Optimax

[Fishinglund]

Hello All!

I bought a 2004 1775 Pro-V last fall with a 115 Optimax on it. I had it winterized at my local marina, but I forgot to ask them if there was anything special that I am supposed to do when I take it out for the spring. A friend of mine says that I should change the spark plugs after I fire it up the first time because the fogging oil tends to foul them. Is this true? It doesn't say anything about it in the manual.

Also, does anybody have a similar set-up? I haven't had much time to play with it, but it seems to have plenty of power to get me where I'm going. The boat planes out very quickly, and with 3 adults, 2 children, gear, tanks, and livewells full, I was getting about 41 MPH top end. (That is plenty for me.)

Thanks,

Fishinglund

[Valv]

You shouldn't have to change the plugs, they might get a little deposit at the very begin but will clear out after a while. Of course replacing them will not hurt the motor and in fact might gain some performance.

For sure be prepared for a hefty price tag on each plug....

[Northlander]

Fishinglund thats a good speed for that boat with that kind of load. Actually surprises me you get that speed with that load. I have a 17' Explorer and only get 43mph with my 115 Yamaha 4 stroke full. Thats on the GPS. Your boats a bit heavier so your doing good.

Change the plugs if your at all worried. As Valve said you probably dont need it but its a cheap piece of mind.

[marine_man]

I think you'll be fine as well... heck, try running it with the current spark plugs... if it's not idling smooth, running right then replace the sparkplugs...

I agree with Valv.. the sparkplugs will likely be spendy, so it might be worth a shot to see if they'll work after you burn the fogging oil off...

marine_man

[zepman]

I may be wrong but I don't think the Optis are supposed to be fogged at all. Bought a new 115 opti last spring and had it winterized last Fall at a shop and I believe he mentioned that no fogging was needed. By the way--I put mine on an 1850 Fishhawk DC and with three guys all over 200 lbs and our gear can still eak out 41-42 GPS. Have been tremendously impressed with this motor.

[Fishinglund]

Thanks for the replies! I didn't think I would have to change plugs, but I wanted to make sure. I have heard they are around $15 each, and I didn't want to change them if there was no need.

Northlander, I too was surprised at the speed of this boat, I can get 44-45 MPH (GPS) with just me in the boat. I was a little concerned about buying an Optimax at first, but my dealer said that as long as I let it warm up for 30-60 seconds before I put the hammer down the motor should perform beautifully. I hope he is right!

Thanks,

Fishinglund

[Gadgetman]

Zepman, I too was told not to fog. I did run a bunch of "stuff" in my gas the last time it was out. Will be finding out soon if it was adequate or not

[Jim Hudson]

I am interested in the real story behind fogging an OptiMax as well. Some do it, and some dont. Where in my manual it states you do not have to do this. I guess, from what I hear and read, even if you fog the motor, it does not effect it. But the real truth would be great to know.

This year, my third year of owning my opti, I will change out the plugs. At the end of last season, the boat started running a bit rough, and I think it was due to the plugs. But I also troll a lot with my 115, so the plugs will foul quicker then normal use. So, I would think you would be fine!!

And yes, that 115 opti is a great motor. I too get 41MPH while loaded to the hilt. That is with the stock prop, where the motor is on 17' Smokercraft Millentia.

[Satchmo]

The plugs do run around $15 a piece, so you probably only want to change them when problems arise. Rather than fogging the direct-injection motors directly, some shops will run a "Storage mixture" through the main fuel line. This is a mixture of fuel stabilizer, fogging oil and gasoline. This process stabilizes ALL areas of the fuel system in the motor, gives them a light coating of fogging oil to protect during storage, and burns out easily in the spring. To improve the performance and help remove any fouling that may have occurred during winter storage, you should run a fuel system cleaner through your first tank of gas in the spring. You've got a nice rig there, take care of it and it will take care of you. Greg

[kjgmh]

Mercury does not recommend fogging oil. They say that since no gas is going throgh the crankcase to wash out the fogging oil from the main bearings it can wreck the bearings. They recommend removing plugs and squirting 1 oz of Opti oil in each cylinder and turning motor over by hand to distribute oil on crankcase walls. Other options are having dealer run the oil pump using the Mercury software.

Other manufacures recommend fogging thier DFI motors, so not sure who is correct.