2 cycle vs 4 cycle outboards

[wadersneyes]

I recently heard a rumor of madatory 4 cycle engines outboards. Is this true? Are older 2 cycle outboards grandfathered in or will they have to be updated to meet new requirements. OR Overall which is better motor? I expect as far as pollution goes a 4 cycle is best.Should a person consider an upgrade or have a wait and see attitude.

[Judd]

The deal is that outboards will have to meet certain emission standards. 4-strokes meet the standards as well as many fuel injected two strokes. I just bought a boat with a Yamaha 115 4- stroke and love it. Good gas mileage, no exhaust fumes, and quieter than a 2-stroke. (Thanks Noodle) That said I see no disadvantage to a 2-stroke fuel injected motor. They also get good mileage, few fumes,and are lighter than a 4-stroke. I wonder if the fuel injected 2-stroke is the way to go. Anyone out there know alot about this subject?

[Guest]

I am really impressed by the new four stroke marine engines, yeah theres still a bt of a weight disadvantage, but they are so quiet, broad power band, don't foul plugs, less pollution, etc. My next outboard will definately be a four cycle!

[Guest]

I've now owned a Merc 9.9 hp that I use as a kicker on my 18 ft Targa. It is the hardest starting outboard I've ever owned. When its running, it runs great -- it just does not want to run (yup, it's 4-stroke, and manual start).

On the other hand, I keep a 14 ft rowboat in the water at my place all season -- it's powered by an 8 hp Merc that starts on one pull everytime. It, too, is manual start, but is two-cycle. Both motors are '99 models.

[Guest]

Those of you have lower transoms and lower mounted engines, beware that water can get sucked into the engine and ruin the engine. Backwash, high bow holeshots and having the motor go under while riding out big rollers are big culprits. I've seen/heard several conk out, especially those boats with set-back transoms that ride low in the water. 4-strokes suck more air so I would think that would make them more vulnerable than EFI's?

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Kevin Neve's Devils Lake Guide Service
fishingminnesota.com/kevin-neve-guiding/
e-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 701-473-5411 or 701-351-4989
Minnewaukan ND

[Ybone]

Clayton, Her's some tips on starting that Merc 4 stroke. More throttle is the key to starting this motor. Open the throttle about 3/4 or more and pull out the choke, then be ready to turn the throttle down when it starts so it doesn't rev up too fast in neutral. They need to fast idle about a minute to warm up before they will run properly. If it dies you may have to choke it again to start it. There is also a soft metal plug on the motor that can be carefully drilled or pried out exposing a screw that adjusts the carburator.

[DickUrban]

I also have a Merc 4 stroke with manual start. It starts fine (if I get the shift lever positioned perfectly) and runs fine. Neutral does not seem to be a positive stop. I have to bump the shift lever toward reverse and then it usually is in neutral. The shop tells me it is adjusted correctly and isn't a problem - my arm feels it is a problem when I try to start it in gear. Is this a common problem? Anyone know a solution?

[Guest]

Ybone -- Thanks for the starting info. Is it just Merc four-strokes that start hard, or is it true of them all? Mine really has been a pain.

[Guest]

Ditto on the 4-stroke starting problem. My electric start 15 does the same thing. You need to work the throttle under idle paying attention not to over rev upon starting. Can you make an adjustment somewhere in the throttle/idle mechanism???

------------------
Kevin Neve's Devils Lake Guide Service
fishingminnesota.com/kevin-neve-guiding/
e-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 701-473-5411 or 701-351-4989
Minnewaukan ND

[Guest]

I purchased a Yamaha T8 this summer. It has electric start which probably helps but I have never had any problems with starting. There were a couple of cold days during the last full moon but it fired right up with no hesitation. I also like the power trim/tilt feature. It runs smooth and quiet and will troll for long stretches without any problems.

[The Little Crow Angler]

I have had both a Mercury 50 hp tiller 4 stroke and 2 stroke. My old 50 mercury was one excellent motor. It had its disadvantages. Some of the were:
1. smell of gas/oil--It smoked and to some extent ran dirty.
2. the turning radius was limited when one backtrolled
3. it liked gas.
The one distinct advantage was how slow one could backtroll. I ran the old mercury between 525-625 rpms. It did not die.
In 1998, I bought a new rig with another new 50 hp Mercury motor. This one was a 4 stroke. I found it to be almost perfect with one big exception. The 4 stroke doesnot troll down as slow as my old motor. I have changed props, re-tuned it, and have been faithful in changing the plugs/filters/ and oil. I use Mobil 1 in the motor. The lowest I can backtroll rpm wise is at 680 rpms. When I first use it the rpms are at 900 and then after a half hour, it will slowly cut down to 680 rpms. I have been told that 4 strokes do idle faster. I am very interested in the new fuel injected 4 stroke-50 hp Merc. If it will troll like that of my old 50hp, I will buy one. I do like almost everything about the merc-4stroke with the exception of its backtrolling speed. It is a little more temperamental. Can somebody enlighten me?? It sure would be appreciated.

[Ybone]

Haven't had any experience with any brand other than Merc. 4 stroke. Would be interested in any comments about other brands 9.9 to 15 hp range especially Yamaha and Honda. I have heard Merc and Yamaha were in partnership on the 4 strokes for awhile and may still have the same powerhead. I think there is room for improvement on the Merc. They seem to be touchy on slow troll sometimes dieing if you speed up a little for a turn and then slow back to idle. Some of them can be adjusted to eliminate that problem but others don't seem to run right no matter what you do. Also the the pull start is hard to pull on some of them but the newer ones seem to pull a bit easier.

[Xplorer]

Ybone,
Can't give you report on smaller Honda's but i did have a 30hp Honda for three years. Had some problems starting it initially (warm weather) then carefully read the owners manual and found I had the throttle at the wrong position on the tiller, too low of rpm. Once I followed the procedure in the manual, I never had a hard start again, and I ran the motor into Nov and Dec here in Duluth. Definitly needed to warm up for a couple of minutes (just like a car in cold weather), but ran perfectly. Trolled down to 1.0 on a '97 lund Explorer. Moved up to a 90 honda last summer on the new rig. Xplorer