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2005 Mercury 150 carb vs 2007 150 EFI

A

Airchair

Member
Hi all,
I have a 2005 150 carb motor that has a blown trigger and stator. The motor has 475 hours on it. For a bit more cash than it would cost to replace the trigger and stator on the carb motor, I have an opportunity to trade it for a 2007 150 EFI which has 42 hours on it. Would this be a wise move? Could I expect any fuel saving by going from carb to EFI? Are there any issues that are common on the EFI and if so are they expensive? Any advise would be appreciated. thanks Greg
 
You will not see any increase in efficiency at least not a noticeable one. Unless its a Direct fuel injection engine IE Optimax. If your 150 carb engine runs good and is in good condition, do the repair.
 
Docksidemarineservices said:
You will not see any increase in efficiency at least not a noticeable one. Unless its a Direct fuel injection engine IE Optimax. If your 150 carb engine runs good and is in good condition, do the repair.
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Thanks Chris,
The carb motor has been good to me over the past 8 years, I only ever got stuck on the water twice, the 1st being the impeller and now the stator. My only concern is that its now getting quite old, and the mechanics here cant guarantee that if we replace the stator and the trigger it wont happen again. They cant pinpoint what caused the stator and trigger to blow. The EFI has much lower hours, and is 2 years younger, it also comes with a 3 month guarantee. I am in South Africa, and the currency against the US dollar is quite weak, if i were to buy the stator and trigger here it would cost the equivalent of around $2500-00. I can pick them up in the states for around $1000 but then I still need to get them here and pay the duties, tax etc. Obviously the guarantee that I would receive on the parts would be useless as it would not be honored by any dealer in South Africa. Trying to work out if its better to spend the money on the later model and lower hour engine.

regards
Greg
 
Docksidemarineservices said:
Why don't you price out the High pressure fuel pump on the EFI engine. You may stick with your carbed engine.

Hi Chris,

funny you mention the fuel pump. The dealer who has this motor told me he would install a new fuel pump on this motor if i were to buy it. Is there something i need to know about the fuel pumps? Are they prone to fail?
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Greg, I live in South Africa too. My engine is much older, 1979 Black Max 175HP. I buy parts from ebay, and receive them in about two weeks after placing orders, and the prices work out OK. I keep this old motor because everything is still available and the motor is running very well. It is true, EFI will cost you even more when the problems begin to occur.
 
Peter Devil Ears said:
Greg, I live in South Africa too. My engine is much older, 1979 Black Max 175HP. I buy parts from ebay, and receive them in about two weeks after placing orders, and the prices work out OK. I keep this old motor because everything is still available and the motor is running very well. It is true, EFI will cost you even more when the problems begin to occur.
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Hi Peter, thanks for the info. I tried e-bay but I couldn't find my stator listed, so I checked the Mercury website and found some dealers in Florida( where my mom lives). That's where I got the prices from, I was quoted around $530 for my stator, and around the same for the trigger. They wanted to send it by regular usps but I was a bit concerned with that due to our SAPO's tendency to either break or lose parcels. That's why I was going to get it sent FedEx, but they want $280 just for the shipping. I don't know what duties are on those parts but just the VAT would have been around R1000. When you buy off e-bay what delivery channel do you use and how much are duties? Are there any other fees that need to be paid besides duty and VAT? My concern is that all the mechanics I have spoken to cannot give me a reason for the failure of both the stator and the trigger at the same time, and cant guarantee that if I replace them they wont blow again. My carb motor has 475 hours on it, and has never given a problem in the past except for the impeller needing to be replaced. It did stand for around 8 months last year, but was services in around September and test driven by the dealer. It was then put away and wasn't driven till December when we drove it for an hour and a half before it just cut out and wouldn't re-start. I don't know if maybe its a better idea to go for the EFI with 400 less hours, or change the stator and trigger on the carb and hope for the best?
 
