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

[pcrussell50]

So my Merc is a 1987 2.0l 150. I like it quite a lot. I guess I'm becoming a Merc guy now

Anyway, I think from reading on here that the 2.0l 150 from that era is one of the reliable bread and butter motors out there. That makes me happy because that's the motor on my fun boat that I take the wife and two little girls out in. What was the last year of my family of 2.0l 150 where most of the parts were interchangeable with my 1987? IOW, when was the end of the line for the carbureted 2.0l 150?

-Peter

[pcrussell50]

1987 2.0l 150...

What do these two screws do?

This one:


And this one:


Motor runs pretty well, very well off idle and pretty well at idle. but I've cobbled the link and sync without touching either of these screws. But now I'm starting to want to fiddle with things to seek that last bit of perfection. But I don't want to screw anything up since it's working pretty well overall.

Just changed the water pump after a three year run of maybe 25 hours a year. It was in great shape, but hey, cheap insurance. One lesson I learned... I didn't put that bead of RTV silicone down between the water pump and the exhaust chamber. The driveshaft and water pump housing were all sooty. It was pretty easy to clean, but this time when I put it all back together I didn't ignore the silicone bead.

-Peter

[Merc 2.5]

The 1st pic is screw that holds plastic linkage on and is how u adjust throttle plates, should b 3 ,1 for ea carb,, #2 pic is screw that holds shaft that runs thru carb that throttle blades bolt to , should not have to touch those , only pic #1 should be adjusted

Just loosen 1 screw at a time and make sure the throttle.blade r completely closed and move to next carb and do same thing

[pcrussell50]

What do you guys buy when you are going through your carbs and you don't need the whole new needle and seat, and just want the gasket kit. Seems like Quicksilver made just such a thing 1395-6452 but it's become NOS and prices are going up. Pro Marine only offers the full kit with needle and seat. Sierra makes their own version with just the gaskets, but would you guys use Sierra gaskets? I've only ever used Quicksilver and Pro Marine.

-Peter

[Merc 2.5]

Since noone has spoke up. If all I needed was a gasket , yes I would use sierra , just stay away from glm gaskets and such. They just deteriorated with little time. Only used em 1 time and will never again

[pcrussell50]

Ok, time for a another question...

Getting ready to rewire the family recreation boat with a 1987 2.0l 150. The motor is going great. All the stuff on the boat works, but the wiring is a spliced up mess because when I did it eight years ago, each wiring run was an experiment because other than the motor, I didn't know what would work and what wouldn't. Surprisingly it all still works. But I don't trust my cut and spliced haphazard wiring for the long term. So after this summer, I'm going to strip it out and do it right.

Question:
Where can I get more of this?:


I'm having trouble googling it. I don't even know what to call it. But I like it and the fact it's color coded to Merc wiring.

This is the boat, by the way:


-Peter

[nitro_rat]

I get those harnesses out of boats I part out. I have a feeling you'd have to buy a whole
control harness to get it new, but don't quote me on that. You could take it to your local Merc dealer but I don't think they keep it on a roll to sell by the foot. I could be completely wrong about that...

[Dave S]

I have that wire...… freee…. j pm me.....

[pcrussell50]

So, 1987 2.0 150hp... For the last couple of years, got pretty much all the "bugs" uninstalled from previous owners over the years. Damn, I love this motor.

1) Yesterday, I de winterized (put the carb drain plugs back in), pumped the bulb firm to check for air leaks, and fired her up on the muffs. I decided to back off the idle timing pickup a little bit to see how slow I could get the idle and took it out on the lake today. It was about 600-650 rpm in gear, and pretty smooth.

BUT

Now it seems just a hair softer on holeshot. Not terrible. At. All. But it used to blow the prop out. Now it's just a little bit slower out of the hole if I snap it full open from dead idle. The question is, is that something to be expected if it starts from a slower idle timing? No popping or sneezing our coughing. Just a little softer.

===

2) What is the best way test the overheat sensor in these motors? It's easy enough to dig it out of the head after removing the retaining plate. But what is the best way to add heat to it, to see if it lights the buzzer? A momentary burst from a candle flame? Something else? I'm afraid to put it in hot water because it is mounted in a dry hole.

And new ones are close as makes no difference to $90. Doesn't seem like the kind of thing that should be that expensive. I'd happily pay it if mine were bad though. Just want to be sure before I do.

Thanks as always.


-Peter

[pcrussell50]

Ok edited away the whole stupid post of mine that was here…

It’s the sensor that is no good. When I ground the brown wire with ignition on, the buzzer works a treat. When I heat the sensor with the ignition on, I get nothing. So new $90 sensor it is. WhyTF do these things cost $90!? Also, how often do they go bad?

-Peter