Service required on a used 4 stroke

[Redwing03]

I am looking at a 2005 Premier Pontoon with 90 HP Mercury 4 stroke. The owner says the engine was not used many hours. I am trying to anticipate expenses. Can someone tell me does this engine require a lot of service such as valve adjustments.

Are there any problem areas with Premier or the 4 stroke?

Thanks you.

[wed]

You may want to look on Mercury Marine's website. They have a section that gives basic recommended maintenance for their motors. I have an '09 90 HP 4 stroke and basically it requires an oil change after specified hours or once a year, whichever comes first. Also, you may want to get an owners manual if you do not have one. I will be changing my oil for spring as I do not have the required hours for one.

Hope this helps some.

[slingshot]

Congratulations, your actually an owner of a Yamaha if it's a 2005 model Mercury. Yamaha made most of Mercury's 4S engines until 2006 when thier contract ran out. No valve adjustment is needed, oil to be changed out every 100 hours and plugs to be changed every 200 hours. It has an onboard diagnostic system which works very well. If you pony up for the laptop software and harness kit from Yamaha you can access the ECM and find out exatly how many hours are on the motor and at what RPMs and all previous and current fault codes the motor has. If I were you, I'd change all oils and plugs now and start fresh for peace of mind.

[dockholiday]

Don't forget the winterizing process, a little different than the 2 stroke. Probably done for now, but you will have to take care of that next year,
doc

[1badtoon]

What Premier are you looking at? They make a very good boat.

don't forget about lower unit

[Redwing03]

Thanks for the good info.

If it was manufactured by Yamaha, it that a good engine?

"1Badtoon"...it is a 23' Premier Sunsation.

I have not bought it yet, will try to get to see it next week.

I bought a used 20 ft Starfisher year before last. This was my first boat in many years and first pontoon. It is a good boat but have determined we really would rather have a conventional bench set up over the 4 fishing seats. Also the Starcraft has a 40 HP Mercury.

Thanks again.

[jbirdbuc]

I have a 50hp honda 4 stroke and soon to have a yammie.

Service is easy, you can download a manual usually from the website, buy the parts at a auto part store. I changed spark plugs, oil/filter and lower unit oil last week on mine. Probably cost $30 total and 1.5 hours of my time. I am not mechanically inclined, but it is very easy to do yourself.

As someone stated, I would do all of this mentioned above, since you are the new owner. The other thing to keep an eye on is the water impeller. Usually change these every 2-3 years. (plan on next season to be safe)

For my boat, I plan to change the oil/filter 2 times per year. (every 6 months). Spark plugs were changed because it had been 2 years. My local shop is just too expensive for basic maintenance. I could see increasing the oil change to 3 if the hours are really high on the motor throughout the season.

Hope this helps.

[slingshot]

IMHO I would say that having a Yamaha is a very good thing although I recall one person's reaction when I informed him that his beloved Mercury was actually a Yami. He was pissed. Yamaha customer satisfaction is excellent and they run quietly and reliably. Mine came with a 6 year warranty. I would say all the large Japanese machines are excellent choices Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha. I'm surprised Kawasaki hasn't entered the fray. I think they would make an outstanding OB.

[mikeherb]

Congratulations, your actually an owner of a Yamaha if it's a 2005 model Mercury. Yamaha made most of Mercury's 4S engines until 2006 when thier contract ran out. No valve adjustment is needed, oil to be changed out every 100 hours and plugs to be changed every 200 hours. It has an onboard diagnostic system which works very well. If you pony up for the laptop software and harness kit from Yamaha you can access the ECM and find out exatly how many hours are on the motor and at what RPMs and all previous and current fault codes the motor has. If I were you, I'd change all oils and plugs now and start fresh for peace of mind.

Does anyone know if my 90 HP Merc (2003 model) has the diagnostic system? I plan to have it checked out if it has the system.

[LTB Racing]

[/quote]

Does anyone know if my 90 HP Merc (2003 model) has the diagnostic system? I plan to have it checked out if it has the system.[/quote]

If it is the "90elpto" in your signature than no it does nothave any type of computer to plug into.