opti pro xs reed replacement ?

bassrman · Post by **bassrman** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 4:34 pm

Just had a dealer tell me that mercury reccommends new reeds @400 hrs ,I did not get a quote on parts & labor,I am wondering how long the reeds last on the xs motors ? mine has 385hrs any one have any input ?.....

eagle123777 · Post by **eagle123777** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 1:34 am

if ur near manteca call jerry(mechanic) at mosdale boats....jack

NoCAL · Post by **NoCAL** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 6:29 am

I have about that many hours on my regular Optimax but it does have the carbon fiber reeds. I just had one go out and had the whole set replaced by Galaxie Marine. It isn't cheap. Under $1000 though.

NoCAL

201Pro · Post by **201Pro** » Sun Nov 02, 2008 8:47 am

depending on whether or not your motor is still under warranty. I believe Merc requires (for warranty purposes) their standard stainless steel reeds. But if it was me, I'd put in the Boyesen Reeds for one simple reason. If a SS reed ever fails, you'll need a new power head (SS parts inside the piston area is no good) ... fiberglass reeds get sucked into the cylinder head will disintegrate and get blown out and you'll just need a new set of reeds. Plus, the Boyensen reeds are said to offer better performance (mid-range acceleration) ... several years ago, I had a set replaced for about $5-600. Might be more expensive now.

Joe Bruce · Post by **Joe Bruce** » Sun Nov 02, 2008 6:33 pm

fiberglass reeds suck !

after a few hours they get a bend and never fully close. you loose alot of bottom end the idle rpm changes and starting can become a bear.

go with carbon fiber.

201Pro · Post by **201Pro** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 8:29 am

Joe, you're right ... I meant carbon fiber reeds!!

kb · Post by kb » Tue Nov 04, 2008 10:06 am

All of the Pro XS motors come with carbon fiber reeds from Mercury. I am not sure of the 100 hour replacement but you need to call one of our dealers that deal with the Pro XS motors and have them out in the field with their customers.

The standard Optimax motors do have metal reeds but the XS has carbon. I think having to replace them at 100 hours is a bit soon however.

kb

201Pro · Post by **201Pro** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 5:35 pm

kb wrote:All of the Pro XS motors come with carbon fiber reeds from Mercury. I am not sure of the 100 hour replacement but you need to call one of our dealers that deal with the Pro XS motors and have them out in the field with their customers.

The standard Optimax motors do have metal reeds but the XS has carbon. I think having to replace them at 100 hours is a bit soon however.

kb

Kent, I think the original post said 400 hours ... which is about right. I buddy of mine just had a new power head replaced because it sucked in a reed ... his was a 225 Opti (not ProXS) ... just a month or two out of warranty, but Merc decided to cover it anyways. The mechanic said that those with a hotfoot tend to be more stressfull on the reeds because of the quick deceleration the hotfoot allows (powerfull return springs) ... this forces the reeds to 'slap' against the heads ... over time, this will stress the reeds enough that it will break off and get sucked into the cylinder head and cause big damage ... resulting in a new power head or having the old one rebuilt.