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BlueMax posted 10-19-2009 12:41 AM ET (US)
Out of curiosity - What are the (3) actual separate Mecury engine nomenclatures that is causing this confusion and what is the differences in them that make them so different (I can understand carbureted and fuel injected, but is the third the Yam-Merc hybrid?)? (And why the confusion - are the all designated as 90hp FourStrokes, or FOURSTROKES... or?)
Does Mercury still offer all three or is it just a case of adding new engine designs while concurrently phasing out an existing product line? And lastly, if anyone could possibly know it would be here, is the reason for dropping the year designation due to the new models being so radically different in design (and technologically stable to the point of not being re-designed for several years) as to stand out on their own w/o a year of manufacture?
Interesting -(to me)
Thanks,
Max

jimh posted 10-19-2009 01:40 AM ET (US)
In 2006 when Mercury dropped model year designators, they passed out some lame excuse about giving the customer an advantage. I don't think even the dumbest babe-in-the-woods boater believed them. Since then, Mercury has modified its stance and now says it has gone to a product year designation system, but they still keep that obscured, too.
This publication explains the current rationale:
http://www.mercurymarine.com/_media/pdfs/productbrochures/ 4928_MY_elimination.pdf
Note that this came out in 2007, not in 2006, when they first tried out their story about "advantage to customer." Note that this publication refers you to the "Mercury Model Code Label" on the engine to discover the information about year of production and model type and variation.

Prior to the current generation of outboards in the 75 to 115-HP range, all the four-cycle engines sold by Mercury were purchased from Yamaha as complete power heads, which were adapted to Mercury midsections, gear cases, and some electrical components. Some models had carburetors, and some had fuel injection. There were so many problems with the carburetors, particularly on the popular 90-HP model, that Mercury engineered their own re-fit of fuel injection onto the Yamaha power head. For about a year or so, the 90-HP had EFI instead of carburetors. Eventually, Mercury changed to their own four-cycle engine products in the 75- to 115-HP range, using adaptations of the four-cylinder Verado engine, minus the supercharger. (There are probably other less obvious differences, too.) The greatest confusion occurs with the "Mercury 90-HP FOURSTROKE." This designation could be any of three engines:
--Yamaha motor with Yamaha carburetors, roughly prior to 2006
--Yamaha motor with Mercury EFI added, roughly in 2006
--Mercury motor based on Verado, roughly 2007 and after
Mercury also sold a 225-HP four-cycle engine that was really a Yamaha engine head-to-toe, except for black paint and a new cowling. Mercury bought thousands of these engines to fill a big gap in their product line when their Verado engine was delayed in coming to market. This was roughly in the era 2002 to 2004. They did not sell all of these Yamaha engine before the Verado became available, so for a while they were still selling the Yamaha 225 painted black and calling it a Mercury 225 while selling the Verado 225. At least they gave the Verado a new name. That's what they should have done with their new four-cycle motors based on the Verado. Instead, they called them FOURSTROKES. Ever since, people have been making up names or designators to differentiate them. People invented terms like "Yama-Merc" or "Mercaha" for the Yamaha-made motors, and terms like "L4NA" or "Veradito" for the newer model based on the Verado.
The Verado is its own story of names and invented names. After a couple of years of production the Verado was re-engineered and re-rated for emissions. Substantial mechanical changes were made, to the point there an older engine could not be updated to a newer engine. The older design was now obsolete. As far as I can tell there has been no official model name change or designator, but immediately the terms GEN-I and GEN-II or variations of them like Generation One, Gen-One, Gen-1, and so on, began to be popularly used. Officially, they're all just Verado engines.
Mercury also had the same problem in nomenclature when it updated its OptiMax engine. It distributed a lot of literature and publicity about the new engine called "OptiMax the Next Generation," but it never officially changed the designation of the model.
People who make their life work a study of Mercury outboards can tell what model is what generation or evolution by subtle clues in the cowling designs, the luster of the paint, the inclusion of decorations, or changes in decals, but, unfortunately, the model names used by Mercury don't change, and this often creates confusion. This is particularly amplified by the lack of clarity with model year indicators.
