[The author says he is] currently looking at buying a 2004 24 Outrage with twin Mercury 135 OptiMax engine. The engine running times are in 350-hour range, and the boat looks extremely clean. What kind of problems can I expect from the OptiMax engines?
I believe Mercury was buying their outboards from Yamaha in the 2004 time frame. Many of the Outrage boats of 2004 have a single Optimax 225, and I have been told they can be rather doggie.
[The author says he is] looking for opinions from experienced owners. I have owned a number of boats all sterndrives so the outboard engines are a new experience.
2004 24 Outrage
Re: 2004 24 Outrage
Mercury OptiMax engines of c.2004 are the original models. They are not the c.2006 revised models called OptiMax The Next Generation (OTNG) engine. For more about the OTNG engines, see
http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/011847.html
The early OptiMax engines are somewhat notorious for their noisy operating sound signature, mostly due to the inclusion of a small air compressor driven by a belt from the engine flywheel. One of the claims made for the OTNG revisions was a decrease in the engine noise signature. The air compressor is also considered something of a maintenance item, as the bearings in the compressor seem to be subject to wear from the side loading of the drive belt. For first-hand reports about the air compressor problems see
http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/020102.html
The OptiMax engines use a very unusual direct-injection technology that is owned by ORBITAL. The technology is called the ORBITAL COMBUSTION PROCESS. Brunswick has licensed this technology from Orbital and employs it in the Optimax. The Orbital Combustion Process uses TWO injectors for each cylinder. One injector injects fuel and the other injects compressed air. A V6 engine like the 135-HP model thus has TWELVE injectors.
Electrical power in the OptiMax comes from an automotive type belt-driven alternator. Because of the heavy electrical loads (from the 12 injectors and a powerful microprocessor engine control module or ECM ) the Optimax cannot run or start without battery power. At low engine speeds the Optimax has little battery charging current and depends on the attached battery to power the engine. For this reason, very good and rather high capacity batteries are necessary with the OptiMax.
The dual injectors for air and fuel require dual distribution systems for air and fuel, creating a somewhat complicated under-the-cowling arrangement of hoses and pressure regulating systems.
The OptiMax engines produce very good power and very good fuel economy when running in top form. Use of Mercury-branded specially formulated two-cycle-engine oil is highly recommended to prevent spark plug fouling. Service or repairs or periodic maintenance of the OptiMax is probably best done by an experienced and trained technician. For Mercury dealers, the extremely broad product line of Mercury outboard engines may have created a problem. During the epoch of the 2000 decade, Mercury was manufacturing or selling all sorts of outboard engines. They were still making and selling their traditional carburetor two-strokes, some simple fuel-injection (not direct injection) two-strokes, and the OptiMax engines. They were also buying Tohatsu small four-cycle engines and Yamaha large four-cycle engines. The poor shop technician had to be trained and experienced on five completely different types of engines. Since then Mercury has added even more product lines to their outboard production, now offering the VERADO propulsion system--a very advanced engine that requires very specialized training, tools, and parts to service--the OTNG engines, new four-stroke simplified versions of the VERADO, even more new four-stroke engines of completely new design. So the poor Mercury mechanic is faced with a panoply of engines he must be trained, qualified, and expert at servicing. I mention this because I think the most important facet of outboard engine ownership is having a local expert mechanic to call upon for service work.
There are some excellent anecdotal reports of extremely good performance, extremely good durability, and freedom from defect or unusual repairs from OptiMax engine owners. It is hard to know any real data about failure rates of outboard engines, as no manufacturer ever has (nor ever will) disclose this sort of data. One is left with a range of anecdotal reports, some of awful failures and some of excellent outcomes. To say which is more likely is impossible.
Mercury in 2002 was in quite a bind in its outboard engine line. The production of the OptiMax V6 large-block models had to be stopped because of a very high failure rate of those products in the field. This left Mercury without any 200 to 250-HP outboard engines. To fill this big gap in their engine line, Mercury took the most unusual step of buying 4,000 225-HP engine from Yamaha, their first-generation F225 four-stroke-power-cycle outboards, which were produced with black paint jobs and fitted for Mercury rigging connections. You can find more on this deal in the archives. See
http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/002855.html
During this period when many OptiMax engines were failing within the warranty period, Mercury had to replace many engines with all new engines. They took back so many bad engines that they began a remanufacturing program to repair and resell these engines. For more about the remanufacturing program see
http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/020102.html
Mercury eventually worked out the problems with the OptiMax and started making reliable and good-performing engines. Their warranty costs where very high for a time, but they got those under control. Optimax engines made after c.2006 are probably decent engines, although they are still nosier than most other outboards.
Perhaps due to the reputation of the OptiMax, Mercury recently dropped the OtpiMax name and re-branded most of the former OptiMax models as ProXS models. Mercury appears to have refined their design and improved their manufacturing, so c.2016 ProXS engines are not particularly noteworthy as being prone to problems.
Buying any c.2004 engine in 2016 means you are buying a 12-year-old engine with no warranty. One must always approach such a purchase with some care. All 12-year-old engines could have problems. I suppose one could infer that engines that demonstrated a lot of problems when new might have a greater tendency to have problems when they are 12-years-old compared to other engines that were extremely reliable when new and thus might continue to have good reliability as they age.
