2000 Mercury Optimax 225

ragtopped · Post by **ragtopped** » Thu Jan 05, 2017 8:00 pm

Im getting ready to buy a boat that has a 2000 Optimax 225. I heard there were some issues with these. Does anyone have opinions? Thanks

Whoopbass · Post by **Whoopbass** » Thu Jan 05, 2017 8:08 pm

Must be a good un if it has lasted this long. Just keep doing whatever the previous owner has been doing.

clearlakeoutdoors · Post by **clearlakeoutdoors** » Fri Jan 06, 2017 5:27 am

Mercury had a class action suit over those motors. Fuel injectors were replaced in alot of motors.

Stratos278 · Post by **Stratos278** » Fri Jan 06, 2017 5:54 am

ragtopped wrote:Im getting ready to buy a boat that has a 2000 Optimax 225. I heard there were some issues with these. Does anyone have opinions? Thanks

clearlakeoutdoors wrote:Mercury had a class action suit over those motors. Fuel injectors were replaced in alot of motors.

The early Opti's had a rash of bad compressors also. They didn't call them "Opti-pops" for nothing...

Whoopbass · Post by **Whoopbass** » Fri Jan 06, 2017 8:53 am

Yes early Opti's and Ficht's had major issues and earned a bad reputation however a percentage of these motors are still going strong today. Some motors crap out at 300 hundred hrs some 3000 hrs and this motor might be the 3K+ hr type.
The only thing that would scare me off with this motor is if it has low hours or more then one powerhead has been replaced.

ragtopped · Post by **ragtopped** » Fri Jan 06, 2017 9:36 am

It has low hours like 165

Whoopbass · Post by **Whoopbass** » Fri Jan 06, 2017 11:00 am

You may want to go talk to your local Mercury mechanic. That particular motor was one of the problematic Opti's. The owner needs to be aware of this so he's not trying to get extra $ for a low hour motor.
There is a bunch of info on the net that might help you make your decision.

I found this post with a quick search on the internet.

The Merc computer S/N check should list available updates and whether or not they were performed on the motor in question. In most cases, the 225s from the problem years had total powerhead failures and the entire powerhead was replaced. As I noted, the 1999s did not appear to be a part of the problem motors, and I do know their design was a bit different from the later models. If I was in your position and the motor was a later 2000-2002 3 liter I'd pass on the buy. But the 1999s have a fairly good reputation and most of the motors that failed in the later years did so in less than the first 100 hours of operation. The computer check at the dealer should also be able to tell you how many hours are on the engine.

In my opinion, many of the people who had problems with the Optis and other similar hi-tech 2 strokes simply didn't read their owners manual before running the motor. These engines run very tight parts clearances compared to older engines. They must be warmed up for a few minutes either at the dock or running at less than 1200 rpm, especially in cold water. They must run only the factory approved oils and be maintained per the manual. In the case of the V-6 Optis, the water pump impeller must be replaced every 1-2 years, the manual says yearly, and on a 225 this would be a good idea. In addition, the Opti runs a 2 stage cooling system with thermostats and a by-pass poppet valve. The stats usually need to be changed every few years- a simple and cheap job. Many people get confused because the motor is only running on the stats when its under 1600 rpm or so- the big bypass poppet opens at higher rpm and temp drops way down. Thus, you can have a motor with weed or mud clogged stats that does not overheat at high speeds- but will overheat at low speeds. If you disregard the motor overheat warning horn from the clogged stats you will damage the engine.

I would suggest that you run the rig you're looking at before buying- and on the water, not with earmuffs on the trailer. A good Opti V-6 will start almost instantly cold or hot, idle as smooth and as steady as a car engine, and have no smoking, missing, loading up, throttle lag, etc. It should run just as nice as a modern auto engine with none of the old oddities of the older outboard engines. My son in law rode several times in my rig before remarking how flawlessly the "new 4 strokes" run- then I told him an Opti is a 2-stroke- and he didn't believe me until I showed him the manual.