I think Mercury was more or less forced to try to obscure these changes because of their very close linkage with boat builders who install Mercury motors on the transom of new boats. A conflict in model year designation between the hull and the motor is a disadvantage to the retailer. Mercury decided to fix this problem by dropping model year designators. Sticking with model names and avoiding official designators like GEN-II also helps the retailer sell boats and motors that don't match model year identities.
BlueMax posted 10-19-2009 09:53 AM ET (US)
Okay - It makes a lot more sense to me now - Thank you for the time and patience to post such a comprehensive response.

Now - just another point of Mercury nmomenclature curiosity - I have noted the "FourStroke" and "FOURSTROKE" difference of spelling in previous threads and advertisements however, I see on the BW and Mercury websites that they spell with only the "F" & "S" captalized (FourStroke)... is that maybe due to phasing out the Yamaha engines?
Side note - my Mercury Outboard owner's manual states that it is "75/90/115 4-Stroke" - (?)

Thanks Again,
Max
Buckda posted 10-19-2009 10:27 AM ET (US)
It is difficult to develop a strong marketing group that is focused on one brand when you have a ready-mix of buyers that won't walk away...
...therefore, "branding" efforts that are helpful to consumers may be effected in a "negative" way (as seen by consumers). Companies and governments are completely comfortable communicating using VIN's, HIN's, etc to determine model, manufacture date, etc. This makes sense - if you have access to the database that gives details on changes, updates, etc. It is easy to access those details by plugging in a detailed serial or product number.
Humans, on the other hand, deal more effectively with differentiated and labeled groupings of products.
It is completely plausible that you could have a Toyota vehicle and no model badge. But that doesn't work very well for marketing. No - you want a Toyota Camry, not a VIN number.
Is it a sure bet that Mercury's practice on this front are tied to the company practice of forced transoms and dealing with companies, not customers? I don't know for sure - for one thing though, it indicates that the marketing team in house doesn't have a lot of power within the overall structure of the organization. Tough to brand a motor to consumers without giving it a model name.
OptiMax, Verado - differentiators! FourStroke/4-stroke/FOURSTROKE - sounds the same to me!
(I believe VERADITO is a term coined on this Website and not generally accepted into the nomenclature used by Mercury staff; although I do laud the attempt and providing some clarification for consumers on behalf of Mercury).
jimh posted 10-19-2009 10:59 AM ET (US)
I can't figure out the spelling that Mercury prefers for their model name "FourStroke" or "FOURSTROKE." They spell it with all capital letters on the engine cowling. That seems the most definitive. Using concatenated words with internal capital letters is a recipe for misspelling. "OptiMax" is another example; the "M" is capitalized.
BlueMax posted 10-19-2009 02:27 PM ET (US)

Thanks for the replies and info. Here are snapshots of my [2007 170 Montauk] 90hp Mercury motor cowling just as FYI for lettering:
Mercury 90 FourStroke Cowling:
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj55/Arch2110/101909_125700.jpg
Mercury FourStroke Cowling Latch:
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj55/Arch2110/101909_125800.jpg
Mercury 90ELPT 4S Data Plate
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj55/Arch2110/101909_125801.jpg
Max
- As an item of interest while looking through my owner's manual and paperwork, I noted that there were instructions for installation and operation of MCC 4501/4502 GEN II series mechanical console control. I believe this simply refers to the version of the mechanical throttle though as there were instructions Mercruiser, Force, Mariner and Mercury engines of all configurations and horsepowers.
jimh posted 10-19-2009 11:34 PM ET (US)
Thanks for the images of the words "FourStroke" spelled with mixed upper and lower case. If my recall is correct, I have also seen it spelled with capital letters and small capitals. I'll look for some images that might show that. As for spelling in all-capitals, I found that on the Mercury Marine website. I'd say that it appears the preferred presentation is "FourStroke," at least based on the images from your motor cowling.
jimh posted 10-19-2009 11:57 PM ET (US)
Dave's comments about communicating with the government using numbers has reminded me of another case in which Mercury seems to have gone out of the way to obscure model name information: the EPA emission testing data.
In the EPA emission testing data which is collected and published, available for download, and free to the public, there are charts that show the manufacturer, model of motor, and all sorts of emission level information. Included in this data are values for measured power output. These reports represent something of a holy grail: real horsepower measurement on a dynamometer of all outboard motors, all brands, all models. Just the perfect thing to compare real horsepower. Well, almost.
