1997 Merc 200hp ... what to look for when buying?

[dazk14]

Hi Folks,

I'm looking at buying a Mercury 1997 200 offshore series motor.

Are there any major issues with this vintage? The owner says it has 287hrs..

Can this be verified electronically?

What is "Good" compression for this outboard.

I'm pretty mechanically adept, but no experience with such a new motor.

Any help would be MUCH appreciated!

Thanks,
Mike

 

[galamb]

Re: 1997 Merc 200... what to look for when buying?

If this is an EFI model, while it will have an engine computer, this was pretty early on, so I don't believe this was one of the models where you could get "historical" readouts from the computer.

In fact, I believe the sensors on this one can be tested without a diagnostic terminal so no way to confirm (from the engine itself) the total hours.

1997 was 13 years ago. While 287 hours on a motor that age is not uncommon it actually would concern me more than if it had 800 or 1000 hours.

MYTH - low hours on an old engine is ALWAYS a good thing.

287 hours/13 years averages out to 22 hours a year - or the equivalent of the motor being run about 3 weekends a year.

Motors that don't see alot of use almost never have the required service done on them - if you only hit the water three long weekends over the summer, how likely are you to drop a couple hundred bucks to do annual maintenance? or store it properly?

The more likely life of this motor was, it started out with alot of use the first couple of years and then for whatever reason, got used less and less until someone was told to "get rid of that thing that you never use".

The motor might be in great shape or it may cost almost the equivalent of a new replacement to get it "back into shape".

So definately test the compression - it would have been 110-135 when it left the factory - today it "must" be at least 100 and no more than 15 different between cylinders.

That only tells you if the head is toasted. If it is an EFI model that means computer and sensors which can cost significantly more to replace than have a head rebuilt.

So I would make the conditions of the sale a "satisfactory tech-check" - better to spend 100 bucks at a shop finding out if that 2K computer is fried - before you settle on a fair price.

As to price now - If all is well, checks out fine and runs decent - and looks exceptionally pretty - and also includes the prop and controls - it might be worth 2500 bucks.

If it is a "saltwater" run motor, I would cut that price in half...

 

[joe_gordon]

Re: 1997 Merc 200... what to look for when buying?

The yokes on the middle unit were not made of stainless steel and are very prone to rusting. Grab the lower unit and push and pull it. Make sure that it is not loose through the pivot. The engines have knock and idle stabilizer units. It is recommended to disconnect them. You should also inspect the stator to see if there are discolored coils.