Mercury's Coil Issues?????

[Fishitifyoucan]

Ok guys, I posted a problem I was having a few months ago....it ended up being a bad coil on my 225 Pro XS. No problem, got it fixed and bingo, another one goes out. Got that one fixed. Neighbor has the same boat, same motor and has lost two coils now in the last 2 weeks of fishing. Last time it took him over 3 hours to get back to the launch!!

Question here is I have been told by several people that Mercury is aware of the problem....I guess it is a Manufacturer's problem for the coils. My questions is why can't Mercury just replace all the coils the first time if they are aware of the bad coils???

I understand things break, but this is becoming a safety issue not to mention leaving a sour taste in my mouth with Mercury and their willing of not solving the problem other than coil by coil. If they have received newer coils that aren't experiencing the problem, then I would think that they should let all their owners know and have them bring them to their Authorized repairing dealers and have them all replaced.

I don't believe anyone wants to launch their boat with a thought in the back of their minds....."Am I going to blow another coil TODAY?" and have my day of fishing ruined.

I know others have experienced the problem......so what are your thoughts?

[XMAN]

I hear they went though 4 differant suppliers for the coil issue--i was talking to a guy last week who has went though 6 of them--a couple of them in clearlake awhile back---i not bashing merc and was going to put a new one on a new bass boat, but now i'm thinking yamaha with a 5 yr warr of course---xman

[XMAN]

ohhh, just wait till your fuel rails start going, yekes

[kb]

Xman not in California you aren't unless you are ready to join the four stroke crowd on your new bass boat. None of Yamaha's two stroke motors meet the CARB requirements in this state and they are not available for sale.

I have had 7 Pro XS motors and have had one problem with coils, two years ago. Last two years have had zero issues with coils on the Pro XS motor.

kb

[ryan accardo]

i had lots of problems with my 250 mercury pro xs.it ended up costing me 7000.00 and three different repair shops until cnc marine fixed it thanks to jim moulton. my problem started with air pump and injectors and cracked head and water gasket splitand metal shavings in fuel rail.sold boat no running an EVINRUDE and its an awesome motorno problems in 1st year .all motors have some issues

[kb]

and ya get two more rods on the Dobyns staff for running one of those things....

kb

[XMAN]

ya kb thats exactly what i was thinking --a 4 stroke--lets see, for starters i'll take a Z518 with a 150 or 200 4 stroke yamaha, i think i prefer the 150 4s yami with its 4.62 holeshot and better milege numbers--and i sure wont care that i didnt max out on horsepower, now that just might be the ticket--make mine red please-----X

[ryan accardo]

hey kb i knew id get a response.it was 4 rods.that 250 pro xs was a great motor the first 3 years .like i said they all have issues sooner or later.its to bad that mine was the 03 racing motor so mercury racing is harder to deal with than mercury.same motor company to different depts.mercury was very helpful but mercury racing had final say in the warranty cause it was 3 weeks out of warranty when my problems started

[kb]

I love red boats....and you will probably be able to just move that decimal point over one place on the 4.62 and you will see your top speed on the Z518 with the Yammie 150 four stroke. You better get the color you like because the resale on that one is gonna draw blood....oh that is why you get the red one I get it..... Actually that boat is a standard package for Ranger just tell them you want the "Reps Package" it won't buck you off like his ropin donkey does!!! They will know what you are talkin about.

Ryan you were running the 250 XS out of the race division and they don't come with or are eligable for the 5 year warranty. That is why the Pro XS came along with many of the same features but became a production motor and not a race motor. Yep they all will have some issue or another eventually. Shouldn't you be up on Melones getting in some practice casting and waiting?


kb

[ryan accardo]

taking the weekend off after don pedro last weekend.that lake sucks.start this week prefishing tim turner told me to tell you whats up ,but not in those words ya know turners english if its not a cus word it doesnt come out of his mouth

[2ndsuks]

All manufacturers have some kind of issues whether it's lower units, overheating problems or coils, pick your poison!
I've had two coils go out on me in two years but Mercury and Mike at Capitol City Marine took care of them on the spot, not bad in my book.
Not every coil is bad, the problem is you don't find out until it's blown. I admit it is a pain in the arse but thank god it’s an easy fix. I can't blame Mercury for not wanting to replace every coil on every Pro XS that's been sold, they could not survive that kind of financial endeavor, especially in this economy.
All and all my Merc’s have been good to me and I will stick with them, but my 6.0 Power Stroke is another thing!

