Rebuilt vs. Remanufactured

BuilderFL

BuilderFL

Junior Member
What's the difference and which one would you choose for a 1980 Merc 200hp. I'm torn between spending $3,500 for a used 1995-98 200 hp motor with who knows how many hours and a potential short term use before having to rebuilt either power head and/or lower unit or just repair mine. It's getting pretty old, but them again, I am too and I'm in good working order...well some days. :hide: What are your thoughts?
 
Theferm, excellent write-up on the matter.:clap: Are you actively rebuilding outboards, perhaps a 2.4 short block?
 
BuilderFL said:
Theferm, excellent write-up on the matter.:clap: Are you actively rebuilding outboards, perhaps a 2.4 short block?
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I build a few for people, but I don't do many. My back don't hold out to well after all mt wrecks and stuff, so I try to keep major jobs to a minumum. I know that 2.4L is an expensive one to build if it needs to be bored. The 2.4L's have chrome bores, and you can't bore them. The last I checked it was almost $600 to have a cylinder re-chromed, or $200 to have a sleeve put in. Have you pulled the heads to see how bad it is yet? I know you can buy 2.4L complete engines for less than the parts that go into a rebuild.
 
I did pull the heads and to the naked eye, they are just fine. No scars, no marks, nothing. I will try to take a picture and post it. By the way, when I replaced the head gaskets, I did not use any RTV Silicone. Why, I figured that since they are so expensive (about $40 ea.), I could always return and/or sell them if that was not the problem.
Then I got to thinking that even though I removed all previous silicone and cleaned the two mating surfaces very well with brake cleaner, the lack of silicone on the mating surfaces could allow compression to leak, hence having the same symptoms prior to the replacement. Do you think I should go ahead and re-install them with Ultra Blue RTV Silicone Gasket Maker? :head:
 
Just throwing this out there . . . but I have several drop on late 80's powerheads (2.4L motors with fingerports) They will bolt up to the older mids. I also have a 1981 V225 aswell.

I wonder if the cylinders are out of round. I had heard that can be a problem with the pre-83 2.4L motors b/c the head bolts are on the cylinder walls. I'd just never run across it before.
 
spareparts said:
use no sealer on the head gaskets
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I have always used a brush on type sealer around the outer edge to reduce salt creep. I like the black PERMATEX aviation grade brush on sealer myself. Silicone would be a no no on a regular head gasket. As for the original problem, it sounds like an odd one to me. I thought I remember you saying you had good compression that was even across the board. Normally major engine problems would show some wide variances across the board unless all of your rings collapsed at the same time(not very likely). I think a leakdown test is in order for your engine to make sure what the problem is.
 
use another compresion tester. I had a guy call back after I did a buyers check on a pair of 225 Yamahas. The guy said all the cylinders on both engines only checked at 55 lbs, i told him to go biuy a new compresion guage, teh odds of 12 cylinders on two different engines all being the same amount low is pretty rare. He called back later and said his gauge was bad, he rechecked them and they were all at 125. make sure the tools you use don't lead you astray
 
I had an outboard mechanic come by to just do a compression test and all the cylinders except one (75 lbs.) tested 25-28 lbs.
 
That's with 2 different gauges? . . . sorry to ask stupid questions. It's just unusual that there's no scoring at all and your getting those readings. They must be out of round, but all 6???? I'm really curious.
 
Bigshrimpin, you're curious and I'm dumbfounded. I'm going to go at it again later on today and hopefully take some pictures to post. Again, overheated at high RPMs and I stopped because I saw smoke coming out of the motor. Took the covers off and the temp. sensor (the rubber part) was melting. Motor never started again. Also it will help you guys tell me if it's a 2.4 or 2.5. By the way, are they interchangeable?
 
2.5 weren't around until 1992 and they replaced the 2.4L motors. You've got an vertical reed old chrome bore 2.4L 200hp with the headbolts on the cylinder walls. Many parts are interchangeable on the motors. You can put a 2.5L or a 2.0L powerhead on a 2.4L midsection. The one exception is the early 175 2.0L . . . which has huge open exhaust ports.
 
I tried the oil on the cylinder trick and the compression when up to about 75 psi, so I'm selling the motor on Ebay. Since my original motor blew a rod out the side and they sold me a rebuilt powerhead, I'm not sure if it's a 2.4 or 2.5. What do you think?
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That's an old school 2.4L with a horizontal front. The diamond shaped 2pcs heads only fit blocks with head bolts on the cylinder walls . . . so the block is 82 or earlier. That airbox will only fit on a horizontal intake which means it's a 2.4L V225 or a 82 v200. Spark advance modules are gone too.

The carbs are 1980 or later . . . the enrichener is the newer style.

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