Hi Greg, I only pay what ebay quotes me. The delivery charges are included so I can see exactly what I am going to pay when I shop on line. The part is delivered to my door and arrives in a Fedex van. When I shop locally I get slightly higher prices sometimes so it is worth it considering that via ebay I still pay for shipping.

You do have a good point though, 400 less hours is a huge advantage. Maybe the swap is a good idea. Perhaps search for threads on this motor and see how many problems have been reported to see how reliable the EFI motor is. On cars and bikes I never had computer or pump problems. Not even injector problems. And I play with old things!
 
Peter Devil Ears said:
Hi Greg, I only pay what ebay quotes me. The delivery charges are included so I can see exactly what I am going to pay when I shop on line. The part is delivered to my door and arrives in a Fedex van. When I shop locally I get slightly higher prices sometimes so it is worth it considering that via ebay I still pay for shipping.

You do have a good point though, 400 less hours is a huge advantage. Maybe the swap is a good idea. Perhaps search for threads on this motor and see how many problems have been reported to see how reliable the EFI motor is. On cars and bikes I never had computer or pump problems. Not even injector problems. And I play with old things!
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Thanks Peter, so you don't have to clear customs or pay duties or VAT on top of the quoted price by the seller you are purchasing from? I see on e-bay some sellers show a price for shipping to South Africa for like say $44, but it says it will be shipped by regular USPS , is this all you pay? The dealer who quoted me using Fedex for the stator was $230 just for the shipping, and then we still had to clear customs and pay the VAT and duties.
From what I have read so far most guys rate the EFI as bullet proof. Regards Greg, by the way where are you in S.A?
 
I am in Edenvale, Johannesburg. I do not pay VAT and duties. Perhaps packages with high weights would be a different story as far as duties go. From ebay I have only purchased small and light parcels. This may also be why you were quoted $230 for the stator shipping, it weighs a bit more than the parts I have bought on ebay.
 
Peter Devil Ears said:
I am in Edenvale, Johannesburg. I do not pay VAT and duties. Perhaps packages with high weights would be a different story as far as duties go. From ebay I have only purchased small and light parcels. This may also be why you were quoted $230 for the stator shipping, it weighs a bit more than the parts I have bought on ebay.
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We are are almost neighbors, Highlands North here. Did the swap, collecting next week, hoping for the best!
 
Good luck with your newer engine. One word of advice. Only use Mercury Oil and if the engine is not running smoothly at idle, shut it down because the end will be near off idle.
 
Docksidemarineservices said:
Good luck with your newer engine. One word of advice. Only use Mercury Oil and if the engine is not running smoothly at idle, shut it down because the end will be near off idle.
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Hi Chris, thanks. I have been advised to use quick silver premium plus. Do you agree with this? With my carb motor, I used either CTS or premium plus, depending what the dealer had in stock at the time. They are mercury agents and said that the carb motor was fine with CTS, but say that with the EFI I must use premium plus. When you say if the idle is not smooth, is this a symptom of mechanical or electrical failure? And what is likely to be the problem if the idle is rough? As I mentioned, they have installed a new fuel pump on the EFI as they say the motor has not been started since January 2013. I did go past during the installation, and the old fuel pump was working ( it was hooked up to a 12v battery in a bucket of fuel and when connected it did pump), but the dealer said he wanted to change it for a new one just in case. They also gave me a 3 month warranty on the motor itself, so I will be doing some hours in that time period to make sure all goes well. Regards Greg
 
Peter Devil Ears said:
Hi Greg, where do you go with the boat? And do you fish or play with water toys?
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Hi Peter, I had places on the Vaal river for over 20 years. We sold there end of 2012, and bought a place at the Vaal dam which we moved into in December last year, that's the reason that my boat sat for a year without being used. I enjoyed the river but the water quality has become terrible. The dam water is awesome, clean and plentiful. Also got a bit bored with the same 52km of river week end after week end. We used to ski, but gotten lazy over the last few years so really just use it to putter along most of the time. My boat dealer always says I am overpowered for what I use the boat for, but its always better to be over rather than under powered in my opinion. As for fishing, I do mine at Woolies:p. Where do you boat? Regards Greg
 
