Mercury 4 stroke - Chinese Made

[ozscott]

Hi all. Can anyone share their experiences with say 40-60 4 stroke Mercs - latest few years where they have been made in China. The little 40 and 50 I think is only 1.1litre so a real baby but should be economical. They have a 5 year warranty.

Cheers

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[Chimo]

Hi Oz

FYI

Chimo

Australian Boating, October #251
Honda has re-engineered its popular BF40,
BF50, BF80 and BF100 marine outboards making
them more efficient, durable and easier to
maintain. In stock now, from Honda Marine
dealers, prices generally have remained the same
as the outgoing engines they replace.
All models benefit from Honda’s industry-leading
six year domestic and two year commercial warranty.
So What’s New?
With an upgraded ECU these new outboards have
the latest in Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI)
technology. This ensures that fuel is delivered to the
engine in a highly efficient and precisely measured
manner, guaranteeing that the engine will run
smoother at peak performance while also burning
less fuel.
To combat corrosion and extend the life and
reliability of the outboard, the water jacket and anode
metal cover have been coated with Alumite
treatment, while all the bolts in the engine have been
treated with Honda’s very own improved corrosion
coating material.
Easy to Maintain
Honda wants to make owning and running one of
their outboards as trouble free as possible and so they
have added and redesigned several new features to
make them easier to maintain. Subtle but important
changes include wider hood clips on all four
outboards and the rib shape altered to give easier
access to the engine, plus the water jacket design has
also been updated so that it doesn’t have to be
removed to get to the anodes. The thermostat cover
on the BF80 and BF100 has also been moved from a
sideways to an upward position to allow easy access.
In addition, the new BF40 and BF50 now benefit
from a new freshwater water flushing hose to ensure
engine preservation between major scheduled
flushing and maintenance periods. This is ideal for
vessels that live in water. No need for engine muffs
and no need to start the engine, just connect the
garden hose to the engine flush point, turn on the tap
and away it goes.
Re-Design
All this new and updated technology is neatly
housed under a re-designed hood. Moving away from
the traditional ‘wing’ appearance, these four engines
now feature a new strong and athletic ‘crouching’
look which unifies the design of Honda’s small and
medium sized outboards across the range.
Packed With Technology
Honda’s revolutionary Boosted Low Speed Torque
10 Australian Boating
HONDA Outboards
Upgrade Four Of
Their Best Sellers
NEW FOR 2017
(BLAST™) technology boosts engine torque at low
RPM under rapid acceleration. BLAST™ traces the
air/fuel ratio that results in the maximum torque for
each engine revolution, while simultaneously tracing
the maximum knock limit ignition timing that can be
obtained using a rich air/fuel ratio in the full throttle
zone and advances the ignition timing to the limit, in
order to produce greater torque. This boost in
horsepower and torque at low rpm contributes to
strong hole shot performance to get the hull up on
plane quickly.
Developed for Honda's high-performance
sportscars, VTEC™ varies the lift and duration of the
intake valves to provide optimum performance both
at low and high rpm. Available on the BF100;
VTEC™ delivers at low speeds - smooth, stable
idling with a reduction in fuel consumption, while the
increased valve lift at higher speeds broadens the
torque curve for more top end power.
Along with Honda's Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI)
technology, the outboards also incorporate lean burn
control technology, allowing combustion to operate
on a leaner air/fuel ratio. An O2 sensor precisely
controls the air/fuel mixture during cruising to
achieve higher fuel economy and is more commonly
referred to as Economy Controlled Motor or ECOmo
for short.
Honda is wired for the future; this is why all the
new outboards come standard with NMEA2000
connectivity. Equipment designed to the NMEA2000
standard has the ability to share and display data,
including commands and status with other
compatible equipment over a single channel.
AB

[Andy56]

wow, what happened there

[Steeler]

Going for the longest vertical post in history

[TheRealPoMo]

So where are the Hondas made?

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[Andy56]

Does it have auto trim?
Does it have fly by wire?
Does it come with a jack plate?
Does it come with assisted steering?

cant be much of a future proof motor, lol Does anyone proof read their BS advertising flyers? We are supposed to be in awe of a new ECU? Its kinda like their car upgrades, a few more decals VVTI, MEGA Juice, hyper throttle, lift off control, 4WDA.. funny as . Some body gets paid good money to come up with this crap.

[swof63]

I have a merc 4s but dont know if it's made in China.
I do have a weed whacker made in China that goes okay so I guess that's relevant. But it is shy a couple of strokes.


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[The Woo]

Hi all. Can anyone share their experiences with say 40-60 4 stroke Mercs - latest few years where they have been made in China. The little 40 and 50 I think is only 1.1litre so a real baby but should be economical. They have a 5 year warranty.

Cheers

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I have one. A 2009 40hp EFI.
They are still the same thing now. It's been great. Done well over 1,000hrs, is not shown much love and is kept on a air dock.... never let me down.
Rusty power trim motor, but all Mercs do that.
Would buy again.

[Noelm]

This came up when Merc started building them in China ages ago, the country matters little, it's the quality control and base parts that matter, lots of "high end" products are made in what is regarded as low quality countries, but to a standard, not as cheap as they can possibly be made, big difference between (say) a Chinese Merc and a Sail/Parsun.

[Vromme]

Its all about quality control. Many a good company struggle to keep up qc when going to cheap labour countries.
There is a huge dif between Chinese made and Chinese made.

Personally I do what I can to avoid buying important products from China - at least until they are proven.

I hope Merc can keep up qc there.

