# 2000 200 hp Mercury Optimax's



## polecat (Jan 21, 2005)

Does anyone have any info on 2000 Mercury Optimax's 200hp, any problems, pros and cons, fuel mileage, will be on Proline 2700. Thanks polecat.


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## Wading Mark (Apr 21, 2005)

They were really bad at that time. I would stay away from anything before 2003.


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## Fishtexx (Jun 29, 2004)

Dito what Mark said...


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## Won Hunglo (Apr 24, 2007)

Run run run away from any Opti built before 2003.


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## nitro fish (Jan 23, 2008)

Where are all the Mercury fans on this one ??? I know of at least three that are toast.


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## SpeckReds (Sep 10, 2005)

Had a 2000 model Mecury 225 Optimax. Used it for a year. No Problems. Just too much motor and gas. Then traded it for 3.14 acres of Land on Toledo Bend. Kept the land for little more tha a year and got alot more for the land than I paid for the motor when it was new. Did good on that one.


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## TxAdam (Jun 28, 2007)

I have a 2001 Opti (200) that ran great until I blew a powerhead last year at about 120 hours. The tech at BPS said the failure was caused by an air bubble in the oil line. The whole deal was suspect to me since the motor had just been in for some l/u work the week before. Nothing I could do about it, though, so I just had a new powerhead put on. Runs good, not like it used to, though...hopefully it will get better after it's fully broke-in.

The 2000 models were known to have many failures but this was supposedly resolved by reprogramming the ECM. Like any motor, have it thoroughly checked by a pro and the computer should tell you the story.

Remember, there's two kinds of outboard motors...those that have blown and those going to blow!


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## Pocketfisherman (May 30, 2005)

Won Hunglo said:


> Run run run away from any Opti built before 2003.


That's a bunch of Bull. The problem Merc had were limited to the big block motors. The 135-175 V6 Optis were very reliable from that time period. The problem with the Big blocks was identified as injectors from one of their multiple OEM sources. There is a tech service bulletin, and the problematic injectors are easily identified and replaced under warranty by Merc. Best thing to do is take the motor to a qualified Merc shop and have them check to be sure the tech update was applied. The injector problem was serious as the tip would come off and trash the piston and or block.

Regarding ECM updates to the motor, there have been many across the entire line of Optis since their inception, which is another good reason to take it to a shop for an inspection where they can attach a scan tool and check that the updates were done. The ECM was not responsible for the block failures though, that was due to the bad injectors.


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## warlock (Mar 27, 2006)

Had a 2000 Optimax and had all kind of problems even had to have a new power head at around 100 hrs when part the injector broke and scored a piston....but when it did run it was smooth and the most fuel efficient outboard I've had...dont think I would buy another one....


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## polecat (Jan 21, 2005)

Thanks for the info.


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