Mike Tobey

[XMAN]

right now in bassboat central there is a poll going on, on how many coils are going out on people--go to bbc boards, and then to mercury 3.0 high performance forum--out of 101 people, the failure rate was stated at 86 out of 606 or 15 %--is this an ok failure rate, i dont know--1 guy was on his 10th one which sure sounded like a stretch to me and hard to believe--this should answer your question--there is also a mechanic that is being very helpful to these guys when they have questions on what to look for and check-----X

[Grape Ape]

Add me to that list. I have a Mercury 250 Pro XS and have already lost 2 coils. Yep Mercury sure does know of this problem and will not recall them. Was told they will just replace them as they go out. That's bad for us but, can be super bad for people who do this for a living. Can you imagine blasting off for a big tourney and your motor runs like crap? The worst part about it is that Mercury knows about it!

Oh and another hats off to Jim and the gang at C & C Marine! Yep the coil going out kinda spoiled my fishing trip up North but C & C had me fixed in about 15 minutes!

[F Camacho]

And I thought I was the only one having this issue. My Merc Verado 250 on a Ranger Z21 is currently sitting in the shop for the THIRD time this year for this same coil issue. I have now had a coil fail three times and all three have been during a tournament. I have lost faith fishing tournaments due to the fact a failed coil is always in the back of my mind. It makes it tough to compete if your head is not completely in the game. Even my tournament partners now prefer to use their boats over mine. It really sucks when You have a 50K boat sitting in the garage that your afraid to take out for fear of not making it in at the end of the day. Also, I'm out of warranty by 1 year so it's all out of pocket expenses for me each time. Frustrating to hear Merc has known of this issue for some time now.

[Grape Ape]

I hear ya Mr. Camacho! I feel for ya. Your boat shouldn't be at the shop for more than a 1/2 hr. to change a coil though. It's pretty easy and quick to do. Maybe Mercury should give us some "spare coils" to keep on our boats! Kinda like spare fuses! If I was you I would call Jim or Richard @ C & C Marine (209) 526-4120 to see what they can do for you about that warranty issue. Just doesn't seem right that Mercury knows about this problem and won't cover it even when your warranty runs out. That would be pretty sorry @ss business if you ask me.

[jimmyG]

Does the 'Lemon Law' apply to marine manufactures? If it is an un-corretible problem in the automotive industry, Lemon Law states that the dealer has to buy it back from you. I know, Dodge had to buy my truck back.

My buddy that I fish with has a 2008 Merc and has replaced 7 coils, he now carries spare coils. What happens when his warranty runs out? Coils are expensive, to pay for service is expensive.

Its time someone talked to an attorney and check on the Lemon Law, but then again Mercury would probably be the next one to jump on the bankruptcy band wagon.

[Fishitifyoucan]

Jimmy,

Good question and good point! I have been in the automotive business for 25 years and have dealt with my fair share of Manufacturer's Buybacks.

However, I am not looking for Mercury to buyback the motor.....what I AM LOOKING for is the company, Mercury to be a standup company and back their products. Yes, my motor does have a 5 year warranty on it and I am glad it does. No, I have not had to come out of pocket for any repairs to my coils since they are covered under warranty....but this is not the point of this discussion. It's a major inconvenience and most of all a time matter of taking the boat to the shop, down time, etc.

The point is that Mercury is AWARE of the situation and is leaving the owners in a mysterious quandry when taking their boat out. Not knowing if or when the next coil is going to go out is not a pleasant thought.

