Merc 140hp v.s. 135hp which is better ?

[Old & In the way]

Hi

I'm shopping for a 1990-1992 19' Searay and found two local boats -

- one has a 1992 Merc 135hp
- the other has a Merc 140hp about the same year from the looks.

So I have read the "tower of power" information in the past and I like them.

But I just can't find good info on what the 140hp is or it's history, performance, reputation or gas consumption.

Any help is appreaciated.

Thanks.

 

[mr 88]

Re: Merc 140hp v.s. 135hp which is better ?

The 140 stacker was built in 1972 and from 78-81,to the best of my knowledge.Is the 135 a Tower ? The serial numbers will tell you for sure what year the motors are.There is very little difference in HP output between the 135 and 140/150 on a 19' Sea Ray. When the V6's came out they changed the 150L6 to a 115 [de-tuned it a hair] so as not to compete with itself at that HP.As far as fuel mileage I would guess at cruise you would average around 3+ with either motor.I am currently rebuilding a 140 and "turning" it into a 150.DO NOT let me scare you away by saying I am rebuilding a stacker,I bought it with a blown piston,which was caused by the PO pinching the oil feed line that goes to the top of the tower.I have a stock 1966 1100ss that has NEVER been torn down and runs like it came off the showroom floor.To turn the 140 into a 150 I am putting in high dome pistons vs low dome,everything else is the same.Both the motors you are looking at are great runners and hp to weight cannot be beat.You may want to post up on Facebook..... inline 6 mercury outboard motor fans...,there are some extremely knowledgeable people there,old racers etc.They will have more info for you if no one else hear chirps in.

 

[Sprky]

Re: Merc 140hp v.s. 135hp which is better ?

The 135 is a V6 the 140 is a I6.

No comparison...............kinda like apples to handgernades.

Go with the V6

 

[Gomer50]

Re: Merc 140hp v.s. 135hp which is better ?

Each to its own I suppose,I like the inline 6 better 140 hp yeppers,better wieght ratio, easy to work on.The down side some parts are becoming harder to find. Ya just cant beat an inline 6.

 

[79Merc80]

Re: Merc 140hp v.s. 135hp which is better ?

The old inline 6 1350 was rated at the flywheel as well at eh 1400/140. I have heard that the inline 6 1500 was made into a 1400/140 when the 1500 V-6 was introduced. When Mercury went to prop rating, the 140 was given 115 cowlings.

Clams says that the 115 (Prop Rated) is the same as the 1350 inline 6.

Prop rating started mid year 1982, so none of the inline 6's put out 135 at the prop.

HTH, Craig

 

[Faztbullet]

Re: Merc 140hp v.s. 135hp which is better ?

Go with the 135 V-6 as it will have better fuel economy, bottom end torque, and swings a larger diameter prop . The 135 V-6 is a detuned 150....

 

[79Merc80]

Re: Merc 140hp v.s. 135hp which is better ?

Faztbullet:

How much heavier is the 135 V-6 than the 90, 115 inline 6?

Craig

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Merc 140hp v.s. 135hp which is better ?

The V6 motors are nearly 450#, versus 300# for the inline 6.

 

[Faztbullet]

Re: Merc 140hp v.s. 135hp which is better ?

The 135hp is 404lbs and 140hp depending on year/trim style is 300lbs...100 lbs difference.

 

[aussieflash]

Re: Merc 140hp v.s. 135hp which is better ?

I love my V6 135,though my mechanic prefers the inline 6 (cause he gets to fix more of them).
If the V6 checks out with good cylinders etc GO WITH IT.....call me bias.
1988 V6 135hp weighs 378Lbs / 172kg.

 

[Gomer50]

Re: Merc 140hp v.s. 135hp which is better ?

With some humor intended sould boating fuel economy and horse power be in the same sentence?:facepalm::facepalm:
On a 19 foot boat I would put as much hp as I can get for my $$$$.

 

[daveswaves]

Re: Merc 140hp v.s. 135hp which is better ?

The 1500 with high domes or the 1400 with high domes works very well, however, please do drop the timing to 20 degrees. If you are running an ADI 1400 the timing will be set at 20 but will come in at 18 at wot, just the nature of the electronics.

 

[mr 88]

Re: Merc 140hp v.s. 135hp which is better ?

Not sure if you are replying to my answer.If so I run 96+ octane gas with my 1100ss. I may up it to 98 with the rebuilt 140.Correct me if I am wrong but with that octane I believe I should be able to run at factory specs on the timing.Right now it is not ADI,if parts come up before I hit that stage I would swap out.Any thoughts Dave on the octane I plan on running with?

The 1500 with high domes or the 1400 with high domes works very well, however, please do drop the timing to 20 degrees. If you are running an ADI 1400 the timing will be set at 20 but will come in at 18 at wot, just the nature of the electronics.

 

[daveswaves]

Re: Merc 140hp v.s. 135hp which is better ?

Not sure if you are replying to my answer.If so I run 96+ octane gas with my 1100ss. I may up it to 98 with the rebuilt 140.Correct me if I am wrong but with that octane I believe I should be able to run at factory specs on the timing.Right now it is not ADI,if parts come up before I hit that stage I would swap out.Any thoughts Dave on the octane I plan on running with?

Sorry about that, yes I was replying to your answer. If you can get the high octane fuel automotive grade 96 or 98 should be OK with the high domes, 100LL is preferable. I actually run 87 octane since that is all that is available in our marina. With the timing dropped down it runs well. There is no noticeable difference dropping the timing in my application, a light weight aluminum bass boat. Not sure what boat you are running. My wot rpm is 6200 plus with a 20 p laser 11 prop. I am still breaking in the new rebuild. Just pulled the boat out of the water for the season so future testing will have to wait. I did notice a need for additional fuel, I have to add a booster fuel pump since I was emptying the carb bowls at 6200. Im pretty sure the engine has more in it, it was still climbing at 6200.n
Unless you can verify your fuel I would seriously consider dropping your timing. Absolutely nothing wrong with the distributor 140 the only reason I converted to ADI is to allow some experimentation on the engine with fuel injection. That project is on hold due to programming difficulties, I will be looking into a different ecu this winter. I currently run an ADI front cover with WMK 14,s from a 1500XS with .082 jets.