The data is provided in a large spreadsheet, and it is not particularly well designed for the purpose of finding the horsepower. (Actually, they don't list the power in horsepower; it is given in watts or kilowatts.) However, if you are persistent and curious, you can find most every outboard motor in the listing. There is a column for the model of the motor. All the manufacturers provide a recognizable model name or number in this column--except Mercury. While Evinrude, Yamaha, Honda, and Suzuki all use common names like E225, F225, BF225, and DF225 as the model name, Mercury uses some very obscure emission family designator, a more or less meaningless collection of letters and numbers that makes it almost impossible to figure out what motor their data belongs with. This oddity may be entirely unintended, but it has the effect of obscuring the model designation to the point where the casual reader has no idea what model it might be. Did this happen by accident? Who can say. But I find it strange that no other outboard maker uses the family emission designator for the model name data in this report.
Peter posted 10-20-2009 09:17 AM ET (US)
Regarding emissions and model years, do not forget that all of the manufacturers certify product each and every year by model year as required by regulation.
The model year that the manufacturer designated for each motor off the production line can be found in the engine family identifier on the emissions control label applied to the motor. The first number in the engine family identifier represents the model year for the certified motor. For 2009, for example, the engine family identifier begins with a "9". For model year 2010, I believe it will begin with an "A" and model year 2011 will be a "B".
Examples of the association between model year and the engine family identifier can be seen in the California Air Resources Board Executive Orders for engine families. For example, in this 2009 Executive Order for the 3.3L Evinrude E-TEC family (200 to 250 HP) www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/offroad/cert/eo/2009/sime/u-w-008-0142.pdf the box entitled "Model Year" shows 2009 and the box entitled "Engine Family" begins with a 9. All model year 2009 E-TECs sold in the U.S. have an emission control label that has an Engine Family identifier that begins with a 9.
All 2009 Mercury outboards also have an Engine Family identifier that begins with a 9. See the Executive Order for the 1.7L 4 cylinder 4-stroke family (a.k.a., Veradito, L4NA, FourStroke) at www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/offroad/cert/eo/2009/sime/u-w-001-0219.pdf . All 2009 Yamaha outobards also have an Engine Family identifier that begings with a 9. See the Executive Order for the Yamaha F115 family at www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/offroad/cert/eo/2010/sime/u-w-008-0155.pdf . Jim's 2010 E-TEC 225 should have an emission control label with an Engine Family identifier beginning with an A. See the 2010 Executive Order for the 2010 3.3L engine family at www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/offroad/cert/eo/2010/sime/u-w-008-0155.pdf .
It seems that some manufacturers story line that their motors don't have model years is at odds with the story told to the regulatory authorities.
Buckda posted 10-20-2009 10:15 AM ET (US)
It could be effectively argued that using serial numbers/model numbers (...VINs, HINs, etc) are the most accurate way to communicate which product you actually have. Witness the practice of changing certain features mid-model year for some products.
My point above wasn't intended to imply that Mercury has intentionally obfuscated model information to authorities. My comment above was intended to point out and discuss a possible symptom that would help to explain a lot of the complaints about Mercury practices regarding model year, model identification, etc on the behalf of consumers.
Consumers like labels. Governments and companies without marketing departments don't care about labels. Accuracy is important and if it is accurate and expedient for them to agree on a language (numbers) and then communicate in that language, it makes sense.
This is why you generally don't find engineers and scientists in marketing departments. These individuals typically don't communicate in consumer friendly terminology. The marketing department is the filter through which most consumers get their information about a company, product or service. Unless the "answer key" is provided to consumers, there is no way for us to divine which language is being spoken by this company. They are not communicating with us.
Why?
What is the reason? Is it an oversight?
I give Mercury the benefit of the doubt. It must be an oversight, and to me, that indicates that the marketing department isn't all that powerful within the organization (or isn't that good). The rationale for this opinion is that they are not effectively communicating with consumers. Unless they are trying to hide some information.
...which would be my point if you tried to convince me that their marketing department was important and very good at their jobs. THEN, that changes everything and offers insight into the motivations for this obfuscation.
