I have finally made a decision and it is between these two motors.

2004 Yamaha VMax 150 HPDI
2004 Yamaha VMax 150 (carubated)

I was wondering if anyone has either of these motors and what they think of
them? Any help and opions would be greatly appreciated.
Chris

I personally would go w/ a Merc EFI.
Having said that - between these two engines I would go w/ the Carb engine
if you plan on keeping it for years to come. The HPDI will get better fuel
economy and as long as it is under an extended warrenty it should be fine.
Once the warrenty expires I would want to get rid of it. Repair bills will
eat you alive on one of these engines if anything happens to it. Also -
resale will be very low because of this.

I like EFI as it has good economy, is reliable, cranks like a car (no
throttle or choke or anything). This is why I say the Merc since Yamaha
does not sell a standard EFI anymore.

--
Tony
My Boats and Cars
http://t.thomas.home.mchsi.com
"Chris Rennert" wrote in message
...
I have finally made a decision and it is between these two motors.

2004 Yamaha VMax 150 HPDI
2004 Yamaha VMax 150 (carubated)

I was wondering if anyone has either of these motors and what they think
of
them? Any help and opions would be greatly appreciated.
Chris

"tony thomas" wrote in message
news:Zjm9d.208804$D%.67774@attbi_s51...
I personally would go w/ a Merc EFI.
Having said that - between these two engines I would go w/ the Carb engine
if you plan on keeping it for years to come. The HPDI will get better
fuel economy and as long as it is under an extended warrenty it should be
fine. Once the warrenty expires I would want to get rid of it. Repair
bills will eat you alive on one of these engines if anything happens to
it. Also - resale will be very low because of this.


Well, after just having had to replace a full set of carburetors on a pair
of Mercury Four Stroke outboards I can assure you that having carburetors is
not a guarantee of trouble free boating. These motors only had 16 hours on
them, and were supposedly still under warantee, but it seems that Mercury
considers gasoline to be a contaminate and thus they don't cover their carbs
fouling up and becoming useless. They also seem to have a problem with
supply, because so many people are replacing them, that you may have to wait
months to get replacement carburetors.

These Mercury outboards I have are pieces of @#$% ! \

I am certainly never going to buy another carbureted Mercury motor, and I
may never buy Mercury again period!

Rod McInnis

These motors only had 16 hours on
them, and were supposedly still under warantee, but it seems that Mercury
considers gasoline to be a contaminate and thus they don't cover their carbs
fouling up and becoming useless.

If I was a poker player, I'd call your bluff. 16 hours? Gas a contaminate
(what are ya supposed to run 'em on)? Instead, since I like to fish, I'll
call this a troll, and leave it alone...sheez.

--Mike

"rmcinnis" wrote in message
...

"tony thomas" wrote in message
news:Zjm9d.208804$D%.67774@attbi_s51...
I personally would go w/ a Merc EFI.
Having said that - between these two engines I would go w/ the Carb
engine if you plan on keeping it for years to come. The HPDI will get
better fuel economy and as long as it is under an extended warrenty it
should be fine. Once the warrenty expires I would want to get rid of it.
Repair bills will eat you alive on one of these engines if anything
happens to it. Also - resale will be very low because of this.


Well, after just having had to replace a full set of carburetors on a pair
of Mercury Four Stroke outboards I can assure you that having carburetors
is not a guarantee of trouble free boating. These motors only had 16
hours on them, and were supposedly still under warantee, but it seems that
Mercury considers gasoline to be a contaminate and thus they don't cover
their carbs fouling up and becoming useless. They also seem to have a
problem with supply, because so many people are replacing them, that you
may have to wait months to get replacement carburetors.

These Mercury outboards I have are pieces of @#$% ! \

I am certainly never going to buy another carbureted Mercury motor, and I
may never buy Mercury again period!

Rod McInnis

On Sat, 09 Oct 2004 04:33:20 GMT, "mgg" wrote:

~~ snippage ~~

If I was a poker player, I'd call your bluff. 16 hours? Gas a contaminate
(what are ya supposed to run 'em on)? Instead, since I like to fish, I'll
call this a troll, and leave it alone...sheez.

I don't know about the carb thing because I have never had that happen
and I've never heard of such.

However, I can speak to Mercury warranty policies and they frankly
suck. I have a 67# thrust MotorGuide trolling motor on my Ranger
(Great White) and the control potentiometer caught fire. Obviously,
the trolling mtor is now junk as the lower unit also took a huge hit
internally and burned out at the same time. It was purchased new two
years ago and this happened about a month before the warranty expired
(this summer in fact).