I totally understand the concept that the engine is a mechanical device and mechanical devices to breakdown, but Mercury should be stepping to the plate on this matter and start replacing all of the coils with the newer updated coils!! It is simply BS that if they know they are bad, WE, the consumer is faced to simply WAIT until the next one goes out.

Another option is to cover the coils past the 5 year warranty time....what happens if not all coils go bad during my 5 year warranty knowing they are bad.....guess what, bend over and take one for the team I guess!!!!

This is the issue I have!

One last point......I have been told others carry "spares" on their boat?? Well, I am not a mechanic and I would never dare try and touch anything on my Pro XS motor.....I am not trained nor am I even close to being a "wrench". So to those that carry spares,......how do you tell which coil is bad and are you replacing them on the water?????

[kb]

There is a great deal of assumption going on in this post guys. NOT all the coils in all Mecury motors are bad. Mercury does not make the coils they are a product from a supplier. Has anyone out there not been taken care of on a bad coil, if so drop me a line and I will try to help you locate your local dealer and get you back on the water.

If the product doesn't fail during the five year warranty and you have several hundred hours on the motor by that time and it does then sorry it isn't covered by your warranty. If it is then it is covered parts, labor etc.

One thing I have learned with the coil issue was if you have a coil go bad your dealer has to replace that spark plug as well. If they aren't they could cause another failure. There isn't a Mercury dealer around that isn't going to cover this and help you. As far as anglers not having confidence in their motors I have to think that there are thousands of Mercury motors on the water every day that work every time the key is turned. The companies are not going to replace every coil on every motor they have sold in the past 6 years when they haven't failed. They are going to replace all the ones that fail. I am like some of the other guys I wouldn't have a clue how to check a bad coil or what one to replace.

There has been some failure on gearcases but they aren't going send everyone a new gear case. Every motor manufacturer has failure, there are more Mercury motors on the water than anybody else, especially here in the West. The coil issue is no secret and it is being addressed, other companies have had gear case failures, they have been fixed, others have been losing their share of powerheads and have been fixing them.

Contact your Mercury dealer if you are concerned about a problem you may have with a motor and they will take care of it, or contact Mercury warranty/customer service to take care of the problem. I have seen Mercury take care of way more issues both under warranty and not than any other motor company.

There isn't enough time or space here to list all the anglers that trust their Mercury motor to get them to and back from every time they go out.

Mercury/Brunswick is a far cry from being the next one that is going to file bankruptcy so get that one out of your heads. If you don't know who your local Mercury service dealer is drop me a line here on WB and I will try to help you find them.

Kent Brown
Mercury National Pro Team

[Fishitifyoucan]

KB to the rescue.......

I appreciate and respect your protocol sponsorship protective response. I am not knocking the product Kent. I am knocking the simple FACT they are aware of the problem. And yes, any product under warranty will be taken care of, NATURALLY.

The point of hundreds of hours and 5 years later is not a valid arguement, knowing there are defective coils out there.

For those that haven't experienced the problem....CONGRATS! You are the fortunate ones. For those of us that do not have the LUCK of the draw with Coil issues, we will continue to WISH our coils will last.

By the way, I was not looking for anyone to come to Mercury's defense. I will always own a Mercury, I believe they are the best.

I was looking for an explanation of why Mercury is not willing to replace all of the coils?? It only makes sense, if the new coils are not going bad once replaced, why would Mercury not choose to replace all the coils so that the boater's confidence and trust is earned. I would respect that approach much better than just saying, come on in when the next one goes out!

[kb]

If a coil doesn't go out in five years is it defective that is my point. I will try to get you guys an answer from Mercury as to what they are doing to prevent and correct the issue. Unfortunatly there is nobody that I can talk to at Mercury on the weekend.

as far as protocol sponsorship protective responses I guess it would be easier to look the other way at these posts like many of the sponsored guys do. I think however that if you are sponsored by that company you are obligated to try to help the guys buying that product if they have a problem with it and to try to stop the negative when you can. I also believe that if you are sponsored by that company you should tell people that as well it makes for less posts of guys saying "yea but he is just saying that because he is sponsored by them". Fishitifyoucan you need to pm your name and where you have had your boat fixed at as I have a hard time telling them your WB name and getting anywhere. Send me your serial # as well on your Mercury and maybe there is something we can do to fix your issues and return your confidence in your motor.