Airchair said:
Hi Chris, thanks. I have been advised to use quick silver premium plus. Do you agree with this? With my carb motor, I used either CTS or premium plus, depending what the dealer had in stock at the time. They are mercury agents and said that the carb motor was fine with CTS, but say that with the EFI I must use premium plus. When you say if the idle is not smooth, is this a symptom of mechanical or electrical failure? And what is likely to be the problem if the idle is rough? As I mentioned, they have installed a new fuel pump on the EFI as they say the motor has not been started since January 2013. I did go past during the installation, and the old fuel pump was working ( it was hooked up to a 12v battery in a bucket of fuel and when connected it did pump), but the dealer said he wanted to change it for a new one just in case. They also gave me a 3 month warranty on the motor itself, so I will be doing some hours in that time period to make sure all goes well. Regards Greg
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Premium Plus is what you want to use. If this engine develops a miss at idle, it will not clear itself. It could be fuel related or electrical, either way it will need service. Ask for the old fuel pump with the engine. Always good to have a spare.
 
Hey Greg, I go to the Vaal river, Bronkhorstspruit, and for just a little skiing, I go to Rynfield dam which is very close to home, I can test the boat there also if necessary, then a long drive is avoided. I want to go to the Vaal dam also, know a good place where I can go just for a day and launch and camp etc? Thanks.
 
Peter Devil Ears said:
Hey Greg, I go to the Vaal river, Bronkhorstspruit, and for just a little skiing, I go to Rynfield dam which is very close to home, I can test the boat there also if necessary, then a long drive is avoided. I want to go to the Vaal dam also, know a good place where I can go just for a day and launch and camp etc? Thanks.
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Hi Peter, I am still new to the dam so not sure what there is around, but here are some links you can look at. If you search camping on the Vaal dam or something similar, you should get lots to look at. Regards Greg
http://deneysville.co.za/deneysville-accommodation/
http://www.vaalmeander.co.za/boatlaunching.htm
http://www.vaaldamcamping.co.za/
 
Docksidemarineservices said:
Premium Plus is what you want to use. If this engine develops a miss at idle, it will not clear itself. It could be fuel related or electrical, either way it will need service. Ask for the old fuel pump with the engine. Always good to have a spare.
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Hi Chris, thanks and that's a great idea to ask for the old pump, gonna take it out next week end , so will report back after, hopefully all good news! One more question, they are not going to change the main oil tank in the boat, however as I was using both CTS advanced and premium plus for the carb motor, I am not 100% sure what mixture of those oils is in the tank, Should I empty it and refill with only premium plus, or do you think it will be ok to just add premium plus going forward? The tank a quarter full, so I could add premium plus to fill it up. The dealer here does not think it will be a problem to start adding premium plus going forward and use what is in the tank as it stands now, would you agree? Regards Greg
 
Hi guys,OK so took the boat out with the EFI motor last week end. Drove great for around 2 hours. Then as I began to accelerate I got an overheat alarm.Throttled back to neutral and the alarm went off. I did have water coming from the tell tale so, so was a bit concerned. Idled it back to the harbor with no more alarms and then as I got close to the harbor I accelerated and again the alarm came on. Took it out the water and took it to the mechanic. He pulled the impeller and said that was the problem. Is it possible to have water coming out of the tell tale at all speeds and for the impeller to not be operating properly?? The mechanic also discovered that the motor was only running on 5 cylinders, one of the cdm boxes was burned where the harness connects to it, the plug on the harness side is also burned and one of the 5 pins on the cdm module is missing. He is going to change the harness and the cdm module. Is it ok to just change the one broken module or must you change all at the same time? The mechanic says we only need to change the one, is this correct? they are not cheap, but I don't want to have to change one every few months, if the new module could affect the old ones that are still working fine. Luckily I have a guarantee on the motor so i wont have to pay for this one, but is the dealer trying to save cash by not replacing all when this should be done? I didn't really realize that the motor was only running of 5 cylinders, but I also didn't hammer it, only revved it to around 3000rpm. It did sound a bit louder than my 150 carb, but didn't have any smoothness issues up to those revs. The dealer where I bought the motor did say after his test drive before I collected it that it was only revving to 5100rpm, but his suggestion was to re-prop. The dealer who found that it was only running on 5 cylinders is not the same as the dealer who I bought the motor from. Any advise would be appreciated. regards Greg
 
