Mercury 200 motor

[jdawest1]

Ok i think i need some help identifying this motor to start with. serial number 5321329.

History 2 years ago: I bought a boat from a guy that did not have a motor on it. He tells me he has a Mercury 200 racing motor that he was going to put on the boat. I have an old 150 so i didn't buy the motor. He told me the 200 had been set up as a race motor with some type of good lower unit ect. The entire motor, cowling and all has fresh paint- like factory, not rattle can.

Anyway, the guy passed from a heart attack and his widow asked me if i would take the motor for free and i did. came with power trim controls, everything.

Just got it home and hung it and that's about it. I will get around to mounting it on the back of a boat i have so i can do some tests , compression, rewire so things ect.

Can anyone tell me about the chrome lower unit? are these good motors? what should i look for in particular?

[jdawest1]

and now with vertical pics

[speedinstream]

Not a race motor stock 2.4 or 2.0 135-200 hard to tell by the pics lower is nothing special either good old motors with a little care

[roadkill636]

Not a 200 either.... vertical reeds

[jdawest1]

thanks guys, i did pull the plugs and it looks like bottom left (6) piston has moisture in it.... been stored about 8 years so not sure how that happened.. guess ill pull the head... Got the title now, it shows it as a 1979 200..

Anyway, if the number 6 has an issue then ill just part it all out.

[roadkill636]

Hmmm. Does the serial number on the title mach the serial number on the freeze plug on top of the block? What is it?

[jdawest1]

ahh very good question, not sure on the freeze plug. Title and the serial on the bracket match - 5321329. But the top could be totally different. Ill check that out this afternoon. I actually was given two boxes of stuff with it and there is a total setup from reeds to carbs all bolted together in the box along with other parts- extra carbs, fly wheel ect. . Guess you would say extra parts lol.

So ill check the freeze plug number but it looks like it may have had some stuff swapped around or meant to be swapped around at some point.

[FUJIMO]

It very well could be a 200. A vertical reed 200. In the late 70's & early 80's, this was Mercury's 200. At the same time, they also produced the 225, the first horizontal reed V-6, beginning in 1980. In 1984, Mercury began propshaft rating the larger horsepower engines. The 1983 225 then became the 200. The 200 became the 175. The 175 became the 150. All of Mercurys V-6 engines, since their first introduction in 1976, were vertical reed engines, until the first 225 became available. If you have, what we think is one of these late seventys chrome-bore, powerhead horsepower rated 200's...and the chrome cylinder walls are still good, you have what was in those days, a very good performing engine. I would recommend a compression test of all cylinders, and have an experienced outboard mechanic rebuild the carburetors, BEFORE you run the engine. Carburetors on these engines that don't flow properly, that have been sitting in disuse, WILL lean out & ruin an otherwise clean chrome bore cylinder. Its does'nt cost a fortune to do. Then, only feed this engine good, clean quality fuel & 50:1 water-cooled 2-cycle oil.

[rjdubiel]

Just a reminder, the clamp bolt patterns is not BIA like the motors from the 80's to current. I think the top two holes a narrower than the standard BIA pattern.