# Mercury 225/250 Pro XS water pickup modification



## FishAfrica (Jan 23, 2010)

I saw this mod for the Mercury Pro XS motors with the new Torquemaster lower unit (that has the nose cone pick ups). It is approved by Mercury for the top 1- 4 holes to be plugged to improve water pressure with the motor jacked up. Was wondering if you Merc gurus are doing this?


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## Blue Fury (Nov 5, 2006)

Makes sense.. I lose quite a bit of pressure on my shoalwater going from 5" to 6" on the plate. Unfortunately I don't have the TM LU. I wonder if it will work on the regular one?


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## RedXCross (Aug 7, 2005)

I don't see why it wouldn't Brandon,either check with Eric or an authorized Merc dude.I wouldn't think the holes are different in size between the 2 Lower units.Looks like a Star screw driver or a allen.


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## skeeter77346 (Jan 13, 2006)

That is a fairly common Merc mod. Check with the bassers at BassBoatCentral they can chime in. I did that to a 200EFI on a 1996 Skeeter bass boat and it is still going strong running in South LA. BTW, Epoxy on the screws (if you like the mod) and they stay put.


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## Full Throttle BoatWorks (Jan 11, 2012)

I did that back when I had a pro xs - even plugged them all. Eric has played with it on the Recon I know and ended up leaving them all open after testing - I don't remember details but am sure he will chime in.

I don't think the regular lower has holes in the front of the nose cone - does it? If so, should work fine.


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## FishAfrica (Jan 23, 2010)

Heres the full instructions, the correct size plugs are available at Mercury dealers, also this mod is only approved by Merc for the Torquemaster, others may run into warranty issues. 
It is a very easy DIY that sounds more complicated than it actually is. The biggest challenge was finding a 1/16" NPT tap. Once it was located I picked up a pkg of red high-strength thread locker and a 17/64" drill bit.

Supplies:









First step was drill the top four holes (max recommended by Merc) with the 17/64" bit. I used a strong shop vac with the hose inlet just below the hole I was drilling (or, tapping) to keep the shavings from getting in the water passage area. Make sure to drill straight in, not at an angle. The bit does not remove much. I used very low drill speed with minimal pressure.

Holes drilled:









Next step was tapping the holes with a 1/16" NPT tap. Again, I kept the shop vac inlet positioned just below the hole I was tapping to keep it all clean. Make sure you tap all the way in until all of the tap threads have touched the LU. Otherwise, the plugs might not go in all the way (voice of experience).

Showing the tap at the correct depth:









Next step is to apply the red thread locker to one plug at a time and install it until the head is even with the LU surface to the rear (away from boat). This will keep the plugs from causing turbulence in front of the prop.

Installed:









Total time was less than an hour. Can't wait to see the difference it makes with my hydraulic jackplate raised over 4".


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## longboat (Apr 14, 2008)

Yeah, I think the bass anglers have been doing this mod for a few years now.

I use the Merc Racing intake shrouds instead (on a 115 4s). They give me full water pressure (30psi) at full jackplate height, but they sometimes fail to prime the waterpump when in reverse, so you have to watch it.


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## FishAfrica (Jan 23, 2010)

Yep thats where I found it on a Basser forum, lots of Merc good info on it


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## cole (Jul 30, 2006)

I did it on my last boat / motor (Tran XLR8 with a Merc 250XS) and it helped a little, but not much.


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## Dotschaser (Jul 6, 2012)

FishAfrica said:


> I saw this mod for the Mercury Pro XS motors with the new Torquemaster lower unit (that has the nose cone pick ups). It is approved by Mercury for the top 1- 4 holes to be plugged to improve water pressure with the motor jacked up. Was wondering if you Merc gurus are doing this?


I did it on my proxs 225. Noticed considerable difference with only doing just top 2 holes. I went more than that initially and had high temp issues.


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## EvansMarine (Jun 7, 2010)

We have done it a few times, and as Dotchasser said we had high speed temp alarms. We didn't see much diference, so we removed them. on 2 of them.


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## pmgoffjr (Jul 30, 2009)

JB weld over the holes is just as durable and a whole lot less effort.


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## reedkj (May 4, 2009)

*it works*



Blue Fury said:


> Makes sense.. I lose quite a bit of pressure on my shoalwater going from 5" to 6" on the plate. Unfortunately I don't have the TM LU. I wonder if it will work on the regular one?


I have a regular 225 opitmax and regular LU and it works great


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## Blue Fury (Nov 5, 2006)

Josh, the regular LU has the water pickup in the nose cone.


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## FishAfrica (Jan 23, 2010)

Well, looks like Mercury got the hint and has designed a brand New 2013 Torquemaster lower unit, so the mod won't be needed. Looks good and according to the bassers a little faster than the old TM.


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## cottonpicker (Jan 25, 2010)

You the man


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## FishAfrica (Jan 23, 2010)

cottonpicker said:


> You the man


Wishing you had one on your sho?! Lol:cheers:


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## fishnfool (Jul 23, 2004)

That looks great! Can't wait to see one. Good ol Merc stepping up the game again. Llower units are greatly undervalued and are a big part of the key to the Mercs performance.


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## FishAfrica (Jan 23, 2010)

Found a Video:


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## fishnfool (Jul 23, 2004)

Where you finding this? I can't find anything about it. That Merc or one of the aftermartket jobs on them?


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## FishAfrica (Jan 23, 2010)

fishnfool said:


> Where you finding this? I can't find anything about it. That Merc or one of the aftermartket jobs on them?


BBC forums Merc 3.0 board


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## RedXCross (Aug 7, 2005)

According to early reports, IF the gearcase/prop/engine height are set up properly, this gearcase will gain approximately 1-2 MPH on most heavier hulls.

It is designed to be run 1-2" higher than the previous model. And I might add driver skill



FishAfrica said:


> Well, looks like Mercury got the hint and has designed a brand New 2013 Torquemaster lower unit, so the mod won't be needed. Looks good and according to the bassers a little faster than the old TM.


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## OffshoreChris (Oct 13, 2010)

I wonder if this gearcase will work for 2012 and lower year engines? Someone stated on the BBC forum that it wouldn't. If anyone else has any info on this please post up.


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