Mercury said in refusing the warranty claim: "The motor must have been
submerged at some point causing corrosion and we're not responsible
for those kind of owner/operator errors".

That's an exact quote from a letter received from Mercury concerning
this warranty claim. In short, they don't want to have to replace my
trolling motor.

I'm still working on it and the prospects are excellant. However, I
would be willing to believe anything about Mercury warranty practices
at this point.

Oh, and just for the record, I wouldn't buy a Mercury engine if you
paid me. Not only because of this problem, but when you shift gears,
there is so much gear lash in the lower unit that it sounds like a
head on collision between two eighteen wheelers doing a buck twenty
five.

Ok - that's hyperbole. I meant to say eighty five.

Take care.

Tom

"The beatings will stop when morale improves."
E. Teach, 1717

rmcinnis wrote:


These Mercury outboards I have are pieces of @#$% ! \

I am certainly never going to buy another carbureted Mercury motor, and I
may never buy Mercury again period!

Rod McInnis



To add my little story about Mercury outboards:

I purchased a new Whaler Dauntless equipped with a 115 hp carbureted
Mercury engine in 2001. This engine model is the type that runs on 2
cylinders up to about 1800 RPM, then cuts in the other 2 cylinders.

After about a month of occasional use the engine began dripping a half a
cup or so of 2 cycle oil whenever the engine was tilted up when not in
use. The oil would collect in the Whaler's engine well, then run out the
drains causing a very noticeable oil slick at the marina. (Boat was in a
slip)

At first I thought the oil tank (located on the side of the engine,
under the cowling) was leaking, but determined that it was not. I
finally realized the foam insulation inside the cowling was saturated
with oil. It seems that when running on 2 cylinders oil is still
injected into the non-firing cylinders (makes sense) but those
carburetors quickly become loaded with oil that leaks out whenever you
fully tilt the engine up.

Anyway, I called the dealer for a fix and was told "It's the nature of
the beast". Not believing that, I called two authorized Mercury sales
and service centers and was told the same thing - there is nothing that
can be done to fix it. The only way to avoid producing an oil slick was
to leave the engine down all the time.

My new Scout is equipped with a Yamaha 200 hp four stroke. Much nicer
engine.

Eisboch

On Sat, 09 Oct 2004 06:25:06 -0400, Eisboch
wrote:

rmcinnis wrote:


These Mercury outboards I have are pieces of @#$% ! \

I am certainly never going to buy another carbureted Mercury motor, and I
may never buy Mercury again period!

Rod McInnis



To add my little story about Mercury outboards:

I purchased a new Whaler Dauntless equipped with a 115 hp carbureted
Mercury engine in 2001. This engine model is the type that runs on 2
cylinders up to about 1800 RPM, then cuts in the other 2 cylinders.

After about a month of occasional use the engine began dripping a half a
cup or so of 2 cycle oil whenever the engine was tilted up when not in
use. The oil would collect in the Whaler's engine well, then run out the
drains causing a very noticeable oil slick at the marina. (Boat was in a
slip)

At first I thought the oil tank (located on the side of the engine,
under the cowling) was leaking, but determined that it was not. I
finally realized the foam insulation inside the cowling was saturated
with oil. It seems that when running on 2 cylinders oil is still
injected into the non-firing cylinders (makes sense) but those
carburetors quickly become loaded with oil that leaks out whenever you
fully tilt the engine up.

Anyway, I called the dealer for a fix and was told "It's the nature of
the beast". Not believing that, I called two authorized Mercury sales
and service centers and was told the same thing - there is nothing that
can be done to fix it. The only way to avoid producing an oil slick was
to leave the engine down all the time.

My new Scout is equipped with a Yamaha 200 hp four stroke. Much nicer
engine.

The Evinrude 200 FICHT on my Ranger does that also, but not to that
extent. The left over oil leaks out of the air baffle.

I put an oil absorbant pad in the pan and change it twice a year.
Problem solved.

All the best,

Tom
--------------

"What the hell's the deal with this newsgroup...
is there a computer terminal in the day room of
some looney bin somewhere?"

Bilgeman - circa 2004

Short Wave Sportfishing wrote:
On Sat, 09 Oct 2004 06:25:06 -0400, Eisboch
wrote:


rmcinnis wrote:


These Mercury outboards I have are pieces of @#$% ! \

I am certainly never going to buy another carbureted Mercury motor, and I
may never buy Mercury again period!

Rod McInnis



To add my little story about Mercury outboards:

I purchased a new Whaler Dauntless equipped with a 115 hp carbureted
Mercury engine in 2001. This engine model is the type that runs on 2
cylinders up to about 1800 RPM, then cuts in the other 2 cylinders.