Speaking generally, I think older boats with twin engines are often something of a bargain--if the engines can run and last a few years--because the cost of repowering a boat with twin engines with new engines is very large these days, perhaps on the order of $30,000 to $50,000. Because of the looming potential for a very expensive re-power sometime in the future, used twin engine boats seem to be priced lower than one might expect.
http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/011847.html
The early OptiMax engines are somewhat notorious for their noisy operating sound signature, mostly due to the inclusion of a small air compressor driven by a belt from the engine flywheel. One of the claims made for the OTNG revisions was a decrease in the engine noise signature. The air compressor is also considered something of a maintenance item, as the bearings in the compressor seem to be subject to wear from the side loading of the drive belt. For first-hand reports about the air compressor problems see
http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/020102.html
The OptiMax engines use a very unusual direct-injection technology that is owned by ORBITAL. The technology is called the ORBITAL COMBUSTION PROCESS. Brunswick has licensed this technology from Orbital and employs it in the Optimax. The Orbital Combustion Process uses TWO injectors for each cylinder. One injector injects fuel and the other injects compressed air. A V6 engine like the 135-HP model thus has TWELVE injectors.
Electrical power in the OptiMax comes from an automotive type belt-driven alternator. Because of the heavy electrical loads (from the 12 injectors and a powerful microprocessor engine control module or ECM ) the Optimax cannot run or start without battery power. At low engine speeds the Optimax has little battery charging current and depends on the attached battery to power the engine. For this reason, very good and rather high capacity batteries are necessary with the OptiMax.
The dual injectors for air and fuel require dual distribution systems for air and fuel, creating a somewhat complicated under-the-cowling arrangement of hoses and pressure regulating systems.
The OptiMax engines produce very good power and very good fuel economy when running in top form. Use of Mercury-branded specially formulated two-cycle-engine oil is highly recommended to prevent spark plug fouling. Service or repairs or periodic maintenance of the OptiMax is probably best done by an experienced and trained technician. For Mercury dealers, the extremely broad product line of Mercury outboard engines may have created a problem. During the epoch of the 2000 decade, Mercury was manufacturing or selling all sorts of outboard engines. They were still making and selling their traditional carburetor two-strokes, some simple fuel-injection (not direct injection) two-strokes, and the OptiMax engines. They were also buying Tohatsu small four-cycle engines and Yamaha large four-cycle engines. The poor shop technician had to be trained and experienced on five completely different types of engines. Since then Mercury has added even more product lines to their outboard production, now offering the VERADO propulsion system--a very advanced engine that requires very specialized training, tools, and parts to service--the OTNG engines, new four-stroke simplified versions of the VERADO, even more new four-stroke engines of completely new design. So the poor Mercury mechanic is faced with a panoply of engines he must be trained, qualified, and expert at servicing. I mention this because I think the most important facet of outboard engine ownership is having a local expert mechanic to call upon for service work.
There are some excellent anecdotal reports of extremely good performance, extremely good durability, and freedom from defect or unusual repairs from OptiMax engine owners. It is hard to know any real data about failure rates of outboard engines, as no manufacturer ever has (nor ever will) disclose this sort of data. One is left with a range of anecdotal reports, some of awful failures and some of excellent outcomes. To say which is more likely is impossible.
Mercury in 2002 was in quite a bind in its outboard engine line. The production of the OptiMax V6 large-block models had to be stopped because of a very high failure rate of those products in the field. This left Mercury without any 200 to 250-HP outboard engines. To fill this big gap in their engine line, Mercury took the most unusual step of buying 4,000 225-HP engine from Yamaha, their first-generation F225 four-stroke-power-cycle outboards, which were produced with black paint jobs and fitted for Mercury rigging connections. You can find more on this deal in the archives. See
http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/002855.html
During this period when many OptiMax engines were failing within the warranty period, Mercury had to replace many engines with all new engines. They took back so many bad engines that they began a remanufacturing program to repair and resell these engines. For more about the remanufacturing program see
http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/020102.html
Mercury eventually worked out the problems with the OptiMax and started making reliable and good-performing engines. Their warranty costs where very high for a time, but they got those under control. Optimax engines made after c.2006 are probably decent engines, although they are still nosier than most other outboards.
Perhaps due to the reputation of the OptiMax, Mercury recently dropped the OtpiMax name and re-branded most of the former OptiMax models as ProXS models. Mercury appears to have refined their design and improved their manufacturing, so c.2016 ProXS engines are not particularly noteworthy as being prone to problems.
Buying any c.2004 engine in 2016 means you are buying a 12-year-old engine with no warranty. One must always approach such a purchase with some care. All 12-year-old engines could have problems. I suppose one could infer that engines that demonstrated a lot of problems when new might have a greater tendency to have problems when they are 12-years-old compared to other engines that were extremely reliable when new and thus might continue to have good reliability as they age.
Speaking generally, I think older boats with twin engines are often something of a bargain--if the engines can run and last a few years--because the cost of repowering a boat with twin engines with new engines is very large these days, perhaps on the order of $30,000 to $50,000. Because of the looming potential for a very expensive re-power sometime in the future, used twin engine boats seem to be priced lower than one might expect.
Re: 2004 24 Outrage
They run [fast]. Just let them warm up before going WOT. I just removed a set of 225 OptiMax engines from my Whaler and replaced them with G2's. They are 25-inch-shafts with 1000 hours on them and they run perfect. Now I need to find them a new home instead of letting them sit around and rot.