1990 Yamaha 225

[bdtsr]

Ok folks, Mercs I know. OMC 's I know. Yamahas I don't! I am most likely going to pick up a 1990 Yamaha 225 Excell on Monday. Engine has about 400 hours on it and is supposed to be clean. The price is RIGHT! It was replaced with a new Yamaha 4 stroke. The motor comes from a reliable party. Now, anyone have one? Pros or cons? How bad is the fuel economy?

Brian

[RickK]

Yamaha and Mercury were co-engineering for quite a while.
My '91 250 still runs like a top (knocking on wood). For fuel economy it's pretty easy, HP/10 = approx fuel consumption at Wide Open Throttle (WOT).  My fuel meter reads about 27 gal/hr at WOT.  Even the new 4-strokers have the same approximation - the thing that varies the approx, up or down, is hull design - based on my observations reading the boating rags.  
At 25-30mph I'm showing 16-18 gal/hr.  It pretty loud though, since I don't have an enclosed aft.

[bdtsr]

Thanks for the reply. My Johnny 225 burns the same (16-18gph). Most of the DI 2 strokes and 4 strokes are 9-10gph at 4000rpm. Mercury's web site has some good test info. Check the 225 and 250 Optimax numbers, you might be surprised. My ultimate goal is to put the Yammy on the AS, sell all my OMC stuff and my '03 Merc 90 and put those funds towards a newer DI 2 stroke or 4 stroke motor. For now the Johnny goes on the AS (known reliable) and the Yammy goes on the '23 WA (to be tested and fixed if needed).

[flkeysaqua]

When and if you want to sell your omc let me know what size it is and what length shaft if you are getting rid of it thanks

[bdtsr]

What I have is a 1988 Johnson 225hp 25" shaft, a 1988 OMC 3.0 liter 225 hp Seadrive 25" shaft (non-ducted, same as a regular outboard) with 60 hours on a new power head. The only difference between the two is the front steering bracket all else is the same. I also have extra power pacs (single SLOW version), timer base, 20" mid scetion with good PT&T and a few props. I need to get the Yammy and make everything is good with that then the OMC stuff goes.

[RickK]

Thanks for the reply. My Johnny 225 burns the same (16-18gph). Most of the DI 2 strokes and 4 strokes are 9-10gph at 4000rpm. Mercury's web site has some good test info. Check the 225 and 250 Optimax numbers, you might be surprised.

I have a subscription to "Boating" and in reading their tests of boats/motors they show all the numbers through different rpm ranges and very rarely do the WOT numbers differ from hp/10 - even with duals and triples.  The mid-range numbers are a different thing - probably more in line with what you're saying but I was just talking about the WOT burn.

[bdtsr]

Every time I push the throttle up I feel the severe yanking of funds from my wallet. The bank balance seems to drop like the fuel gauge. Never really was into the "Full Throttle" running thing. I figured with gas at an average of $3+ a gallon in the summer, switching to a DI 2 stroke or 4 stroke, the savings would pay for the motor (used one about $7500) in about 5 years. Maybe sooner as I would use the boat more due to the fuel savings. Going from $50 an hour to run to $30 or less an hour is a big savings. Here's a test from Merc's web site on a 250 Optimax. 9 gph versus 16-18gph, gotta love that.

Performance Data
Engine Speed Fuel Economy Sound
(RPM) (MPH) (GPH) (MPG) Range (mi.) dB-A
1000    5.7     0.8    7.1    513             68
1500    7.3     1.7    4.3    309             72
2000    9.0     3.7    2.4    175             76
2500  13.6     5.2    2.6    188             82
3000  16.9     6.0    2.8    203             86
3500  25.0     7.4    3.4    243             90
4000  33.3     9.0    3.7    266             92
4500  38.9    12.4   3.1    226             94
5000  42.9    13.9   3.1    222             98
5500  48.5    21.0   2.3    166            100
6000  53.4    26.7   2.0    144            102

[RickK]

The WOT approx is there to keep you from using WOT    Anything less than that is a great savings.  Imagine trip 300s at WOT using that estimate    I guess if you can afford the 60+k for the motors you can afford the fuel.
The Opti looks good though - notice the last line.  Results will definitely vary by hull design though.  Still gotta be better than the 16-18 g/h I'm getting at 4000 rpm now though.  I guess we could just sit at the dock and really save  

[bdtsr]

Well I bought the Yammy 225 today. From the looks of it I got a real good deal. The motor has less than 300 hours and the lower unit was rebuilt with two seasons on it. The motor comes with all controls, gauges, harness', oil tank, 2 props, hydraulic steering cylinder and helm pump. All I need to buy are the hydraulic lines!

[gw204]

Look very closely at the shift shaft on your motor.  Unless it was already replaced, it's not stainless steel.  Motors of that vintage are known to have the shift shaft break which prevents your from going in/out of gear.  Replacing it required powerhead removal and can be very expensive.

[jdupree]

Look very closely at the shift shaft on your motor.  Unless it was already replaced, it's not stainless steel.  Motors of that vintage are known to have the shift shaft break which prevents your from going in/out of gear.  Replacing it required powerhead removal and can be very expensive.

gw204 is right on about the shift shaft.  Been there and done that with my 1992 200hp Mercury.  The fitting that attaches to the lower until is pot metal.  Mine broke on me last year and I did have to pull the powerhead to replace.  The new shaft by itself is around $150.00 if my memory serves me.

[bdtsr]

The lower unit was rebuilt about 3 years ago. I would imagine the shift shaft was replaced at that time. The shaft did not look like rusted steel from what I could see. The motor has been maintained by the same Yamaha mechanic who sold it to me and he works for a dealer we do glass work for. One good thing about the OMC's, you pull the side covers and most things are easy to get to. Now does anyone have any real world (not hp/10 stuff) fuel consumption numbers for a carbed Yammy 225? I'd like to see what others are doing. Rick's 250 is the same as my Johnny 225.