I travel with lots of guys fishing and have seen them all have problems. I know of one Yamaha and one Rude blowing up just this weekend at the NG at Clear Lake. It happens!

kb

[Fishitifyoucan]

Kent,

I was in no way bashing or creating negative waves towards Mercury. Just trying to find answers that make sense.

I will be more than glad to provide you the information you requested. I understand your position 100% and truly appreciate your sincerity and willingness to help out fellow anglers!

PM will not be able to be sent until Tuesday, next time I will be out in my boat. Boat is stored at marina. Thank you.

Peter

[eagle123777]

I am one one of the unfornate ones that has a 08 250 pro xs that is now going back for probably its 3rd coil..before the coil problems my 21x2 would jump on plane like a cat with its u know what on fire...since its a dog...I am not a tournament angler but i do hate it when fishin trips are ruined and back to the dealer i go and its not always 30 mins and go. first they have to have the time to jump on it right then (most dont) then they have to test to find the bad coil so beats me how u can do this on the water. So each bad coil equal 2 trips to the dealer so that all adds up...and like most this just pisses me off....

My mechanic was told Merc was supposed to have new coils from another supplier starting last july but dont know this for fact.

To answer the question on the CA lemon law...marine motors are covered but you will have to research to find out if your situation fits the rules....and most likely will have to hire an attorney to make anything sitck....jack

[maxe]

I have not had any coil issues(06' Merc Pro XS 225) but I know of guys who have. When I raced motocross you would always have problems with stock bikes that were known problems coming out of the factory. Aftermarket companies would always come out with a fix. Question I have is why are there no aftermarket companies trying to fix this? Couldn't they just make a bullet proof coil and sell on the side? Looks like there would be a market, just saying...

[TonyL]

I ' m not in the marine industry , been in the auto for years though, and have also seen issues like this.My guess is they're gonna replace the least amount of coils as possible until they know they have a veifiedupgrade/replacement with no further issues.After this I'd guess -they'd replace all on a case by case basis,boat comes in for a bad coil , all get upgraded.Doubt they're gonna just replace all coils good/bad.Also this research takes time,a long time...

[Keith Tripp]

KB, actually my new boat is white, black and silver......should make it a lot easier for you to clean after Dobyns uses it....

that was a big statement from someones who's all hat and no cattle!!!!!!

[Murph]

My #2 coil went out a couple of weeks ago, on my 2008 225 XS. What a pain, 7.2 mph tops, but it did get me back. The speculation, for some reason, was that it would be on #5 or #6.

[jrbasspro]

Kent

Thank you for the information on the coil and having to change the spark plug as well, that is great information to know

I want the new 250 XS so that information will come in handy as I usaully keep most common fail items on hand in the boat or RV

Walt kondracki

[eagle123777]

i also appreciate kents input...but if you go to bass boat central and read under...merc..3.0...it takes at least a timing light to find the bad coil...then you have to choose one of three coils to have on hand...i will trust my mechanic to make that decision...but again...those trips to the mechanic should not be neccessary...and mercury knows it....i didnt pay 15k-20k for a new motor to have it sitting in my dealers lot.....jack

[Vern]

Was not going to get in on this post but after my third coil problem I decided to. The first time I lost a coil Mercury replaced all of them at the request of my dealer, I lost the #6 coil Sept 17 at Havasu. Took it to the shop there where they replaced the coil got back to Mead and the first day on the Lake lost the #6 coil again. Fishing a tournament October 31 lost another coil will be taking it back tomorrow. If it is the same coil I will let you know. I am going to call Mecury tomorrow also to see just what they have to say. Vern

[tunaman]

Guess I'm glad I have an '06 XS Pro 225... knock on wood, but I haven't yet had a coil problem to this point.

Roger