Mercury 2.5L 200 rigging questions

speedo tube , to me, is more useless than the trim gauge. takes up a 4.25" hole. most just let them run out of the hole on the midsection and cap. to me the most vital gauges are the volt & water pressure, then tach & hourmeter. speedo, trim & gas are a waste of space.
 
Phat keep in mind i am converting to a center console. I have a blank console to start with. I wont know how much room i have for gauges until my control gets here. But i think i have more than enough room for what gauges i want.
 
just remember, if you boating in salt water, a speedo or water pressure gauge can be a possible leak of spraying salt water on the back of your dash
 
spareparts said:
just remember, if you boating in salt water, a speedo or water pressure gauge can be a possible leak of spraying salt water on the back of your dash
Click to expand...

Yup...that's the reason that I ultimately disconnected the aftermarket units that I had. The pressure inside the tube is fine as long as the hose is sound, but if there's a leak from old or rotted hose then the air is replaced with water in the hose and it can get real bad real quickly on your electronics. Stick with a GPS or a transducer with a paddlewheel for speed indications.
 
I wont worry about the speedo gauge. But since i have the water pressure hookup already on the motor i will hook it up.

Been a busy weekend, drove to Louisiana Saturday, went to Kenner first to get the cowling, then spent the rest of the day in Houma, mom is originally from Houma so she hasn't seen her family in a while.

While i was in Kenner, talking with the guy i also scored a used stainless tilt tube for the 2.5L. Got up this morning and spent about three hours changing the tilt tube. Ended up taking a transom bracket off because the tube was stuck in it and free in the swivel and other bracket. Got everything back together and greased, put the lower cowling together, and now she looks as good as she runs. I also got the harness and gas hose/drive cable grommets for the lower cowling, is there a rigging tube adapter available that mounts where these go?

Also just discovered a pouch on the inside of the cowl. Opened it and there was a pull rope inside. I thought to myself, i hope i never have to try to use that! :you:
 
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You could use it in a pinch, provided you eat your Wheaties.

I gotta agree with Phat on the gauges, give me a tach, water pressure and a volt meter. Need to know that your making good water pressure IMO, most important, followed by battery voltage/charging system status. Temperatures on a outboard often require an extra sensor or two.(water and head temp)
I replaced the trim sensor on the Optimax because the Smartcraft Gauges kept beeping to alert me of the sensor failure at every startup. Annoying.
 
I am trying to figure out how to hook my hydraulic steering to the outboard steering arm. Its a SeaStar HC5340-42. Pic Below. Does anybody have an idea on how it hooks up? I will try to get pics tomorrow when its daylight. I think i need a steering arm extension, www.mercurypartsexpress.com/us/steering-arm-extension-kit-p11636.html , but it says "Used with dual engine tie bar kits. Not designed for use with hydraulic or power steering systems or as a primary steering attachment point." . About to get on Teleflex website and look for answers too. On the 250 Sportsman, the hydraulic steering was hooked to the steering arm extensions?

I have never thought about needing a volt gauge, but then again, none of my boats ever had one. Ridge i think i will stick with the dumbcraft gauges. :you: Hopefully no beeping.

EDIT: I need the Teleflex Adapter Kit HO5035, not a steering arm extension (parts 42, 43, 44). $75-$150 I found an exploded diagram on Teleflex website, its below.

hydrosteering.jpg
 

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I think mine does Phat, but i usually run it off my livewell battery. Dad never wanted it hooked to the motor battery, it would blink sometimes when cranking the motor, and he thought it might be bad for the gps. Good idea, but does anybody have a problem like that with their gps on the motor battery?
 
Update, i got a Mercury Commander 4501 binnacle control. Its very smooth without cables. Not impressed with the price once i opened it up. But thats the case with all new controls. I will get cables once i get the bracket and console done so i can accuratly deteermine length. So far i am very happy with my motor choice. No way i could have afforded an Optimax. For now i am done buying parts. I need to use what money i have left on house repairs.
 
jasoncooperpcola said:
I think mine does Phat, but i usually run it off my livewell battery. Dad never wanted it hooked to the motor battery, it would blink sometimes when cranking the motor, and he thought it might be bad for the gps. Good idea, but does anybody have a problem like that with their gps on the motor battery?
Click to expand...

My GPS/Engine and nearly everything else runs on whatever battery I switch to. Never had the GPS turn off while cranking the engine on any of the boats Garmin 2006, Lowrance HDS7, and Lowrance C68 so far. All of which tell voltage. Flats boat doesn't have a volt gauge, just Tach and Water Pressure.

Smartcrafts should carry a warning label, "Owners need to be smarter than their gauges" New set still in the box Spare..
 
Got bored, and stuck the controls and hydraulic steering on the console, to see what mods need to be done. It seems the steering wheel is too far up, and the control handle bottoms out reverse and forward. I might build an angled binnacle pod onto the console. I do plan on extending the top of the console to make room for electronics. Gauges are going on the angled section above the wheel and the space between the steering wheel and control will be for switches.

Below are some pics of the setup and the outboard.

consolemotor003.jpg


consolemotor006.jpg


consolemotor008.jpg


consolemotor007-1.jpg


consolemotor002-1.jpg
 
Will the helm even work at this angle? I will build a binnacle pod, also gives a good place for key and kill switch. I might go ahead and fab a box under the dash for the steering to mount in.
 
I have decided to forfeit the center console idea for now. The boat has worked for me in the past and if doesn't now then i will start wacking the cuddy off.

I will build a bracket, close the transom, and try to work a transom door into it. I want to cut the entire splashwell section out, and extend the sole all the way to the transom, then for deck drainage i want to try using the 2x8 door scuppers that drain thru the transom. I think its the best solution.

I have to figure out how to make the binnacle control work on a side console now. I want to rebuild the entire console to make it work for what i want. I don't care for an almost vertical steering wheel, but i imagine Wellcraft did that due to space.

I know i just got way off topic, just thinking outloud. Right now the windshield is off, the rubrail is off, and i have half the bottom paint left to remove. The boat is almost ready for the liner to be lifted out. Once i get caught up financially y'all be ready for the build thread!
 
jasoncooperpcola said:
Got bored, and stuck the controls and hydraulic steering on the console, to see what mods need to be done. It seems the steering wheel is too far up, and the control handle bottoms out reverse and forward. I might build an angled binnacle pod onto the console. I do plan on extending the top of the console to make room for electronics. Gauges are going on the angled section above the wheel and the space between the steering wheel and control will be for switches.

Below are some pics of the setup and the outboard.

consolemotor003.jpg


consolemotor006.jpg


consolemotor008.jpg


consolemotor007-1.jpg


consolemotor002-1.jpg
Click to expand...
I have the same type of motor only mine is a 93. This is my second season with the motor and she runs great! I'm quite the newbie with this sort of stuff, but have found that most of the fixes, ( thermostats, wires, basic maint,) i've been able to do myself thru the manual. I'm glad someone mentioned to avoid that pressure tube on there for a speed guage. I've heard horror stories of tubes breaking.
 
What kind of speed are you getting with your 2.5? Neither am i an expert but this site has helped me alot. Originally i wanted to repower with a 225 Optimax. But i decided on the 2.5L 200 after some prodding from members here. I am glad i got a simple motor now. The only water line i should be running into my dash is water pressure, and i hope it doesn't bite me in the rear. As for repairs so far it needs two thermostats, and i am replacing everything on the poppet valve assembly. The wee stream is almost scalding hot. One of the thermostats came apart and luckily everything got stuck in the thermo cover. After this i am changing thr water pump and gear oil. Is it true these lower units weigh at a hundred pounds?
 
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