After about a month of occasional use the engine began dripping a half a
cup or so of 2 cycle oil whenever the engine was tilted up when not in
use. The oil would collect in the Whaler's engine well, then run out the
drains causing a very noticeable oil slick at the marina. (Boat was in a
slip)

At first I thought the oil tank (located on the side of the engine,
under the cowling) was leaking, but determined that it was not. I
finally realized the foam insulation inside the cowling was saturated
with oil. It seems that when running on 2 cylinders oil is still
injected into the non-firing cylinders (makes sense) but those
carburetors quickly become loaded with oil that leaks out whenever you
fully tilt the engine up.

Anyway, I called the dealer for a fix and was told "It's the nature of
the beast". Not believing that, I called two authorized Mercury sales
and service centers and was told the same thing - there is nothing that
can be done to fix it. The only way to avoid producing an oil slick was
to leave the engine down all the time.

My new Scout is equipped with a Yamaha 200 hp four stroke. Much nicer
engine.


The Evinrude 200 FICHT on my Ranger does that also, but not to that
extent. The left over oil leaks out of the air baffle.

I put an oil absorbant pad in the pan and change it twice a year.
Problem solved.

All the best,

Tom
--------------

"What the hell's the deal with this newsgroup...
is there a computer terminal in the day room of
some looney bin somewhere?"

Bilgeman - circa 2004

Gee Tom it's a bad design!!! just a total disaster from 97 till it's
latest try with a lame name change.

Imagine any other consumer item that costs even say $100 which had a
chronic oil leak?? but hooly dooly these cost more, much more, than a
car!!! You'd think they'd at least they could afford to give you a
warranty period supply of "absorbent" pads ....... loony tune short life
spark plugs??........."special" dealer only oil??? ............power
heads when the detonation kills them:-)

They're a monstrous consumer ripoff & they have the neck to carry
multiple serious design flaws which have yet to be even admitted to.

Don't give them any more of "your" money, but of course it is your
money so.........

K

Eisboch wrote:
rmcinnis wrote:


These Mercury outboards I have are pieces of @#$% ! \

I am certainly never going to buy another carbureted Mercury motor,
and I may never buy Mercury again period!

Rod McInnis


To add my little story about Mercury outboards:

I purchased a new Whaler Dauntless equipped with a 115 hp carbureted
Mercury engine in 2001. This engine model is the type that runs on 2
cylinders up to about 1800 RPM, then cuts in the other 2 cylinders.

After about a month of occasional use the engine began dripping a half a
cup or so of 2 cycle oil whenever the engine was tilted up when not in
use. The oil would collect in the Whaler's engine well, then run out the
drains causing a very noticeable oil slick at the marina. (Boat was in a
slip)

At first I thought the oil tank (located on the side of the engine,
under the cowling) was leaking, but determined that it was not. I
finally realized the foam insulation inside the cowling was saturated
with oil. It seems that when running on 2 cylinders oil is still
injected into the non-firing cylinders (makes sense) but those
carburetors quickly become loaded with oil that leaks out whenever you
fully tilt the engine up.

Anyway, I called the dealer for a fix and was told "It's the nature of
the beast". Not believing that, I called two authorized Mercury sales
and service centers and was told the same thing - there is nothing that
can be done to fix it. The only way to avoid producing an oil slick was
to leave the engine down all the time.

My new Scout is equipped with a Yamaha 200 hp four stroke. Much nicer
engine.

Eisboch

Sad story but it's good to know you were listening in those days &
didn't fall for the Ficht/Opti BS:-) & even now didn't get the DFI
yamaha, well done. It's aways easy for the spriuker dealers to say all
sorts of things when it's other peoples' money.

Sorry I'm a bit over the top this morning, the conservatives (we call
ours "liberal/national coalition" just to confuse everybody:-)) have won
again, along with the US free trade agreement we're lookin' good.

K

I was like you, trying to make a decision whether carbs or not.... the
dealer changed my mind. go without the carbs, my motor cranks over the
very first time, every time. carbs cannot do that.
plus with the compressor, and fuel injection, the motor is very fast, go
with optimax, from mercury.
The biggest, nationwide dealerships, easy to get parts, even if your motor
is 40 yrs old.
you will not find that with jap motors.
"Chris Rennert" wrote in message
...
I have finally made a decision and it is between these two motors.

2004 Yamaha VMax 150 HPDI
2004 Yamaha VMax 150 (carubated)

I was wondering if anyone has either of these motors and what they think
of
them? Any help and opions would be greatly appreciated.
Chris