Anyone know anything about these engines? 2005 Merc 2.5xs ROS

[reacler]

Does anyone know anything about these engines? They are 2005 Mercury 2.5 XS ROS racing engines, with a 3 liter offshore mid (20") and sportmaster lowers. They've got 80 hours on them. I was told these are very rare and that Mercury only made them from 2005-2007. HP rating says 225 but I was also told they make more than that. It has an external reservoir for the lower unit oil, steering plates, the 3L mid section, and a few other odds and ends for reliability.

One of them is blown. Two cylinders ran lean because of clogged injectors after a fuel tank replacement in the old boat they were on. Owner suspects something from the new tank got past the filters and clogged the injectors. He says because these are so rare, some parts are not so easy to find. Merc does not make oversized pistons for this powerhead so the only option is re-sleeving which would require someone to make them for me ($$$).

He's offering them both to me for 10k with two props for each motor, a chopper and cleaver style each, with the wiring harness and cables. This seems like a steal to me but I don't know much about these engines. Owner is a good friend of mine, just wants them to go to a good home. I'm not questioning his honesty but if anyone can enlighten me on why these motors are so special please do, and am I getting myself into a world of hurt by picking up something so rare?

[JPEROG]

They were great motors. Mercury made 100 of them in 05"as a specialized fishing motor (they make 247 hp) and were kind of a cheater motor for the group. The 3L case has a much better water pump then the 2.5 (flows more), they are great on fuel as well. The down side is that they are high compression and require 93 octane fuel. Most of them detonated because of old fuel or guys running lower octane then what they require. WSM had oversized pistons available for them in the past, not sure if they still offer them. They are vary similar to the 200XS but have a 3L splined crank shaft.

Joe

[Greg G]

$10k for both of them with lower units is a good deal. Plus in your area there is a lot of Mercury talent. Are they both RH?

[reacler]

Appreciate the info/advice! I trailer my boat and I currently have a Yamaha Excel with the knock sensor removed to disable the rpm limiter, so I always use 93 octane anyway. The owner had them on a skater but has since upgraded to 300xs, they are RH & LH.

@JPEROG - Fortunately, WSM is right here on Long Island! Found this out when looking for pistons for my Excel. I'll give them a call, thanks for the tip that's very helpful.

@Greg G - They are RH & LH pair, both have less than 80 hrs on them and they are CLEAN, and they come with 4 props total. Comes with wiring harness too but no controls or gauges. And the steering plates. I'm going to need some Merc talent. As a Yamaha guy I don't really have any connections for Merc stuff yet, who were you thinking of?

I currently have a 17ft Action Marine with a 225 Excel on it but I'm having a lot of issues with the engine and I suspect the computer is cooked. Was thinking about dropping in the working Merc and run it with that for the season. And that will give me time to sort out the Excel issues. Eventually will be looking to sell the Action with the Excel as a complete boat and buy a hull to throw both of these Mercs on. That's my plan if I buy these anyway.

Do I need to buy an OEM steering tongue (idk what it's called) to use my current hydraulic steering? I have a dual sided ram setup where the ram cylinder is connected to the "steering tongue" at the front of the engine.

[JPEROG]

You should be able to use that front mount set up that you have now.

Joe