1997 200hp Mercury Problems

Zploeger26 · Post by **Zploeger26** » Sun May 01, 2016 5:42 pm

I need help ASAP!!! my 1997 mercury 200hp was running great a month ago it would just have problems starting every once in a while so I talked to my mechanic and he told me it could be carbon build up and i should do a decarb on my motor so I used seafoam in the fuel tank as well as replaced the fuel filter and ran it through the motor. ever since i did that it will start fine but when I try to get on plane it will bog down the first couple tries then finally accelerates but will bog down intermittently again before it gets on plane but once on plane it runs fine. I thought something was caught in my fuel line or something but have no idea what else it could be???!!!

zdbm2004 · Post by **zdbm2004** » Sun May 01, 2016 8:06 pm

Well I'm on the same page with you. I have a 200 XRi motor changed to carburetors back in 04. Was running like a champ and I started to have the same thing. It starts up fine, put it in gear and raise the idle up to 1200 and the motor has somewhat of a miss. Happens a few times or sometimes numerous until I get the rpms up over 1500 and it will go away. Runs like a top after getting it out of the hole. Id make a stop leaving the motor in gear and take off again and the miss wouldn't happen. It only does it when I make a stop, fish for a bit and then when I go to leave I go through it all over again. I just changed the reeds to boysen ones and I already decarboned, changed plugs, squeeze bulb, filter and a few hoses that had small leaks. My problem, I do not think is fuel related. I'm leaning more towards coils/power packs or an electrical component. I spoke with a Merc mech and he thought it was the reeds but I ruled that out today. Picked up speed but still had the miss. Hopefully someone can touch in on our dilemma. Thanks in advance.

hydro · Post by **hydro** » Mon May 02, 2016 3:17 am

Could be the "low speed stator " winding is bad . This charges up your ignition system to fire the spark plugs from idle up to 2000 rpms then after that the high speed stator winding takes over . Another thought is your pulse fuel pump diaphram may be distorted from ethanol or have a hole / tear ?

norcalracer · Post by **norcalracer** » Mon May 02, 2016 5:52 am

Change your spark plugs if you have not done so! Sometimes after running a decarb. it will foul one or more plugs try this first.

Zploeger26 wrote:I need help ASAP!!! my 1997 mercury 200hp was running great a month ago it would just have problems starting every once in a while so I talked to my mechanic and he told me it could be carbon build up and i should do a decarb on my motor so I used seafoam in the fuel tank as well as replaced the fuel filter and ran it through the motor. ever since i did that it will start fine but when I try to get on plane it will bog down the first couple tries then finally accelerates but will bog down intermittently again before it gets on plane but once on plane it runs fine. I thought something was caught in my fuel line or something but have no idea what else it could be???!!!

toddmc · Post by **toddmc** » Mon May 02, 2016 7:21 am

I had a 1997 200 EFI that bogged when I tried to get on plane. A tune-up didn't fix it. I had new injectors installed next for $2400 and that didn't fix it. Lastly, I had a new throttle body sensor installed for $500 and that didn't fix it. The technician said the next step was a new computer for $1000. This is supposedly a common problem with that year of motor. I sold the boat instead.

On the bright side, my 2008 200hp Optimax has been solid.

SpookFreak · Post by **SpookFreak** » Mon May 02, 2016 9:06 am

You could ask Don at Bassboatcentral.com He is pretty helpful. Go to Forums at the top then the Motor forums page.
Below all the boats. You can also do a search there and my be you can find some info if he does not get back to you. You might not hear from him until this evening. He is a busy man.

toddmc · Post by **toddmc** » Mon May 02, 2016 12:44 pm

I agree that bassboatcentral.com is a great source for boat problems. There always seems to be someone on the forums that is in the same boat as you (pun intended). There is always discussions on the pros and cons of everything bass boat related.
The 1997 200hp Mercury engines are talked about regularly on bassboatcentral.com because they have so many issues.

swordfish · Post by **swordfish** » Mon May 02, 2016 3:23 pm

Z26 did you change the spark plugs, do you have efi or carbs? your mecanic may be fine yoy may need a merc ace like Calvin Burns in redding at the ranger dealer there or Lyle Gossit at clear lake by clearlake outdoors

Zploeger26 · Post by **Zploeger26** » Mon May 02, 2016 5:13 pm

I Ran it again yesterday and found that when i would trim the motor up then give it gas it wouldn't bog down but it was harder for it to get on plane obviously, but is this a sign that it may be fuel related issue???? Also my motor is an EFI

hydro · Post by **hydro** » Tue May 03, 2016 4:05 am

"I Ran it again yesterday and found that when i would trim the motor up then give it gas it wouldn't bog down but it was harder for it to get on plane "

If you haven't done so recently change your fuel line /primer bulb the new gas formulation with ethanol melts the liner causing obstructions . Your fuel injectors could also be the cause and may need cleaning / flow testing . I had a similar issue a few years back and it was a bad injector.

mark poulson · Post by **mark poulson** » Tue May 03, 2016 7:01 am

Zploeger26 wrote:I Ran it again yesterday and found that when i would trim the motor up then give it gas it wouldn't bog down but it was harder for it to get on plane obviously, but is this a sign that it may be fuel related issue???? Also my motor is an EFI

There is always a chance that your motor is losing compression, and power, from being used for a long time.
Have your mechanic do a compression test.
You might have to go to a less aggressive prop because your motor doesn't have the power it used to.

J.Bubier · Post by **J.Bubier** » Tue May 03, 2016 2:05 pm

I had an 96' 225efi and did the fuel lines/bulb and spark plugs first because of the ethanol issue, did not see any positive results. I then changed the spark plug wires (found out 2 of the 6 wires were not sending proper current during wide open throttle) and it fixed the problem. Glad I did not have to change the stator etc....Goodluck

RAC · Post by **RAC** » Fri May 06, 2016 2:38 pm

I have a 96 Merc 200 EFI. It ran perfect until one day... It started to do all kinds of weird things. It would run perfect for 6 hrs then bog down like it would only fire on 4 cylinders and would not get up on plane. I verified on the water by pulling plug wires. The lower 2 cylinders were not firing. Sometimes this would last for minutes, sometimes an hour. If i shut it down overnight it would fire right up in the morning and run great for several hours at least. After trying many many things, it was the computer. Cost about 1000 used, but then...... I started getting other sporadic misses and again it would bog down. I figured out that this would happen mostly on trips longer than a day, like a week as Shasta. Once my cranking battery amperage dropped a little the engine would miss on occasion. Put the biggest freshest strongest battery you can in regardless. A low battery will also fry the computer so that may have been the main cause all along. As was referenced above this may stem from the charging system getting weak on the engine, but if you run all day on the trolling motor your not running the big engine enough to recharge it anyway. Always keep a good strong battery in these! Best of luck! It took me about 2 years to figure this out on mine. I'm kinda slow.

RAC