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Author Topic:   2006 Verado Engines: High Oil Consumption

digmore418 posted 10-08-2009 01:05 PM ET (US)
I have a pair of 2006 Mercury Verado 250-HP engine. My issues lie within the unbelievable amount of oil they consume. Over July of 2009 I had a 50- to 60-hour run that burned approximately 7-gallons of oil. This is like a two-stroke. I've had the best mechanics in South Texas, registered by Mercury for Verado engines, look at these motors, and I have had no success in finding out what is causing the oil to be consumed.
Does anyone have the same [problem with very high oil consumption] with 2006 Verado engines? If so, did you have a solution to the oil use? This is unreal. Also, my fuel economy is no better than 0.5/motor. These engines suck fuel and give me very short runs. A round trip of 50- to 60-miles in a three-foot sea is about as safe as I feel for distance. I get home on fumes. My genset uses about 10 gallons all day.
Does anybody have any information or documents showing Mercury Verado engines with these problems and being re-designed for 2007 with better mileage and oil function? Did Mercury know about these issues, redesign and fix these problems for the 2007 250 Verado? Thanks for any help or information.
glen e posted 10-08-2009 01:41 PM ET (US)
This is not a 2006 or 2007 Gen I or Gen II problem. You have either a porous casting, a stuck ring, or something leaking into the crank case. You'll probably find it's fuel leakage. Take it to a certified Verado technician and he will be able to diagnose it with the help of the Mercury hotline. We have discussed [the subject of oil levels] extensively at veradoclub.com.
jimh posted 10-08-2009 10:45 PM ET (US)
From Glen's reply, it sounds like instead of asking "Does anyone have this problem," you should be asking, "Does everyone have this problem." Apparently it seems to be well know among Verado owners. However, this is the first I have heard of it.
Prior to this comment, I would characterize the Verado owners here as having been effusive in their praise for the engine. The only exception is a well-known problem with some plastic or rubber components in the fuel system, and the blame for that is properly directed at ethanol and poor quality fuel, more so than any sort of design problem.
Please elaborate on the boat you have with the twin 250-HP Verado motors. A fuel economy of only 0.5-MPG is so bad it is almost unbelievable.
glen e posted 10-09-2009 03:12 PM ET (US)
Sorry Jim - I should have written - "The subject of oil levels has been discussed extensively at veradoclub.com". Feel free to do some searches there.
Sorry, no smoking gun/design defect there.
However, losing as much oil as the OP suggests can only be attributed to huge gaping holes in the crankcase and much environmental pollution. 6 -7 GALLONS in 70 hours? Wow! There has to be a leak, any engine can't burn that much oil without gunking up and bogging down after a while.
L H G posted 10-09-2009 03:42 PM ET (US)
[Changed the topic of discussion to his own speculation about how this discussion might have proceeded under different circumstances. The topic here is the high oil consumption and high fuel consumption of the Verado 250-HP motor. Please, let's stay on topic--jimh]
Feejer posted 10-09-2009 04:55 PM ET (US)
If the "Best" mechanics in South Texas can't figure out what is going on you have more problems than just your engines
jimh posted 10-10-2009 11:52 AM ET (US)
I look forward to hearing how this problem with unusually high oil consumption with the 2006 Verado 250-HP engine will be resolved. I hope that we can get a follow up. This problem seems out of the ordinary, and I think many Verado owners will be interested in the resolution of it.
Also, I'd would like more information on the boat on which these Verado 250-HP engines are installed, so that we can have better appreciation of the 0.5-MPG fuel economy mentioned. If we figure that the 0.5-MPG fuel economy occurs at cruising speed, and if we figure that cruising speed is about three-quarter throttle, this would imply the horsepower being used would be about 300-HP. If we assume that a Verado will have a BSFC of about 0.5-lbs/HP-hour, at 300-HP the engines will be burning 150-lbs of fuel per hour, or about 24-gallons per hour. In order for the fuel economy to be 0.5-MPG, the boat speed would have to be around 12-MPH. It seems incongruous that 300-HP could only push a boat to 12-MPH. If we assume a hull factor of 180, which is reasonable for a v-hull boat, that implies the weight of the boat would be around 67,500-lbs. That seems rather high for an offshore boat, and certainly more than any Boston Whaler boat would weigh.
Feejer posted 10-10-2009 03:05 PM ET (US)
My average for the season on my Verado 150 was 4.9 miles per gallon. A good 50% of my time was spent towing a tube or wake board
glen e posted 10-10-2009 08:29 PM ET (US)
My 300's burn 1.8
Hyperlink to a picture of a fuel flow gauge showing a reading of 1.8
jimh posted 10-11-2009 09:35 AM ET (US)
While comparisons of fuel economy in miles per gallon are often interesting, they are a very imprecise way to compare the fuel economy of a motor. Fuel use when stated in miles per gallon involves many more factors than the motor. The boat, the propeller, the sea state, and so on, all influence the fuel economy in miles per gallon. To get a better comparison of the engine's fuel use, instead compare the gallons per hour when producing a particular power output. This allows computation of the brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) of the engine, which is independent of the boat, the propeller, the sea state, and other variables which affect miles-per-gallon calculations.
I don't think there is much controversy about the notion that the report given here about the Verado motors consumption of oil and fuel is out of the ordinary. What will be more interesting is to learn of the remedy for this problem. If we do not hear more from digmore418, I will contact him via email to encourage him to provide more information and to follow-up with the results of any further attempts to remedy this problem with extraordinary high fuel consumption and oil consumption on his Mercury Verado 250-HP engines c.2006.

