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MercuryTohatsu relationship

budgie14

Regular Contributor
"Hi,somebody was selling a 200

"Hi,somebody was selling a 2005 30hp tohatsu outboard on trademe,and said its really a liteweight mercury.i asked that since mercury dont have cylinder heads[his did] and that i thought tohatsu was really nissan.his reply was hes been geting all his parts from a big mercury dealer,and hes not wrong.so,are some tohatsu really mercury engines?"
 
"Nissan is really Tohatsu - Ni

"Nissan is really Tohatsu - Nissan doesn't build outboards at all.

Merc and Tohatsu have been involved in a joint venture/reasearch together for quite a few years now.

They first built the (made in Japan) single cylinder 4 and 5 horse 2 stroke models a number of years back and then moved on to build all the portable 4 stroke models (so if you look at a 15 horse or under 4 stroke whether Tohatsu, Nissan or Merc with the hood off you can not tell the difference).

And yes, alot of Mercs traditionally never had cylinder heads (referred to as "headless" or "split block" design).

That was a sign that the powerhead had actually been built by Yamaha (who to my knowledge never used the headless design on any of their own branded motors).

So to answer your finally question "are some tohatsu really mercury engines?"

The answer is NO - BUT alot of Merc's are really Tohatsu's - Merc is not building them - they are doing nothing but providing the paint colour and the decals, the motors (whether Merc, Tohatsu or Nissan) are pure Tohatsu.

The day is coming soon when the only true Merc build outboards on the market will be the Optimax and Verado lines - and it's probably only a matter of time until production of those is farmed out somewhere as well...."
 
Now I'm really confused. W

Now I'm really confused. Which size 2 stroke Mercs are actually Tohatsus? I know they make some of the smaller 4 strokes.

Jeff
 
"Jeff, as far as I know, the o

"Jeff, as far as I know, the only 2 strokes built by Tohatsu were the single cylinder 4 and 5 horse motors bearing "product of japan" on the tag.

Ian, yes, the Tohatsu built Mercs are pretty much pure Tohatsu.

There was an early (1999/2000) "R" series of motors that had a couple minor modifications specifically for Merc, but that quickly went away and now they are identical.

Yamaha built two different series of motors for Merc over the years.

There was the Yamaha Mariner line which was pure Yamaha - carbon copies of earlier Yamaha models.

Then there was the regular Merc line (which includes the Merc/Mariners).

Yami either built components or complete outboards to Merc spec and they often contained a mixture or blending of both Yamaha and Merc parts (which in my opinion produced some of the most superior outboards ever to hit the market).

You would often find Mercs to have Yamaha built powerheads and gears with Merc's Thunderbolt 4 ignition, a Merc gearcase and Walbro carbs - super well built, ultra-reliable motors.

The bottom line for me comes to this. If you want a 4 stroke motor, spend the few extra bucks and get a Honda. Their design, engineering and reliability is second to none - although they do have a habit of discontinuing the parts right along with the model when they stop production.

Your second choice in a 4 stroke should be Yamaha. They design from the drafting pad on up - so you don't get a cobbled together model.

I wouldn't touch another 4 stroke on the market today - they are still trying to work out all the bugs and unlike a 2 stroke, a 4 stroke needs to be cared for to the letter of the factory maintenance chart or you quickly have a couple hundred pounds of scrap metal on your hands.

If you are looking in the 30-40 horse class of motor, why not consider a 2 stroke direct injected.

Tohatsu has the 40 TLDI and Evinrude produces the 40 ETEC - both superior choices to any 4 stroke currently on the market in that horsepower class in every respect - faster, lighter, just as clean/quiet, cost less initially to buy and cost way way less in maintenace..."
 
"Another piece for my Keeper F

"Another piece for my Keeper File. Thanks, buddy.

Jeff

PS: Ain't no way I'm gonna go 4 stroke! Heavier, slower, greener..."
 
can some one help i have 2009

can some one help i have 2009 90hp 3 c 2stroke with 50 hrs after running full speeded and coming back idle it runs ruf and shakes awful had it back too shop 3times they said it normal for that engine?????what up with that harold**
 
"Mercury's from 30 hp and

"Mercury's from 30 hp and down, in 4-strokes, are Tohatsu engines. Depending on the model there may be a cosmetic difference on the cover and/or a different shift design. Mercury has Tohatsu build some models with a shift in the grip feature rather than the Tohatsu standard positive shift lever. In other parts of the world, Tohatsu sells the 2-stroke, 50 hp and down to Mercury who sells them in country's that do not have restrictive emission laws.

Mercury and Tohatsu do have a separate real estate company that owns a piece of land and a building. Mercury has no involvement with design(except they did provide some R & D on the EFI of the 25 4-stroke) or production."
 
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