I prefer to think it is an oversight.

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Author	Topic: Correct Mercury Engine Designations
BlueMax	posted 10-19-2009 12:41 AM ET (US) Out of curiosity - What are the (3) actual separate Mecury engine nomenclatures that is causing this confusion and what is the differences in them that make them so different (I can understand carbureted and fuel injected, but is the third the Yam-Merc hybrid?)? (And why the confusion - are the all designated as 90hp FourStrokes, or FOURSTROKES... or?) Does Mercury still offer all three or is it just a case of adding new engine designs while concurrently phasing out an existing product line? And lastly, if anyone could possibly know it would be here, is the reason for dropping the year designation due to the new models being so radically different in design (and technologically stable to the point of not being re-designed for several years) as to stand out on their own w/o a year of manufacture? Interesting -(to me) Thanks, Max
jimh	posted 10-19-2009 01:40 AM ET (US) In 2006 when Mercury dropped model year designators, they passed out some lame excuse about giving the customer an advantage. I don't think even the dumbest babe-in-the-woods boater believed them. Since then, Mercury has modified its stance and now says it has gone to a product year designation system, but they still keep that obscured, too. This publication explains the current rationale: http://www.mercurymarine.com/_media/pdfs/productbrochures/ 4928_MY_elimination.pdf Note that this came out in 2007, not in 2006, when they first tried out their story about "advantage to customer." Note that this publication refers you to the "Mercury Model Code Label" on the engine to discover the information about year of production and model type and variation. Prior to the current generation of outboards in the 75 to 115-HP range, all the four-cycle engines sold by Mercury were purchased from Yamaha as complete power heads, which were adapted to Mercury midsections, gear cases, and some electrical components. Some models had carburetors, and some had fuel injection. There were so many problems with the carburetors, particularly on the popular 90-HP model, that Mercury engineered their own re-fit of fuel injection onto the Yamaha power head. For about a year or so, the 90-HP had EFI instead of carburetors. Eventually, Mercury changed to their own four-cycle engine products in the 75- to 115-HP range, using adaptations of the four-cylinder Verado engine, minus the supercharger. (There are probably other less obvious differences, too.) The greatest confusion occurs with the "Mercury 90-HP FOURSTROKE." This designation could be any of three engines: --Yamaha motor with Yamaha carburetors, roughly prior to 2006 --Yamaha motor with Mercury EFI added, roughly in 2006 --Mercury motor based on Verado, roughly 2007 and after Mercury also sold a 225-HP four-cycle engine that was really a Yamaha engine head-to-toe, except for black paint and a new cowling. Mercury bought thousands of these engines to fill a big gap in their product line when their Verado engine was delayed in coming to market. This was roughly in the era 2002 to 2004. They did not sell all of these Yamaha engine before the Verado became available, so for a while they were still selling the Yamaha 225 painted black and calling it a Mercury 225 while selling the Verado 225. At least they gave the Verado a new name. That's what they should have done with their new four-cycle motors based on the Verado. Instead, they called them FOURSTROKES. Ever since, people have been making up names or designators to differentiate them. People invented terms like "Yama-Merc" or "Mercaha" for the Yamaha-made motors, and terms like "L4NA" or "Veradito" for the newer model based on the Verado. The Verado is its own story of names and invented names. After a couple of years of production the Verado was re-engineered and re-rated for emissions. Substantial mechanical changes were made, to the point there an older engine could not be updated to a newer engine. The older design was now obsolete. As far as I can tell there has been no official model name change or designator, but immediately the terms GEN-I and GEN-II or variations of them like Generation One, Gen-One, Gen-1, and so on, began to be popularly used. Officially, they're all just Verado engines. Mercury also had the same problem in nomenclature when it updated its OptiMax engine. It distributed a lot of literature and publicity about the new engine called "OptiMax the Next Generation," but it never officially changed the designation of the model. People who make their life work a study of Mercury outboards can tell what model is what generation or evolution by subtle clues in the cowling designs, the luster of the paint, the inclusion of decorations, or changes in decals, but, unfortunately, the model names used by Mercury don't change, and this often creates confusion. This is particularly amplified by the lack of clarity with model year indicators. I think Mercury was more or less forced to try to obscure these changes because of their very close linkage with boat builders who install Mercury motors on the transom of new boats. A conflict in model year designation between the hull and the motor is a disadvantage to the retailer. Mercury decided to fix this problem by dropping model year designators. Sticking with model names and avoiding official designators like GEN-II also helps the retailer sell boats and motors that don't match model year identities.
