Anyone Know Of A Resonable Marine Mechanic

[trambia]

does anyone know of a resonable mechanic that can look at a 250xs optimax idles rough and dies, changed the plugs and that made it worse so i put the old ones back in and no help. still wont idle. dont have a lot of money because i have a big boat payment, i thought if i got i newer one i wouldnt have so many problems, boy was i wrong lol. staring to hate all mercurys. thanks

[dtrs5kprs]

Have the same motor, 2005. Have you ruled out all the easy things...bad gas, primer bulb not pumped enough, etc. Have had the occasional issue with mine when I thought it was adequately primed, then found out the line lost some pressure. Also had the same problem with my old EFI Merc.

Have you run some quick kleen and stabilizer thru her?

[Cajunangler]

What the previous post suggested would be a couple of things to consider. Also, look at your manual or online and you can find lots of trouble shooting ideas that you may be able to handle. Unfortuantely, one persons idea of reasonable and anothers can be totally different. Not to mention that anyone with the proper mechanical education is probably going to demand at least the industry average when it comes to their bill. I know none of us like it but that is usually the way it goes. After all, I am sure we all probably like earning the maximum we can at our respective jobs.

I just bought a 2007 200hp Optimax and thought the idiling thing was all handled by computer? And if I am correct the next area to look at is consistent fuel flow. Depending on the age of your system it could be as simple as a fuel line with a small crack or a partially clogged fuel filter. Again, I feel certain the manual offers help in checking and changing these items. Good Luck!

[Jason Essary]

Trambia,

I am having a couple issues with my "new to me" '97 ranger. Sounds bout the same. Called a local marine guy I know, he told me to stop buying the cheap gas because it has ethenal content. He stated that the 2strokes do not like it at all. Dont know if anyone else is having or heard of this problem???

I am working on the problem myself, as I have changed plugs, gas filter, gas water seperator filter, added stabil ethenal conditioner.... I am still working on it. He stated that he would look at it after I tried these things, so he didnt have to charge me for simple fixes.

I will ask him if he would like more work, if he does I will pm you his number. Hes a great guy and understand hes a gem with marine motors.

[motoman]

This may not be a direct answer to your question; but if you hit a roadblock here; the gang over at BassBoatCentral.com message boards/forums are great. They've got tons of Merc/Yamaha/Evinrude/etc. Ceritifed techs as members, that are always happy to help.

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Here's a link to the Mercury page.

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Not only have the techs over there helped (who usually mod their forums), but tons of fellow board members with my exact engine have chipped in too. That place has literally saved me TONS of money over the years. Great place to get help troubleshooting problems, and I think there's over 100k members registered from around the world!

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Don't get me wrong, OAF is my internet home; but BBC is a nice place to visit.

[rps]

Bill Vance in Cassville. Old school Mercury mechanic. He will find a way to make it run. It may not be book, but it will run.

[dtrs5kprs]

Yes, spend the extra $$$ on 91+ octane gas. Even ran it in my old 150 EFI before the 250XS, and so far have avoided those kinds of problems. Now if I could quit dragging skegs and shearing shafts I'd be great.

[skeeter]

Trambia,

I am having a couple issues with my "new to me" '97 ranger. Sounds bout the same. Called a local marine guy I know, he told me to stop buying the cheap gas because it has ethenal content. He stated that the 2strokes do not like it at all. Dont know if anyone else is having or heard of this problem???

I am working on the problem myself, as I have changed plugs, gas filter, gas water seperator filter, added stabil ethenal conditioner.... I am still working on it. He stated that he would look at it after I tried these things, so he didnt have to charge me for simple fixes.

I will ask him if he would like more work, if he does I will pm you his number. Hes a great guy and understand hes a gem with marine motors.

Jason,

Most everyone is having trouble with Ethanol in outboards, outdoor power equipment and some cars. Suggest you only purchase gas at on-the-water Marina's ( high priced ! ) or 91 Octane at any of the gas stations up and down HWY 13 like Ha-Bob's, Rapid Robert's etc, etc. 91 Octane does not have to contain the State mandated 10% devil's brew of Ethanol and neither does the gasoline sold at Marina's. Guarantee you will save yourself a lot of expensive mechanical grief if you can avoid Ethanol blended gas. It's one of the worst things our wonderful Government ever shoved down our throats.

[Bill Babler]

Might try D&L out of Shell Knob, Dan Langley is a very good "Old School" merc. guy. Honest as the day is long. Also Phil Stone recommends a guy and it might be that Cassville guy. He too is very Old School, but makes it work.

[CMAC]

I heard Danny Vazquez was working in KC, use to work for Mercury and in my opinion one of the best to work on Mercury's.

There is also a guy at Baxter I heard was a good mercury mechanic? Can't recall his name?