HOW TO REPLACE OPTI REEDS

[Cupins]

I am new to BBC, but was referred to this site by THT and all the usefull Opti info. I need to replace a chipped reed.

I have 02 225 Opti's w/570 hrs. I have found out I have a chipped reed in one of the blocks. What does Not need to be removed from the Air Plenum in order to get it off to get to the reed blocks? I have never been in there before, and want to make it as easy as possible.
Am i forgetting anything below? Does anyone have a How To?
(My Merc service manual doesnt say much)

Unplug sensors.
Remove ground plug
Remove both linkages
Do all oil lines need to be pulled?
Does air plenum need to be completely removed and disconnected to get adapter plate and reed blocks out?
Does oil pump stay attached?
Are the gaskets generally replaced or reuse if possible?

Anything else?

Thanks Mark

[EuropeanAM]

Welcome to BBC!

Normally, you will need (at least) the REED PLATE GASKET. This gasket is recommended (at a minimum), you will be unbolting the Air Attenuator Assembly, and the reed block from the engine.

You will normally leave the majority of the oil lines CONNECTED to the intake. The oil line FEEDING the air compressor must be disconnected, and on earlier models (oil tank mounted to PORT side at REAR of block), you will need to disconnect the oil line from the oil tank (be prepared to gather spilled oil immediately with a drain pan, etc).

Most importantly- you need to take the time to inspect INSIDE the intake (after reed blocks are removed), INSIDE the crankcase, INSIDE the intake runners, and INSIDE the Combustion Chambers for evidence of any remaining REED PIECES. Portions of reeds left inside the engine may find their way into the combustion chamber, causing SEVERE powerhead failure.

Upon reassembly, the oil system must be properly bled to remove ALL air from the supply line, and an OIL PUMP PRIME SEQUENCE should be completed ELECTRONICALLY with the Computer Diagnostic System (or a DDT).

[Ranger519VS]

I would recommend getting the service manual for your motor. Lots of invaluable information.
As a quick reference I would suggest referring to "parts express" on the European AM website(http://www.europeanmarine.org/). Do a parts search entering your motor serial number and exploded diagrams of the various components on your specific motor will come up. You can learn a lot from this.

Replacing the reeds is really not difficult at all on the Optimax. I did it myself. More a matter of getting things out of the way. Mine really runs sweet after adding the Chris Carson reeds.

[Cupins]

Thanks, I do have the service manual, and acess the parts express page frequently. The manual does not give you a step by step, just the diagrams and specs (as you know). The first time ia a little intimidating, but I will give it a go.

Thanks for all input

[ChrisCarsonMarine]

Give a call,we can supply the reeds as well as guide you on the install,we also have the necessary gasket,chris,800-329-2725

[Cupins]

Thanks Don for the inside info. I had a little time to start the removal of the plenum, got it removed and went to remove the adapter plate and noticed the fuel lines going thru the bottom holes of the adapter plate. Do these fuel lines disconnect at the VST and primer bulb, in order to get pulled through the adapter plate holes to pull out the plate?

[EuropeanAM]

You should be able to disconnect the fuel lines at the VST and/or fuel pump (pulse fuel pump).

[bmas13]

Will replacing the reeds on an 06' 225 ProXS improve its performance? I believe that it has carbon fiber reeds, but I may be mistaken. If so, what improvements would I be looking at?

[Ranger519VS]

xIf you already have carbon fiber reeds (Don could answer that) I would think any changes would be minimal. I know carbon fiber is spec'd on the new Pro XS motors.

[Cupins]

Update: Don, I got the reed plate out and inspected the reeds. 3 of the reeds are chipped. Now that I know this, wouldnt it have been a good idea to do a compression test before pulling eveything apart, to determine if there was a bad cylinder? The inside of the crank area looks very clean, no sign of debris. I hope it cleared itself. Do i need to put the reed plate and air plenum back on to do a compression test? Do all the oil lines need to be hooked back up? I do not want to spend the money on new reeds, gakets, etc. if I have a bad cylinder.

Thanks.......

[EuropeanAM]

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by bmas13 &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">Will replacing the reeds on an 06' 225 ProXS improve its performance? I believe that it has carbon fiber reeds, but I may be mistaken. If so, what improvements would I be looking at?</td></tr></table>

Brian: Your engine already has Carbon Fiber Reeds. For the ProXS series engine, there would be little or no benefit to be had from any other reed (and your engine is specifically calibrated for the Carbon Fiber style reeds the engine came with).

Cupins: Since you've already pulled things down this far... your best options would include:

-Leakdown Test (this gives the BEST indication of cylinder health, WITHOUT further engine disassembly.

-Remove Cylinder Heads, allowing for an INSPECTION of the cylinders, ports, and intake runners (this way you can INSPECT to see if any metal fragments of the reeds remain).

I would normally highly recommend the second choice... although a Compression Test is usually one of the VERY FIRST things checked when looking for engine performance problems (one of the basics).

I would not recommend attempting a compression test with the Fuel Management System and intake/reed assemblies removed.

[Ranger519VS]

If there are chipped reeds, wouldn't that give lower readings on a compression test and give a misleading indication of cylinder problems?

[ChrisCarsonMarine]

Broken or chipped reeds have little or no effect on cylinder compression readings,Chris

[EuropeanAM]

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by derick881 &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">If there are chipped reeds, wouldn't that give lower readings on a compression test and give a misleading indication of cylinder problems? </td></tr></table>

No... as Chris stated, missing or broken reeds (just because they're missing) would have little or no affect on compression readings.

HOWEVER.... in the case of steel reeds, if the reed itself is ingested into the combustion chamber, causing failure of the piston, rings, etc- THAT will cause a change in compression.

[rabidsquirrel]

When did Carbon Fiber become the standard reed type (Material) in the Optimax line?

I only ask because I had a 2006 225 pro xs that happened to have the metal (alloy) reeds in it from the factory... I have a new to me 2011 Puma now, and it has a 2011 250 Optimax Pro XS (~350hrs on it), and I'm thinking that it's about time to replace the reeds (Had some chips/cracks in the reeds on the 225 around 300hrs), but if they are Carbon Fiber, I'm assuming that I can go a bit longer with that type?

Thoughts?

[EuropeanAM]

The 225 and 250 PROXS have always had a 5-petal Carbon-Fiber Reed.

200 ProXS models are a different story. There is a serial number break where that model switched from Steel to Carbon-Fiber.

If your 225 ProXS had steel, it was either an error, or and error.