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Author Topic:   2007 Mercury 175XL OptiMax

Gerry123 posted 09-20-2011 08:06 AM ET (US)
I would appreciate the forum's view on the 2007 Mercury OptiMax 175-HP outboard engine. The boat I am looking at has one with 60-hours on it. All maintenance completed by Boston Whaler dealer. Please comment on noise levels at low speed, reliability, long term [concerns]. Thanks
Gerry
jimh posted 09-20-2011 09:07 AM ET (US)
Look at the cowling graphics and ornamentation of this OptiMax engine. If there is a cowling graphic that shows a stylized globe, then the OptiMax is actually an OptiMax The Next Generation outboard engine. The OptiMax The Next Generation (OTNG) outboard engines are a second-generation model of the original OptiMax.
The OTNG motors use the gear case from the VERADO. The gear case for the VERADO has been re-designed three times to improve its durability. I assume that with each re-design of the gear case for the VERADO the same improvements were used in the OTNG. I don't have a precise epoch for when the changes in gear case design were made.
When announcing the OTNG product, Mercury said its "product development and engineering teams focused heavily on key customer attributes, such as durability, reliability, noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) and overall ease of operation." These are all important considerations and worthy of attention.
Exactly how durability was increased was never revealed, but perhaps we can infer that the change in gear case contributed to it. Exactly how reliability was increased was never revealed. I believe there was a re-design of the air compressor, but I do not know if the new air compressor design was exclusive to the OTNG engines. Noise was said to have been reduced "in some models" by "as much as 6-dB." Six-decibels is a noticeable reduction in noise, but it was never clearly specified which models received the improvement, nor exactly how much improvement was obtained. The method for improvement in qualities of vibration and harshness was never explained.
The 175-HP OptiMax appears to no longer be in production. I believe it was based on the 2.5-liter block. In the introduction of the OTNG motors, it was noted that most of the improvements and changes were to the 3.0-liter block engines.
If the OptiMax does not have the globe icon on the cowling, then it will be from the prior generation of OptiMax engines, and thus it will be less durable, less reliable, noisier, have more vibration, and tend to have harsher characteristics, or at least that is the inference made from the manufacturer's statements.
Also see this article for more on the differences:
OTNG--OptiMax The Next Generation
http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/011847.html
An engine with 60-hours on it is certainly a fresh engine. For a four-year-old engine to have such low hours of operation implies it was not used much. This can be both a blessing and a curse. Such little operating time in four years sometimes can be harder on an engine than to have been run longer and harder.
The OptiMax engines have demonstrated excellent performance and fuel economy. Although the engine is a rather complex assembly, its reliability has been on par with other outboard engines. I do not think there is a great concern for the long-term operation of the engine in any way that is significantly different from another outboard engine.
The sound signature of the OptiMax is somewhat unusual due to the operation of the air compressor under the engine cowling. Also, when the OptiMax was first conceived and designed, there was no strong focus on having a very quiet operating sound level at idle speeds, as there is now. Therefore the noise signature of the OptiMax is significantly louder at idle speeds than other modern engines. For example, according to noise level measurements, one OptiMax engine at idle makes more noise than 64 VERADO engines at idle. That comparison is a bit unfair, of course, because the VERADO is the quietest outboard engine ever made, but it does give a reasonable comparison when asking about engine noise at idle.
russellbailey posted 09-20-2011 03:21 PM ET (US)
I have 2 seasons and about 150 hours on some twin 2006 Optimax twins on my Outage 25. Mine are not OTNG, but I suspect the one you are considering likely is.
Noise - quieter together than my 1987 Evinrude 70 2-stroke alone, but not nearly as quiet as a 4-stroke. So, it depends on your reference. Once on plane the engines are only minimally noticeable over the wind noise.
Reliability - mine have about 400 hours on them and have never had to go back to the dealer.
Long-term - to be determined.
I've been pleased so far. They have a lot of power - we waterski much of the time and they really accelerate well and hold a steady speed under varying loads. There is no smoke, and they start just like a car. Except for their sound levels being somewhat higher than an E-tec or 4-stroke, I think in other aspects they are equally refined to operate.
russellbailey posted 09-20-2011 03:22 PM ET (US)
I realized I did not mention I have 150 hp models. They are the same block as the 175 hp and I believe are very similar.

