motors age

[Bigshrimpin]

1982 and earlier 150 were 2.0L with thick steel sleeves.
1982 and earlier 175's were also 2.0L with hogged out open exhaust and big carbs wh-1's. Early 2.0L's were all vertical reed motors.

V200 and V225 were 2.4L blocks with chrome plated cylinders. Block looks almost identical to the 2.0L from the outside (except V225), but the porting and cylinder walls are different 2.0L vs. 2.4L.

The V200 had vertical reed front half and smaller carbs.

V225 had the largest carbs merc made (wh-15's and wh-20's) and had the wide 14 Petal reed horizontal front half for sucking maximum air/fuel.

I would not get caught up in the idea you will ever have to have to rebuild the block if you lose a ring and scratch the chrome. The motor made it this far . . . and the ones I've pulled apart that failed were alway due to owner neglect (bad water pump impeller, crusty poppet, stuck t-stats, rotten wiring, advance module, gasket material inside carb bowls, corrosion => no zincs ). It's really hard to kill the 2.4L motors if they are cared for properly.

Chrome is much harder than steel. It also allows much much better heat transfer and it's porous, so it lubes the rings better too. If you did blow it up . . . You can always get another block or an entire motor for $500 - $1200, so there is no reason to worry about rebuilding.

It's hard to justify buying a new motor when you can buy 10+ 2.4L motors for the same price. My V200 with the wh-11 carbs averaged 3.6 mpg my last trip (101 miles) pushing the seafari 27 - 30mph in 1-2ft seas, so I cannot complain.