BlueMax	posted 10-19-2009 09:53 AM ET (US) Okay - It makes a lot more sense to me now - Thank you for the time and patience to post such a comprehensive response. Now - just another point of Mercury nmomenclature curiosity - I have noted the "FourStroke" and "FOURSTROKE" difference of spelling in previous threads and advertisements however, I see on the BW and Mercury websites that they spell with only the "F" & "S" captalized (FourStroke)... is that maybe due to phasing out the Yamaha engines? Side note - my Mercury Outboard owner's manual states that it is "75/90/115 4-Stroke" - (?) Thanks Again, Max
Buckda	posted 10-19-2009 10:27 AM ET (US) It is difficult to develop a strong marketing group that is focused on one brand when you have a ready-mix of buyers that won't walk away... ...therefore, "branding" efforts that are helpful to consumers may be effected in a "negative" way (as seen by consumers). Companies and governments are completely comfortable communicating using VIN's, HIN's, etc to determine model, manufacture date, etc. This makes sense - if you have access to the database that gives details on changes, updates, etc. It is easy to access those details by plugging in a detailed serial or product number. Humans, on the other hand, deal more effectively with differentiated and labeled groupings of products. It is completely plausible that you could have a Toyota vehicle and no model badge. But that doesn't work very well for marketing. No - you want a Toyota Camry, not a VIN number. Is it a sure bet that Mercury's practice on this front are tied to the company practice of forced transoms and dealing with companies, not customers? I don't know for sure - for one thing though, it indicates that the marketing team in house doesn't have a lot of power within the overall structure of the organization. Tough to brand a motor to consumers without giving it a model name. OptiMax, Verado - differentiators! FourStroke/4-stroke/FOURSTROKE - sounds the same to me! (I believe VERADITO is a term coined on this Website and not generally accepted into the nomenclature used by Mercury staff; although I do laud the attempt and providing some clarification for consumers on behalf of Mercury).
jimh	posted 10-19-2009 10:59 AM ET (US) I can't figure out the spelling that Mercury prefers for their model name "FourStroke" or "FOURSTROKE." They spell it with all capital letters on the engine cowling. That seems the most definitive. Using concatenated words with internal capital letters is a recipe for misspelling. "OptiMax" is another example; the "M" is capitalized.
BlueMax	posted 10-19-2009 02:27 PM ET (US) Thanks for the replies and info. Here are snapshots of my [2007 170 Montauk] 90hp Mercury motor cowling just as FYI for lettering: Mercury 90 FourStroke Cowling: http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj55/Arch2110/101909_125700.jpg Mercury FourStroke Cowling Latch: http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj55/Arch2110/101909_125800.jpg Mercury 90ELPT 4S Data Plate http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj55/Arch2110/101909_125801.jpg Max - As an item of interest while looking through my owner's manual and paperwork, I noted that there were instructions for installation and operation of MCC 4501/4502 GEN II series mechanical console control. I believe this simply refers to the version of the mechanical throttle though as there were instructions Mercruiser, Force, Mariner and Mercury engines of all configurations and horsepowers.
jimh	posted 10-19-2009 11:34 PM ET (US) Thanks for the images of the words "FourStroke" spelled with mixed upper and lower case. If my recall is correct, I have also seen it spelled with capital letters and small capitals. I'll look for some images that might show that. As for spelling in all-capitals, I found that on the Mercury Marine website. I'd say that it appears the preferred presentation is "FourStroke," at least based on the images from your motor cowling.
