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I fished a tournament last Saturday and first blast off went fine as well as my second run. The next run was not as pretty, crawling up on plan and topping out 10 to 15 mph slower than usual. I am new to high performance bass boats and the boat and motor ( 2010 Bass Cat Pantera II, 2010 Mercury 200 Pro Xs) so Im still not sure what “right” feels like only owning the boat for 3 months. But there was a slight tick when idling making the motor shake every other second or so. Prior to all this I received a low oil warning on my smart craft gauges, so I checked that main tank and had about 2 gallons still present. Next I checked the small tank mounted on the side of the motor which was full. I assumed at that point that either my gauges needed to be recalibrate or whatever part reads my oil level needs repair. I called it a day and limped back to the ramp and added a gallon of oil and the alarm went away but still was mis-reading the oil level. I have now taken the boat to my mechanic and he said he would have to call Mercury tomorrow but the compressions where all at around 98 to 105 which he was not sure if that was normal. He thought it should be around 120. The only thing I have done differently was switch from Mercury opti oil to Mercury prem plus. Any ideas? Should I trust this wrench? I feel like I have a sick kid in the hospital!
Im sure its not the issue but per Mercury ALL optimax engines pro xs, xs, sport models and regular Optis are to run Optimax Dfi oil only, no premium plus, like I said Im sure thats not it, but Id leave that out of the Merc conversation. Things happen and Im sure youll be up and run in no time . Brannon
I might be wrong but my Mercury manual says the Mercury/Quick Silver Prem. Plus is fine to run in the motor? Is this incorrect?
Merc. sent out a message last year to switch to the DFI oil. But Im sure the premium plus is not causing your issue.
So on the oil issue, should I just switch back to DFI oil? Man, thats not cheap stuff!Last edited by BassDad824 on January 3rd, 2012, 8:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Yep not cheap, though neither is a new power head. Compression numbers are low. Should be closer towards the 120 range. The ticking noise may be a faulty compressor/bearing. Make sure the mechanic checks the belt, and the belt tension. Mercury did put out a statement that the motor should now be ran with the dfi oil, though they will still standby the premium plus oil should an issue arise. Hopefully your dealer does not have bad news for you but i would be concerned with those compression numbers, seems odd though that it (low numbers on a relatively new motor) would be on all cylinders though, so i would question his method in which he took them or possibly his gauge is not reading correctly.
Is this type of work…Power Head, coils, belt, etc. covered under my warranty? Is switching oil back to DFI oil ok? Any thing I need to do if switching back to DFI oil? Thanks
I dont have the same mercury motor as you, but I had a very similar situation. It turned out to be a sensor in the reserve oil tank.
Mercury recommends the DFI oil, but the Premium Plus is still acceptable as far as warranty is concerned. The type of oil wouldnt have caused the problems you described.
Those compression numbers sound good to us and it sounds like a crank sensor.
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