Need Some Serious Advice on a Merc

[tight lipped]

Does anyone have any recommendations on a good reliable Merc Mechinic who is certified by Merc in the NJ area? I live in Voorhees and have an 01 225 OPTI, it has been giving me some trouble and I had it at the Dealer several times ( I think he is rooking me and blowing smoke).

it all started when I was having some idling problems, I have the Smart Craft system also and originally it was connected to the controller. I could not get it to read my GPS NMEA data or display the speed from the PITOT.

After the Dealer I was told I needed a new remote, upgraded SC gauges and to go to the CAN harness system. This cost me about $600 so I was not happy. They told me the idling was due to the TPS not fully retracting and said mercury told them to offset it with washers (I called Merc and their record shows the Dealer asked if offsetting it would work so who's lying here?).

I still had problems but this time a whole lot more, the SC gauges had different software versions and still not all feaqtures worked, Alarms were continuously firing and when I had it in gear and adjusted the trim it would accelerate. I took it back and now it needed a new ECM, they told me I hooked up the fuel sender wrong and fried the ecm (BS) i hooked the fuel sender according to the Merc manual, they said the manual was wrong and I should not have grounded the fuel sender as it says in the manual.

Now I have a reman ECM with 166 hrs on it, my motor does not even have 20hrs on it, Merc says they are getting me another ecm. I also had to pay the dealer again for 3 hrs labor he said he was not reimbursed by Merc. Again I think this is BS.

I Do not trust this dealer, Does anyone have any advice here? Should I call the Dealer and Merc on this and get this resolved through the courts?

[Emily Lynn]

Try Adam at Mullica River Marina 609-965-2120. He can be a pain in the a$$ but he knows mercury's. Other places call him for answers/Ive witnessed it.

[fishinfloorman]

You can try Almars Marine in Delaware Big Merc. Dealer just over del.mem.bridge near new castle farmers market

[CounterRotation]

Nmma connection to "System Tach and Speed" is through the blue and white wires on the tach and speed harness. "Smart Tach and Speed" (earlier version) should have the same functions.

Speed data is transmitted first from the paddle wheel (0 - 15 mph I believe) then through the pitot pick-up located in the gearcase.

Which brings us to the transducer/paddle wheel harness. This same harness is used to send data from the paddle wheel, oil tank level sender and fuel tank level sender. There is a service bulletin regarding the connections at the fuel sender. If the orange /black wire in this harness is connected to the sender along with the pink wire incorrect voltage signals will be sent to the ECM and a high idle condition will result. Another condition that will result in high idle is if the throttle shutter cam follower is not returning to the correct position. This will show a TPI Link fault on the DDT.
BassBarn sponsor, Island Marine Center, is Mercury Certified.

[barnaclebillsmarine]

Originally posted by tight lipped:
I also had to pay the dealer again for 3 hrs labor he said he was not reimbursed by Merc. Again I think this is BS.

Warranty only pays by flat rate. If flat rate for a job is 1 hour and it takes them 5 hours, they only get paid for 1 hour. This is why its very important to find a good dealer. We never, never charge if something is under warranty. If I can not figure it out in the time it should take then shame on me. I hear all the time about dealers doing this but I for one can not see it. Did you ever have a car under warranty and get billed from the dealer. I dont think so. I would say find a different dealer. I know Island Marine Center is a Mercury Dealer and a barn sponsor. I would give them a call.

[CounterRotation]

Correction. NMEA connection. Not NMMA. Sorry, got my abbreviations mixed.

[REELKNOT]

trenton marine center-great people and great upfront honest service.

[Chris Gatley]

May I suggest Bill and N & B Marine. He is next to Sportmen's Center in Bordentown, NJ.

he has been handdling my mercury for years and is great.

i think his number is 609-298-3658

check that though

[fishinfloorman]

Sorry did not know we had a merc. barn sponser.

[seaweezil]

I have delt with Almars, they hung a 225 opti on my aquasport in 03, first trip w/ motor and #5 CYLINDER LOST COMPRESSION, was a factory flaw, oil line was kinked, took the boat to West Creek Outboard first because they were 10 min. from marina, they did the dia. for me and the decision was to take it back to Almars and they had a fully dressed powerhead pulled from the assembly line to get me going again. They kept me informed the whole time and were very professional about the situation. Never had a problem since.

[deep defiance]

almars in delaware #1 al and sam are A class act!

[tight lipped]

Almars is too far for me, I live in Voorhees and was thinking about Dredge Harbor Marine, does anyone have pro or cons to them?

[tight lipped]

CounterRotation

I am not sure what you mean about the Blk/Org wire. In the manual it says to hook that wire up to the gauge and also ground the same point. But I have also heard now Merc says to not ground it or if you do ground it then not use the Blk/Org wire.

If so then if you did use the Blk/Org and also grounded it like the manual says could that damage the ecm? if so would'nt Merc be responsible for this?

[Joey O]

The problem with doing your own repairs (especially with the newer motors), is even if you buy a factory manual your not getting "all" the information. What I mean by that is authorized Mercury dealerships are constantly recieveing "service bulletins" from the factory that update them on certain problems that have arose with their product. Ask any cert mechanic thats been at it for years to show you what his service bulletin book looks like & more than likely it's close to the size of a small phone book.
I can understand the sitution your in and it sucks. You've spent alot of money on a newer product so you would not have these problems in the first place. I think your best route would be to find a well respected dealership (no matter how far away it is) and have them rectify the problem. Haveing a mechanic you have no faith in work on your boat is a real bad feeling. Unfortunately, it's all too common it this industry.

[CounterRotation]

Originally posted by tight lipped:
CounterRotation

I am not sure what you mean about the Blk/Org wire. In the manual it says to hook that wire up to the gauge and also ground the same point. But I have also heard now Merc says to not ground it or if you do ground it then not use the Blk/Org wire.

If so then if you did use the Blk/Org and also grounded it like the manual says could that
damage the ecm? if so would'nt Merc be responsible for this?

The last sentence of the first paragraph is correct information. At the sender, the pink wire should be attached and the ground wire attached. If the orange/black wire is connected, voltage from the boat ground circuit (12vdc) will feed back to the ECM (5vdc reference) and cause a high idle condition (1200-1300 rpm). Corrective action is to use the pink wire, ground the tank and NOT use the orange/black wire.
As Joey O stated, your best course of action would be to find a reputable dealer with access to service bulletins and diagnostic software.
Again, I would recommend Island Marine Center in Oceanview N.J.