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1997 225hp ocean runner

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goju0

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"Can the powerhead from a 1997

"Can the powerhead from a 1997 225hp ocean runner fit onto a 1992 200hp venom unit?

The 225hp is a 25" shaft and my original engine is a 20" shaft.

OR, is it better to use a jack plate and not screw around with swapping powerheads?

Will using a jack plate cause too much strain on a 20 year old transom on a fiberglass boat?

Is the wiring the same or do I require an adapter unit of some sort?"
 
"Hello Murray...
There are ma

"Hello Murray...
There are many experts on this site, so you will get alot of help. I am not one, but I just went through such a powerhead swap, only in "reverse", that is, a pre-1996 powerhead on a post 1996 exhaust housing and LU.
I kept my 20" L/U, and put on a 225 from a pre-1996 25" motor.

So, here is what you will find:
1. The powerhead will fit on the 1992 200 L/U.
Only one gasket is required for the 'head to L/U assembly.
2. Here is the problem. I am assuming that you have the "old style" wiring harness that is best described as the "big red plug" style harness.
The newer 1997 225 will have the new style modular harness bascially consisting of four multi contact connectors. To use the new 'head on the old L/U, you would have to change the engine harness from old 'head to the new 'head.
This is certainly possible to do, but it is somewhat time consuming to get it exactly right.
You know, wire routing, brackets, etc.
When you swap harnesses, you will find that the wiring for the timer base and stator is different. They have screw terminals on the old style, and connectors on the new style. So, you would be having to swap those parts from your old engine onto the newer 1997 225. That will require a new rectifier gasket, at a minimum.
You will use the powerpack mounting bracket, and you will use the side electrical bracket from the old engine.

I just did exactly that on my 1996 200. So it is possible. A good thing in doing this is that you will have a pile of spare parts for later use.

If you choose to keep the new style electrical connectors, you will have to change the boat harness instead. Or, you can buy an adapter harness that will adapt the "big red plug" boat harness to the new modular style plugs. That to me is not the way to go, because it adds failure points with all the extra connections.
I saw the adapter harness on ebay for 50 bucks just today. You have System Check wiring on the newer powerhead, so if you want to keep all the functionality, you will have to change the boat wiring harness to match the newer motor. Now that I think about it, that is probably the way to go. You would also need a new tach.

Hope this gives you some insight."
 
"Wow, talk about food for thou

"Wow, talk about food for thought.

It sounds like the wiring end of the deal, far exceeds the mechanical end of this project.

When I purchased the boat from the original owner, he supplied me with an original "rude" 200 in baskets(vro failure, I was told), as well as a functional venom on the boat.

Talk about spare parts. The Venom died because of water pump failure and the fact that I could not hear the alarms due to occupational hearing loss.

I want to make this transition as simple as possible without breaking into my grandchildren's college fund. Is it more simple to install a transom plate to accomodate the longer shaft and take it to a dealer to have the boat rewired?

Any idea of what to expect in costs for rewiring a 20 year old boat?

Any info is greatly appreciated and you all have my thanks for having a site like this available."
 
"You are right, the powerhead

"You are right, the powerhead wiring is the toughest part, then the boat re-wiring as not so tough. You would only have to do one or the other, not both.
The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that the boat side re-wiring is the way to go for you.
I bet you could rewire the boat yourself up to the new "System Check" style wiring. You can get the harness in different lengths, I have seen 20' and 15' lengths available. It is very straight forward, with everything color coded, and plugs that only fit their mates. I just saw a post on this site defining the wiring color codes. I am wondering about the control now...I don't think you would have to change that... and you will need a new "System Check" tach...they are about 100 bucks. You don't have to get an OMC tach because aftermarket companies like Faria Marine make OMC System Check compatible tachs.

Also, I have seen references on this site for wiring in the boat horn or a light to provide additional warning to hearing impaired captains! An expert called jwbmarine knows how to do that.