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Author	Topic: 2006 Verado Engines: High Oil Consumption
digmore418	posted 10-08-2009 01:05 PM ET (US) I have a pair of 2006 Mercury Verado 250-HP engine. My issues lie within the unbelievable amount of oil they consume. Over July of 2009 I had a 50- to 60-hour run that burned approximately 7-gallons of oil. This is like a two-stroke. I've had the best mechanics in South Texas, registered by Mercury for Verado engines, look at these motors, and I have had no success in finding out what is causing the oil to be consumed. Does anyone have the same [problem with very high oil consumption] with 2006 Verado engines? If so, did you have a solution to the oil use? This is unreal. Also, my fuel economy is no better than 0.5/motor. These engines suck fuel and give me very short runs. A round trip of 50- to 60-miles in a three-foot sea is about as safe as I feel for distance. I get home on fumes. My genset uses about 10 gallons all day. Does anybody have any information or documents showing Mercury Verado engines with these problems and being re-designed for 2007 with better mileage and oil function? Did Mercury know about these issues, redesign and fix these problems for the 2007 250 Verado? Thanks for any help or information.
glen e	posted 10-08-2009 01:41 PM ET (US) This is not a 2006 or 2007 Gen I or Gen II problem. You have either a porous casting, a stuck ring, or something leaking into the crank case. You'll probably find it's fuel leakage. Take it to a certified Verado technician and he will be able to diagnose it with the help of the Mercury hotline. We have discussed [the subject of oil levels] extensively at veradoclub.com.
jimh	posted 10-08-2009 10:45 PM ET (US) From Glen's reply, it sounds like instead of asking "Does anyone have this problem," you should be asking, "Does everyone have this problem." Apparently it seems to be well know among Verado owners. However, this is the first I have heard of it. Prior to this comment, I would characterize the Verado owners here as having been effusive in their praise for the engine. The only exception is a well-known problem with some plastic or rubber components in the fuel system, and the blame for that is properly directed at ethanol and poor quality fuel, more so than any sort of design problem. Please elaborate on the boat you have with the twin 250-HP Verado motors. A fuel economy of only 0.5-MPG is so bad it is almost unbelievable.
glen e	posted 10-09-2009 03:12 PM ET (US) Sorry Jim - I should have written - "The subject of oil levels has been discussed extensively at veradoclub.com". Feel free to do some searches there. Sorry, no smoking gun/design defect there. However, losing as much oil as the OP suggests can only be attributed to huge gaping holes in the crankcase and much environmental pollution. 6 -7 GALLONS in 70 hours? Wow! There has to be a leak, any engine can't burn that much oil without gunking up and bogging down after a while.
L H G	posted 10-09-2009 03:42 PM ET (US) [Changed the topic of discussion to his own speculation about how this discussion might have proceeded under different circumstances. The topic here is the high oil consumption and high fuel consumption of the Verado 250-HP motor. Please, let's stay on topic--jimh]
Feejer	posted 10-09-2009 04:55 PM ET (US) If the "Best" mechanics in South Texas can't figure out what is going on you have more problems than just your engines
jimh	posted 10-10-2009 11:52 AM ET (US) I look forward to hearing how this problem with unusually high oil consumption with the 2006 Verado 250-HP engine will be resolved. I hope that we can get a follow up. This problem seems out of the ordinary, and I think many Verado owners will be interested in the resolution of it. Also, I'd would like more information on the boat on which these Verado 250-HP engines are installed, so that we can have better appreciation of the 0.5-MPG fuel economy mentioned. If we figure that the 0.5-MPG fuel economy occurs at cruising speed, and if we figure that cruising speed is about three-quarter throttle, this would imply the horsepower being used would be about 300-HP. If we assume that a Verado will have a BSFC of about 0.5-lbs/HP-hour, at 300-HP the engines will be burning 150-lbs of fuel per hour, or about 24-gallons per hour. In order for the fuel economy to be 0.5-MPG, the boat speed would have to be around 12-MPH. It seems incongruous that 300-HP could only push a boat to 12-MPH. If we assume a hull factor of 180, which is reasonable for a v-hull boat, that implies the weight of the boat would be around 67,500-lbs. That seems rather high for an offshore boat, and certainly more than any Boston Whaler boat would weigh.
Feejer	posted 10-10-2009 03:05 PM ET (US) My average for the season on my Verado 150 was 4.9 miles per gallon. A good 50% of my time was spent towing a tube or wake board
glen e	posted 10-10-2009 08:29 PM ET (US) My 300's burn 1.8 Hyperlink to a picture of a fuel flow gauge showing a reading of 1.8
jimh	posted 10-11-2009 09:35 AM ET (US) While comparisons of fuel economy in miles per gallon are often interesting, they are a very imprecise way to compare the fuel economy of a motor. Fuel use when stated in miles per gallon involves many more factors than the motor. The boat, the propeller, the sea state, and so on, all influence the fuel economy in miles per gallon. To get a better comparison of the engine's fuel use, instead compare the gallons per hour when producing a particular power output. This allows computation of the brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) of the engine, which is independent of the boat, the propeller, the sea state, and other variables which affect miles-per-gallon calculations. I don't think there is much controversy about the notion that the report given here about the Verado motors consumption of oil and fuel is out of the ordinary. What will be more interesting is to learn of the remedy for this problem. If we do not hear more from digmore418, I will contact him via email to encourage him to provide more information and to follow-up with the results of any further attempts to remedy this problem with extraordinary high fuel consumption and oil consumption on his Mercury Verado 250-HP engines c.2006.