Any Advice/1983 Mercury 150hp XR2

[shanahan]

Hello, I am considering purchasing a 1983 Mercury 150hp XR2, outboard motor. It is attached to a 1989 18ft Champion Fish and Ski. All pros and cons for this engine welcome, as well as what to look at and listen for. thanks!

 

[countvlad]

Re: Any Advice/1983 Mercury 150hp XR2

Hello, I am considering purchasing a 1983 Mercury 150hp XR2, outboard motor. It is attached to a 1989 18ft Champion Fish and Ski. All pros and cons for this engine welcome, as well as what to look at and listen for. thanks!

no idea about that motor but i think you should get a compression gauge ith you and do one before you buy.. that would tell you in what shape the motor is.... a good compression is always a good sign.... if you do plan to do that you are looking for about 10-15 psi diffence between cylinders and no more... you might wanna research but i would think you are looking for either 100PSI or 120 PSI per cylinder, but im not 100% positive.... my johnson has 120 on all 4 cylinders and yeah i did a comp check when i bought it

sometimes you can tell if bearings are bad by a "clank" noise....

good luck

 

[shanahan]

Re: Any Advice/1983 Mercury 150hp XR2

thanks!, countylad, that is good advice. I will see if I can dig one up. I did not do that with my first boat/motor purchase, but as it turns out six years later, motor has had no problems or issues, and still runs good.

 

[Joe_the_boatman]

Re: Any Advice/1983 Mercury 150hp XR2

A successful lake test would rule out 90% of the problems you could test for.

A few issues that may not show up in a lake test:
Low(er) compression (see above)
lower unit seals (check for milky lower unit oil)
soft spots in floor & transom


At bare minimum I would put the engine in a bucket of water. Let it run for 10+ minutes.
Check for coolant stream out back.
Put it in gear, make sure the prop engages both forward and reverse.
Check under cowl for bad looking wires (they deteriorate with time and cause other problems)
Check the block for peeling paint (possibly signifying that it was overheated at one point)
Check floor and transom by tapping around with a screwdriver's handle, especially around joints.

 

[shanahan]

Re: Any Advice/1983 Mercury 150hp XR2

Thanks Chief Petty Officer,
More good advice. I am glad I found this forum. Lake test will be difficult, as I live in the St. Louis, Mo. area, but there are rivers close enough, if seller agrees to a in/water test. I checked out your project boat pictures, and throughlt enjoyed them. Your detailed description of the project will serve as an excellent reference should I decide on a project like that someday.
Thanks again!