fuel leaking when i pump up the bulb, enricher solenoid working, etc...

this being my first real merc, i just wanted to run the compression numbers on this '87 2.0L 150hp by y'all:

110/112
115/117
117/117

the top two are lower than the rest, which i am not losing sleep over, but are these numbers about right for the pump gas, fish/recreation motor that this will be used as?

-peter

[speedinstream]

Let her rip 89 octain will be fine with those numbers 145 -150 is max with 93 octain

[pcrussell50]

So, been a couple of seasons running my 2.0L 150 with the ebay powerhead. Everything is more or less fine, though I bolted it on and used it without going through the carbs or checking the reeds, or pretty much anything except a new impeller.

It does have an issue where it doesn't like to idle much once warm. I was out the other day and it was idling like a champ in and around the dock after launch. Then we motored out to a beach, parked, swam ate a little lunch. Went to go cruise around some more and it wouldn't stay running on the idle circuit. Had to start it with the butterflies open, (like a flooded start), then quickly back to idle then into gear and accelerate off the idle circuit before it dies. it also sneezes a little while cranking. nothing like when a bleed line is off... but just a little. Yet if i start it fresh cold from an overnight, it idles pretty well. anywhere but idle, it runs great without bogging or missing anywhere off idle. don't know what to make of that?

ON EDIT: i should add that i i've been running with the oil pump pulse nipple uncapped... this motor has runs premix and has had the oiling system removed. could the uncapped oil pulse nipple be affecting idle performance?
the uncapped oil pulse nipple in this pic:



next season, it's getting the chris carson reeds i bought a few weeks ago, the carbs are coming off for a cleaning, and the fuel pump (old style) is getting a going through, and a new impeller.

[pcrussell50]

Also...

I've removed most of the modules except this one. I don't know what it is. Do I need it? And if I remove it, what do I do with the wires?:


Also in these two pics, underneath each top spark plug is what appears to be a sensor. The one underneath the starboard top plug, (cyl 1) must be the temp sensor for the buzzer. But what is the one underneath the port side top plug (cyl 2), with the nut and stud?






Do ^^^these ^^^ look right? What goes on the one with the stud?

-Peter

[rock]

Definitely remove the nipple and plug hole. The square thing is the voltage regulator. Leave it alone. Both temp sensors. One with stud is aftermarket and for a temp gauge.

Rock

[pcrussell50]

Definitely remove the (oil mixer pulse) nipple and plug hole.

Rock

Done.

1987 2.0L 150... stock...

Motor's still going great... At least as of last season boating. Just finished a CCMS reed job and did the carbs, fuel pump diaphragm and water pump. This will be my first time running this motor this season. Hopefully it fires right up and I didn't screw anything up (fingers crossed)

Couple of questions:
1) under the cowl fuel lines:
are factory lines the best or do some people use Tygon because it's more supple? What do you use for clamping the line to the nipple? zip ties? hose clamps? I have some curved surface zip ties where the head is curved to fit the round hose... don't know if that's a gimmick or not

2)fuel pump diaphragm kits:
is there a specific brand or kit that we like? the one i replaced looked like it was higher quality than the one i replace it with. relying on mail order gasket kits, it's hard to know what "the good stuff" is.

3)fuel leaks and bad running at idle:
the fuel line on the starboard side where it attaches to the upper carb would leak quite a bit when i pumped the bulb. both starting and idle got much better after i tightened up the fuel line and stopped the leak. is that to be expected or was it just coincidence?

4) carb mounting studs:
in the course of doing the carbs and the Chris Carson reeds, I discovered a couple of the studs were in cracked bosses, which was fine until i took the carbs off and one cracked boss fell apart. in the short run turned long, I found a brand new intake manifold (Merc calls it a reed block), but it did not have studs. so i double nutted the stock ones out and discovered they don't turn back in easily... so i re-tapped them (1/4-20) and they went in like a breeze. Now i realize my mistake... Merc did this intentionally: they intentionally misshaped the threads so they don't go in or come out easily, so that when you take the self locking carb nuts off, the studs don't come out with them. Doh!!! Next carb job, I will have a new set of studs and do it right. In the mean time I will be checking the carbs frequently to make sure they aren't working loose.

-Peter

[pcrussell50]

1987 2.0L 150 hp...

After fixing an air leak I created myself by screwing up the intake manifold gasket while changing over to CCMS reeds, this 2.0L has been running like a top. Really loving it on our speedy Bahner bowrider. While slowly working out the bugs and learning how to tune it, I've been using a cheap 21p Solas aluminum prop and keeping the rpms no more than about 4000 for extended running. But now I'm wanting to open her up a little more and start trying steeper props while I'm at it. It spins the 21p like nobody's business, so I'm going to try a cheap 22p Solas that I also have. But I'm also fairly new to boating and don't really know how conservatively outboards are built. Can I run this motor for several miles at a time at 5500-5700 rpm? Or is that asking for trouble? Been running pre-mix at 40-50:1 and 91 pump gas. Guessing that with 10% ethanol, from other posts, I don't have to worry too much about carbon buildup on the pistons and rings?

Here's the boat, by the way:


-Peter