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Author	Topic: 2007 Mercury 175XL OptiMax
Gerry123	posted 09-20-2011 08:06 AM ET (US) I would appreciate the forum's view on the 2007 Mercury OptiMax 175-HP outboard engine. The boat I am looking at has one with 60-hours on it. All maintenance completed by Boston Whaler dealer. Please comment on noise levels at low speed, reliability, long term [concerns]. Thanks Gerry
jimh	posted 09-20-2011 09:07 AM ET (US) Look at the cowling graphics and ornamentation of this OptiMax engine. If there is a cowling graphic that shows a stylized globe, then the OptiMax is actually an OptiMax The Next Generation outboard engine. The OptiMax The Next Generation (OTNG) outboard engines are a second-generation model of the original OptiMax. The OTNG motors use the gear case from the VERADO. The gear case for the VERADO has been re-designed three times to improve its durability. I assume that with each re-design of the gear case for the VERADO the same improvements were used in the OTNG. I don't have a precise epoch for when the changes in gear case design were made. When announcing the OTNG product, Mercury said its "product development and engineering teams focused heavily on key customer attributes, such as durability, reliability, noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) and overall ease of operation." These are all important considerations and worthy of attention. Exactly how durability was increased was never revealed, but perhaps we can infer that the change in gear case contributed to it. Exactly how reliability was increased was never revealed. I believe there was a re-design of the air compressor, but I do not know if the new air compressor design was exclusive to the OTNG engines. Noise was said to have been reduced "in some models" by "as much as 6-dB." Six-decibels is a noticeable reduction in noise, but it was never clearly specified which models received the improvement, nor exactly how much improvement was obtained. The method for improvement in qualities of vibration and harshness was never explained. The 175-HP OptiMax appears to no longer be in production. I believe it was based on the 2.5-liter block. In the introduction of the OTNG motors, it was noted that most of the improvements and changes were to the 3.0-liter block engines. If the OptiMax does not have the globe icon on the cowling, then it will be from the prior generation of OptiMax engines, and thus it will be less durable, less reliable, noisier, have more vibration, and tend to have harsher characteristics, or at least that is the inference made from the manufacturer's statements. Also see this article for more on the differences: OTNG--OptiMax The Next Generation http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/011847.html An engine with 60-hours on it is certainly a fresh engine. For a four-year-old engine to have such low hours of operation implies it was not used much. This can be both a blessing and a curse. Such little operating time in four years sometimes can be harder on an engine than to have been run longer and harder. The OptiMax engines have demonstrated excellent performance and fuel economy. Although the engine is a rather complex assembly, its reliability has been on par with other outboard engines. I do not think there is a great concern for the long-term operation of the engine in any way that is significantly different from another outboard engine. The sound signature of the OptiMax is somewhat unusual due to the operation of the air compressor under the engine cowling. Also, when the OptiMax was first conceived and designed, there was no strong focus on having a very quiet operating sound level at idle speeds, as there is now. Therefore the noise signature of the OptiMax is significantly louder at idle speeds than other modern engines. For example, according to noise level measurements, one OptiMax engine at idle makes more noise than 64 VERADO engines at idle. That comparison is a bit unfair, of course, because the VERADO is the quietest outboard engine ever made, but it does give a reasonable comparison when asking about engine noise at idle.
russellbailey	posted 09-20-2011 03:21 PM ET (US) I have 2 seasons and about 150 hours on some twin 2006 Optimax twins on my Outage 25. Mine are not OTNG, but I suspect the one you are considering likely is. Noise - quieter together than my 1987 Evinrude 70 2-stroke alone, but not nearly as quiet as a 4-stroke. So, it depends on your reference. Once on plane the engines are only minimally noticeable over the wind noise. Reliability - mine have about 400 hours on them and have never had to go back to the dealer. Long-term - to be determined. I've been pleased so far. They have a lot of power - we waterski much of the time and they really accelerate well and hold a steady speed under varying loads. There is no smoke, and they start just like a car. Except for their sound levels being somewhat higher than an E-tec or 4-stroke, I think in other aspects they are equally refined to operate.
russellbailey	posted 09-20-2011 03:22 PM ET (US) I realized I did not mention I have 150 hp models. They are the same block as the 175 hp and I believe are very similar.