[VictorOscar]

Ozscott,

An interesting read for you here:

http://www.marineenginedigest.com/profiles/mercury/mercury-chinese-outboards.htm

[Sleepydragon]

Hi all. Can anyone share their experiences with say 40-60 4 stroke Mercs - latest few years where they have been made in China. The little 40 and 50 I think is only 1.1litre so a real baby but should be economical. They have a 5 year warranty.

Cheers

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Hi Mate,

This is one of the reason why I don't buy Chinese made Merc 4 strokes. I fell into exactly the same case when I re powered my boat. The Merc was cheaper to buy and still come with good 5 years warranty. As soon as I knew it made from China, I moved away from it, regardless all the sale points. Just remember 1 thing, the boat is not like the car. When you get broken down at the middle of nowhere it must be harder to rescue. Safety and reliability come 1st for me. So, I chose the made in Japan outboard which slightly more expensive but I have my peace of mind.Don't get me wrong, Merc is good but not for me. Hope my 2 cents help you.

Cheers

[ozscott]

Ozscott,

An interesting read for you here:

http://www.marineenginedigest.com/profiles/mercury/mercury-chinese-outboards.htmMate that's a really interesting article. Thanks very much for posting. It doesn't say where the components are made but we can probably assume in various factories in China. Given that the castings have been made there since 20p3 or so corrosion problems would be sell and truly evident by now if these Chinese Made motors were substandard. Cheers

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[Andy56]

The problem is this. If its made to good specs and qc is followed through, its a good buy. The issue is that chinese products, and we have all bought them, are usually made to cheaper standards. Chinese managers are renouned for taking capitalism to the nth degree, source the cheapest parts, dont worry about quality. Us suckers in the west have no idea what goes into chinese manufacture, hence our hesitation to buy something as elaborate as an outboard engine made in china.
I too would be reluctant. We are not yet in a position to trust chinese manufactures. Maybe in time as they become a bit more sophisticated It could change. A five year warranty certainly clouds the issue, lol. Just by reading the posts, i am not the only one with these thoughts

[aussiebasser]

I'd say 12 years of production is a pretty good guide that they're OK

[Crunchy]

Read the book "Poorly made in China" for an insight into how they think......may not apply to big companies like Mercury but explains a few things!

[Kero]

I have a 2014 50HP 4S and it's been faultless. Like others have said, there's a difference between Chinese Made & Chinese Manufactured.
Mercury have tight quality control over their process and parts.
The 40/50/60 is an inline 4 cylinder that runs smoothly and has more torque than other 3 cylinder motors of the same HP.
Would I buy another one? Without any hesitation based on my current 3 years of ownership.

[ozscott]

Thanks mate. The 40hp is an inline 3 then they move to a 4cyl in the 50hp...makes the Honda online 3 new BF40 look attractive. Cheers

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[Kero]

Thanks mate. The 40hp is an inline 3 then they move to a 4cyl in the 50hp...makes the Honda online 3 new BF40 look attractive. Cheers

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Yes your right, I just checked. I thought that the 40 was the same block. Apologies!

[ozscott]

The Tohatsu (new) 40hp looks fantastic and great torque. Apparently the only one left 100 per cent made in Japan? But warranty much less than Honda. Cheers

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[Skusto]

I thought Honda was making the 4 strokes for tohatsu? I know they do in larger models.

Just not 100 percent sure of lower hp models.


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[BigE]

have owned a 60hp merc and a 60 hp yammie , both looked very similar under the cowl. Yammie was a far better motor IMHO
both had good power and econ, but the yammie just seemed a happier and quite. bought the merc with smart craft which i had on a opti and loved but on the 60hp most of the smart craft functions didnt work.

have a suzuki atm and it seems to be a good thing so far.

BigE

[Noelm]

Lots of Mercs had Yamaha power heads, Honda make Tohatsu 4 strokes over 60HP, the smaller HP are a mixed bag.

[VictorOscar]

Mate that's a really interesting article. Thanks very much for posting. It doesn't say where the components are made but we can probably assume in various factories in China. Given that the castings have been made there since 20p3 or so corrosion problems would be sell and truly evident by now if these Chinese Made motors were substandard. Cheers

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You're welcome mate, good luck with the decision!

It's a global economy now and I wonder how long it will be until other manufacturers move their operations.

[TheRealPoMo]

My previous English motorcycle was made in Thailand as was my current Italian one. 11 years for both with no issues. Yeah I know its not China but they do make spacecraft now...

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[552Evo]

My previous English motorcycle was made in Thailand as was my current Italian one. 11 years for both with no issues. Yeah I know its not China but they do make spacecraft now...

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All well and good, but did the bikes maintain their propensity for oil leaks like good old English motor cycles ?
Tongue in cheek
Sorry ;-)
I do like some of the old bikes though.



Saltwater fishing, boat mad but has a job that gets in the way.

[chocolatemoose]

ive seen some australian manufacturing facilities that are pretty 3rd world :P.
country of origin matters little now days.

[TheRealPoMo]

All well and good, but did the bikes maintain their propensity for oil leaks like good old English motor cycles ?
Tongue in cheek
Sorry ;-)
I do like some of the old bikes though.



Saltwater fishing, boat mad but has a job that gets in the way.Haha, no, not a drop. I get where you are coming from tho. I still have a Meriden built 1961 Thunderbird that keeps the workshop stand (and floor ) rust free.


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[TheRealPoMo]

Actually, at the risk of hijacking the thread into a motorcycle theme, I once had a 1973 Honda 350/4. The engine casings were made from something like...well you know when you have leftover vintage cheddar after the bbq and you stick it in the fridge for 6 months? That's what Honda used.
And now we all worship Japanese made stuff - because they got better.

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