Hey Greg, don't change the prop yet. First see how it runs with the 6 cylinders all working properly, and see what RPM level you can reach then.

The other guys should reply on the question about changing all CDMs, but I can't think of a reason why they all need to be replaced.

As far as the overheating is concerned, check it out with all 6 cylinders working, since the dead cylinder may have caused the overheating (small possibility). You may need a new impeller for the water pump too.

Check the compression on this motor.
 
Peter Devil Ears said:
Hey Greg, don't change the prop yet. First see how it runs with the 6 cylinders all working properly, and see what RPM level you can reach then.

The other guys should reply on the question about changing all CDMs, but I can't think of a reason why they all need to be replaced.

As far as the overheating is concerned, check it out with all 6 cylinders working, since the dead cylinder may have caused the overheating (small possibility). You may need a new impeller for the water pump too.

Check the compression on this motor.
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Hi Peter, thanks for your reply. we did change the impeller, the motor had been standing for a year before i purchased it, so i figured it was probably a good idea. I'm pretty sure with all 6 cylinders working the motor will reach the correct RPM's at WOT with the current prop. I had the same pitch prop on my 150 carb and revved to 5750 which is what the label on the motor stated, I think the EFI will be the same on once all the cylinders are working. Will test it when i get it back and let you know. regards Greg P.S any luck on finding a place to day trip on the dam? even though i have yet to fully enjoy it, it really is a great dam to boat on.
 
The 2007 EFI 150hp merc is a great motor. Mine now has 480 hours on it.

Overheating can be cased by worn impeller, stuck thermostats and damaged poppet, all cheap items.

As for the CDM, replacing one is fine.

The 2.5motors had a tendency to drop the exhaust tuner as the bolts broke off.
This causes it to run rich in the midrange and lack torque therefore fouled plugs.

Enjoy the motor, they are very reliable.
 
magnum19 said:
The 2007 EFI 150hp merc is a great motor. Mine now has 480 hours on it.

Overheating can be cased by worn impeller, stuck thermostats and damaged poppet, all cheap items.

As for the CDM, replacing one is fine.

The 2.5motors had a tendency to drop the exhaust tuner as the bolts broke off.
This causes it to run rich in the midrange and lack torque therefore fouled plugs.

Enjoy the motor, they are very reliable.
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Thanks,I'm sure it will be great. Hoping to get it back soon. Regards
 
Hi Guys. I am also a South African and stayed 5 minutes from Rynfield until December last year. I bought a Viking 185 with a 2.5 Mariner 200 on it in October and ran it there a few times without any kind of trouble. I moved to Cape Town in December and spent weeks trying to sort out jetting and carb issues. Managed to get that sorted and took it out on the water two weeks ago. Ran like a stabbed rat, except for issuing me with an overheat buzzer every now and again. I got so frustrated and the new job doesn't allow time for me to work on it myself so I took it to a mechanic.

He confirmed Thermos and Poppit all in order, and impellor was also in good condition, but the gaskets in the water pump were the "wrong type" so I wasn't getting the required water pressure through the motor. I get it back this weekend and hopefully it's sorted

Make sure the guys check the gaskets on the water pump and that your alarm is the overheat and not low oil, which is the beep beep beep alarm.

A question for all of you. The telltale on my V6 runs so hot you could make coffee with the water does yours run that hot?
 
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