I don't know about the jack plates."
 
"It all depends what you want,

"It all depends what you want, the easiest thing to do is to get the jack plate (~$300 out of your pocket, trade off: no wiring headaches), as a jack plate will give you 5 to 7 inches of travel, but first of all you need to measure your transom, that 25 just might work by itself…a jack plate will also help you better tune your motor or better match it to your boat... my 2 cents..."
 
"the offset will change the fu

"the offset will change the fulcrum point causing stress in different areas, depending on the set back and the height of the motor, than the original set up.

if you are worried about your transom have it checked out by a professional...."
 
"What would be the worst case

"What would be the worst case scenario in just mounting a 25" motor onto a 20" transom?

Will the boat still get up on plane? It's just a 19 1/2' bass boat.

If it slows down top speed, its not a big deal. I don't do tournaments and don't need to get to the hole first. I just want to get the boat back in the water and take my grandchildren out fishing without wrecking the boat or wallet."
 
it will effect your top end pe

it will effect your top end performance and you will not be able to venture into the shallows as easily without tilting your motor...........other than that i see no harm.
 
"Well, just remember, even if

"Well, just remember, even if you choose to use the jack plate....you still have a wiring mismatch to deal with.
Your boat has the "big red plug" style harness.
Right?
And the 1997 225 25" engine will have the "Systems Check" style harness.
Your problems will not be solved with just a jack plate.
Are you buying this motor on EBay? From a dealer in Florida? There are words on this forum regarding such purchases."
 
"The engine was purchased thro

"The engine was purchased through a federal government agency and has fewer than 15 verifiable hours on it. It was used as a spare. When the Fischt and e-tec motors came out, it became obsolete and sat around for years in storage. They fired it up for me in their tank.

I was told by the gov't mechanics that I still had to follow the break-in prodecures on it. I hope it's the best $2000 I have ever spent.

This engine doesn't even have any paint scuffs on the skeg.

I don't mind purchasing a new harness and I don't mind losing top end speed if it means that I don't have to play with a virtually new engine. I am not a huge fan of jack plates. My 70mph days are long over. I also have the electric for the shallows.

Thanks for all the input. Once all this darn snow is gone, I'll take it in to get rewired."
 
"I've seen guys up here wh

"I've seen guys up here who bolt a beefy piece of aluminum to the transom with the extra 5 inches up above the existing transom height. The engine bolts thru this block and the transom on the lower holes. May not be the prettiest fix, but cheap and effective. You can powder coat the aluminum to match the hull colour so it blends in well."
 
"Thanks Doug
I took the lid o

"Thanks Doug
I took the lid off the engine at work today, (I have it stored there until spring) and it already has the red adapter wired into the harness. It was something I was not aware of, nor looking for, at the time I picked up the motor. It looks like it will be easier than expected(I hope).
Thanks for all the help. If it doesn't work, you can bet I'll be back for more help.
Again, people, all I can say is thanks."
 
"So, just to be sure, your boa

"So, just to be sure, your boat harness ends at the motor with a big red plug, right?
And the 1997 225 already has the mating red plug harness adapter wired into the electrical connector box on the lower rear port side of the engine block?

If so, you saved yourself some bucks.
By the way, I think you did very well on the purchase you made. I am envious. Wish I could find such a sweet deal!!!"
 
"That's right Doug. Red pl

"That's right Doug. Red plug on motor with red plug on boat harness.

I received a copy of the maintenance file with the engine as well.

One page showing yearly gearlube changes, plug changes and a new water pump assy every two years.

Basically, I bought a brand new engine that just happens to be 12 years old.

One of the guys at work apparently knows of a mechanic working out of a home workshop that has 20 years under his belt as a omc/johnson/evinrude mechanic.

He is going to arrange for him to oversee the installation of the motor in the spring.

I think I may have to go out and buy some lottery tickets the way my luck has been running lately.

Thanks again for all the help."
 
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