jimh	posted 10-19-2009 11:57 PM ET (US) Dave's comments about communicating with the government using numbers has reminded me of another case in which Mercury seems to have gone out of the way to obscure model name information: the EPA emission testing data. In the EPA emission testing data which is collected and published, available for download, and free to the public, there are charts that show the manufacturer, model of motor, and all sorts of emission level information. Included in this data are values for measured power output. These reports represent something of a holy grail: real horsepower measurement on a dynamometer of all outboard motors, all brands, all models. Just the perfect thing to compare real horsepower. Well, almost. The data is provided in a large spreadsheet, and it is not particularly well designed for the purpose of finding the horsepower. (Actually, they don't list the power in horsepower; it is given in watts or kilowatts.) However, if you are persistent and curious, you can find most every outboard motor in the listing. There is a column for the model of the motor. All the manufacturers provide a recognizable model name or number in this column--except Mercury. While Evinrude, Yamaha, Honda, and Suzuki all use common names like E225, F225, BF225, and DF225 as the model name, Mercury uses some very obscure emission family designator, a more or less meaningless collection of letters and numbers that makes it almost impossible to figure out what motor their data belongs with. This oddity may be entirely unintended, but it has the effect of obscuring the model designation to the point where the casual reader has no idea what model it might be. Did this happen by accident? Who can say. But I find it strange that no other outboard maker uses the family emission designator for the model name data in this report.
Peter	posted 10-20-2009 09:17 AM ET (US) Regarding emissions and model years, do not forget that all of the manufacturers certify product each and every year by model year as required by regulation. The model year that the manufacturer designated for each motor off the production line can be found in the engine family identifier on the emissions control label applied to the motor. The first number in the engine family identifier represents the model year for the certified motor. For 2009, for example, the engine family identifier begins with a "9". For model year 2010, I believe it will begin with an "A" and model year 2011 will be a "B". Examples of the association between model year and the engine family identifier can be seen in the California Air Resources Board Executive Orders for engine families. For example, in this 2009 Executive Order for the 3.3L Evinrude E-TEC family (200 to 250 HP) www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/offroad/cert/eo/2009/sime/u-w-008-0142.pdf the box entitled "Model Year" shows 2009 and the box entitled "Engine Family" begins with a 9. All model year 2009 E-TECs sold in the U.S. have an emission control label that has an Engine Family identifier that begins with a 9. All 2009 Mercury outboards also have an Engine Family identifier that begins with a 9. See the Executive Order for the 1.7L 4 cylinder 4-stroke family (a.k.a., Veradito, L4NA, FourStroke) at www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/offroad/cert/eo/2009/sime/u-w-001-0219.pdf . All 2009 Yamaha outobards also have an Engine Family identifier that begings with a 9. See the Executive Order for the Yamaha F115 family at www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/offroad/cert/eo/2010/sime/u-w-008-0155.pdf . Jim's 2010 E-TEC 225 should have an emission control label with an Engine Family identifier beginning with an A. See the 2010 Executive Order for the 2010 3.3L engine family at www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/offroad/cert/eo/2010/sime/u-w-008-0155.pdf . It seems that some manufacturers story line that their motors don't have model years is at odds with the story told to the regulatory authorities.
Buckda	posted 10-20-2009 10:15 AM ET (US) It could be effectively argued that using serial numbers/model numbers (...VINs, HINs, etc) are the most accurate way to communicate which product you actually have. Witness the practice of changing certain features mid-model year for some products. My point above wasn't intended to imply that Mercury has intentionally obfuscated model information to authorities. My comment above was intended to point out and discuss a possible symptom that would help to explain a lot of the complaints about Mercury practices regarding model year, model identification, etc on the behalf of consumers. Consumers like labels. Governments and companies without marketing departments don't care about labels. Accuracy is important and if it is accurate and expedient for them to agree on a language (numbers) and then communicate in that language, it makes sense. This is why you generally don't find engineers and scientists in marketing departments. These individuals typically don't communicate in consumer friendly terminology. The marketing department is the filter through which most consumers get their information about a company, product or service. Unless the "answer key" is provided to consumers, there is no way for us to divine which language is being spoken by this company. They are not communicating with us. Why? What is the reason? Is it an oversight? I give Mercury the benefit of the doubt. It must be an oversight, and to me, that indicates that the marketing department isn't all that powerful within the organization (or isn't that good). The rationale for this opinion is that they are not effectively communicating with consumers. Unless they are trying to hide some information. ...which would be my point if you tried to convince me that their marketing department was important and very good at their jobs. THEN, that changes everything and offers insight into the motivations for this obfuscation. I prefer to think it is an oversight.