Disappointed in Merc Pro XS 200hp

[toonedin]

serial 1b822001

I had a 200 merc EFI for 20 years... Ran 67 on my Fish and ski with a 25 tempest 6k rpm max
It blew recently... they all do sooner or later, but it had a good life
I went and got a 2011 200 Pro XS.... what a dog.
Same set up ( jack plate 3" below) now runs 60 with a 22, 23, 24 and with my 25 ( all tempest)
Weirdest part, the 23, 24, 25 all ran at 5250 rpm ( smart craft mobile) except the 22
Same speed just different RPMS, WTH, no speed difference
It takes my friends new 22 to get it to 5700 RPM but still 60 mph

Seems I have learned to dislike the 1:75 lower. What is the reason to change from the 1:87
I guess this is the reason for what has happened.

Any way guys with a good EFI should really re-consider moving newer

[bassfisher444]

Was your old EFI a 2.5 or 3.0? The 200 Optimax is a great 200, It would push my buddies TR196 to 71-72 MPH, and thats with 2 power poles and a 36v trolling motor. The 3.0 EFI may have slightly more power but the Optimax should run way better than a 2.5 EFI.

[toonedin]

it was a 2.5 efi.. maybe i'm missing something.. the pro xs motor seems to run smooth
Does not make allot of sense to me . I am not a newbie LOL

[bassfisher444]

Thats an upgrade from your old EFI for sure then. Sounds like it may not be firing on all cylinders, bad ignition coils are common on that year range, I had to replace 2 on my 2010 Optimax. They will run great on 5 cylinders, just be down on power.

[mactlman]

Just the fuel mileage is usually worth the upgrade on the right deal Over an EFI

[chad202]

I'd be willing to bet you have a fuel delivery issue or a bad spark plug.

[I fish 4 Bass]

Have you verified TPS is at max when you are full throttle?

[dukhntr]

Something is up. A stock 2.5 litre 200 will not perform as well as a stock 200 pro xs, ever.

[Jbass123]

No disrespect intended, but your new engine is 13 years old. Could be a lot of reasons why it’s down on power.

[toonedin]

No disrespect intended, but your new engine is 13 years old. Could be a lot of reasons why it’s down on power.

Yes I have contemplated that.
I did check Throttle position, and just put new plugs in

I will check coils... I got it from a guy in OK but picked it up from the Tulsa shop mechanic that gave it a clean bill of health..

thanks for the input for sure. Give me an EFI i can work on it with my eyes closed.. this is new to me
It has 498 hours on it

[chad202]

Yes I have contemplated that.
I did check Throttle position, and just put new plugs in

I will check coils... I got it from a guy in OK but picked it up from the Tulsa shop mechanic that gave it a clean bill of health..

thanks for the input for sure. Give me an EFI i can work on it with my eyes closed.. this is new to me
It has 498 hours on it

2 things: did you gap the plugs? Also, back story, I purchased a 2018 Phoenix 721/250 Merc Proxs. Right after I purchased, I replaced all the batteries and went run it. Turned a 25Fury 5900rpms. Decided to bring the boat in for service in which they replaced the spark plugs. For the next 6mths I chased an issue cause I could only turn 5650rpms. A 23, 24, 25, 26 pitch props all turned 5600-5650. Put the old plugs back in and went back to turning 5800-6200rpms depending on prop. Just because plugs are new, don't mean they working properly.

[Jbass123]

Excellent point here. I’ve had bad spark plugs out of the box myself.

2 things: did you gap the plugs? Also, back story, I purchased a 2018 Phoenix 721/250 Merc Proxs. Right after I purchased, I replaced all the batteries and went run it. Turned a 25Fury 5900rpms. Decided to bring the boat in for service in which they replaced the spark plugs. For the next 6mths I chased an issue cause I could only turn 5650rpms. A 23, 24, 25, 26 pitch props all turned 5600-5650. Put the old plugs back in and went back to turning 5800-6200rpms depending on prop. Just because plugs are new, don't mean they working properly.

[toonedin]

This is really good input... Maybe the thread should be moved to the High performance thread.
I did not expect to be trouble shooting

Thanks guys, I am starting with testing the coils. Tester will be here tomorrow..

[davidsa]

This is really good input... Maybe the thread should be moved to the High performance thread.
I did not expect to be trouble shooting

Thanks guys, I am starting with testing the coils. Tester will be here tomorrow..

good luck! your newer 2s should be as good or better. that was my experience; oh and way better mpg

[toonedin]

Got the testers in.. found 2 intermitent plug wires and a questionable coil.
On to the next step.

[DaveBrabec]

Coil failure is fairly common.

[duracraftman]

Coil failure is fairly common.

Way too common lol.

Anytime mine go bad, my motor won't even start though, so I'm not sure if that's part of his issue or not.

[DaveBrabec]

Way too common lol.

Anytime mine go bad, my motor won't even start though, so I'm not sure if that's part of his issue or not.

My 07 225 has 3 different coils in it but hasn’t had a coil issue in 9 years

[berudd]

Got the testers in.. found 2 intermitent plug wires and a questionable coil.
On to the next step.

Sounds like your going in the right direction. I had a coil go bad on my 150 Optimax so when I replaced it I bought a spare to keep in the boat. For checking them, the Mercury mechanic hook it to his computer that let him shut of the cylinders one at a time. If he shut one off and it ran rougher, that one was deemed good. If shutting one off had no effect on how it ran, that was the bad one. You can do the same test at home just but removing plug wires one at a time looking for the same results.

[Jbass123]

Old car tuning trick that works!

Sounds like your going in the right direction. I had a coil go bad on my 150 Optimax so when I replaced it I bought a spare to keep in the boat. For checking them, the Mercury mechanic hook it to his computer that let him shut of the cylinders one at a time. If he shut one off and it ran rougher, that one was deemed good. If shutting one off had no effect on how it ran, that was the bad one. You can do the same test at home just but removing plug wires one at a time looking for the same results.