looking for a new 50hp 4 stroke

ozarkjeep · Dec 13, 2004

from what I can tell they are all good engines, the deciding factors should be the shop service, and price. I am having a hard time finding prices online, id like to do alot of shopping and comparing before I start dealer shopping. Is it worth having EFI vs carbs? ( it seems the hondas still have carbs?) Ive been looking at merc, yamaha, honda, suzuki. what is the order of price? I was guessing honda , merc, yamaha, suzuki ( suzuki being the cheapest) but that is just guessing. Do all new outboards come with tilt and trim and a new control box? should I pay for rigging or do it myself? ( what does this cost ballpark?) Ive never bought a new engine before, but IM tired of working on old ones, I just want to fish! thanks in advance!

JB · Dec 13, 2004

Re: looking for a new 50hp 4 stroke

Yes. EFI is definitely worth the expense. That leaves only Merc and Suzuki/Johnson. I strongly favor the Suzuki built engines, but someone else will prefer the Merc. I suspect that T&T is standard on both.

ozarkjeep · Dec 13, 2004

Re: looking for a new 50hp 4 stroke

hey thanks JB! But Yamaha is showing a 50hp efi engine for 2005 also, what would you think of it? also didnt yamaha make the merc powerheads for a while? when did merc start makeing their own? is a johnson 4 stroke still a suzuki built engine ( same as DF50)? is the timing belt and dual overhead cam a parts or maintance burden? I see the merc has more displacent than the others ( except for the yamaha) and even has one more cylinder than the suzuki or honda engines. does this mean the 3 cylinders work harder? or how does that figure in?

JB · Dec 13, 2004

Re: looking for a new 50hp 4 stroke

Ahoy, Jeep. The new Yammy EFI F50 will probably turn out to be a fine engine. It may share technology or even parts with the Merc. The DF50 has been out for over 5 years now and is a proven product. The Johnny is the same engine in different paint. On paper, fours are smoother than triples and more cubic inches make more torque at any given rpm. The more stressed the engine is on the water, the more likely those characteristics are to be noticable. Good luck.

butlp · Dec 14, 2004

Re: looking for a new 50hp 4 stroke

Your purchasing criteria is right on, local dealer support should come first! I believe the Merc/Yammy & Jonny/Suzi are all good motors and will all serve you well. I think the Merc/Yammy will be slightly heavier but does have greater displacement and more cylinders which makes it very smooth. I have a 2002 Merc 50 and to date (125 hours) it has been faultless. I seem to remember there was an issue a couple of years back with the cam shafts breaking on the Suzuki, but I've not read anything lately. I have looked at the Honda and it is really well built, but I think you will regret not having EFI.

cjones4@hvc.rr.com · Dec 14, 2004

Re: looking for a new 50hp 4 stroke

Do all new outboards come with tilt and trim and a new control box? should I pay for rigging or do it myself? ( what does this cost ballpark?)

I didn't see this question addressed. I have been told by a few dealers(havn't actually bought yet) to plan on about $800 - $1000 for controls,gauges and rigging. Maybe someone else can provide more detail.

ozarkjeep · Dec 14, 2004

Re: looking for a new 50hp 4 stroke

I am really liking the suzuki engine, BUT its a 3 cylinder and smaller displacement than the yamaha and merc. I havent been able to get a price for the suzuki engine either. a local dealer quoted me $5500 for the merc, and $350-$500 for rigging. I will have a hard time trusting adealer to wire and connect, but I dont really want to hassle with it either. I hope I can find a competent dealer within 20 miles! thanks for the info so far, and please feel free to give me any good or bad input about these engines!

BillP · Dec 14, 2004

Re: looking for a new 50hp 4 stroke

I don't think it matters which brand either but here's my take on efi vs carbs. I bought a new "first yr" carbed Mariner 50 x 4s in 1996. It was made by Yamaha and identical to the merc 50x4 stroke. This many years later it still starts in a 2-3 seconds, even if sitting a month or two and runs smooth...no problems. Not that I've needed to do it yet but my skill level makes carbs a better choice when and if I need to work on them. EFI systems are more efficient but more complex and need to be serviced by a certified ob tech. I've been told by a few mechanics and battery people the electronic systems are very sensitive to voltage and it's more than a minor problem as the systems age. Maybe today's new motors have better systems and don't have this issue but I don't know. If you are a tech kind of guy or buy a new motor every few years then EFI may be best...but carbs still do a fine job and don't suffer from age as bad. For the long run and trouble free boating I'll take carbs any day. Oh and I had to pay full retail (approx $5600) for my 50 in 1996...and had to order and wait in line to get it. They were in that much demand then. 9 yrs later they are the same price.

JB · Dec 14, 2004

Re: looking for a new 50hp 4 stroke

The broken cam problem was with the DF70 in which instructions for setting belt tension were violated. Over-tight belts broke the nose off the cam.

ozarkjeep · Dec 14, 2004

Re: looking for a new 50hp 4 stroke

is it 1000 hours or 5 years service interval on the cam belt on those DOHC suzuki engines? is it hard to do? are they an interferance eengine? ( if it breaks will the valves hit the pistons?) also, where can I find prices for a 2005 suzuki df50? How can I find noise specifications for all of these outboards? I want a quiet one! thanks guys!

C-RAVEN · Dec 14, 2004

Re: looking for a new 50hp 4 stroke

hey mooner, all the new 50 hp 4-stroke motors come with power tilt and trim. you have to check carefully though that they come with controls and prop. All the 50 hp models seem to be priced within a couple hundred bucks of each other and in Canada they are running about $6500.00 i have been quoted $600.00 for rigging. Have look at the new Evinrude "E-TEC" This new product looks promising. Cheers

BillP · Dec 14, 2004

Re: looking for a new 50hp 4 stroke

Just a thought on motor selection and maintenance... What type of valve adjusters are the different brands using? Are any doing hyd lifters? My old 50 Mariner (merc) has screw type but the larger Mariners used shims.

ozarkjeep · Dec 14, 2004

Re: looking for a new 50hp 4 stroke

good question BillP. most over head cammed automotive engines I have messed with either have adjuster screws ( Toyota) or solid followers that cant adjust ( volkswagon water cooled 4 cylinders) I hadtn even thought of valve lash wear.

Dunaruna · Dec 14, 2004

Re: looking for a new 50hp 4 stroke

ozark, the DF50 has a timing chain, not belt. According to Suzuki - its maintenance free. http://suzukimarine.com/faqs/faqs.jsp?faqNum=50 Aldo

Triton II · Dec 15, 2004

Re: looking for a new 50hp 4 stroke

Yam F50 is same block and SOHC head as the F60. It has screw and locknut valve adjustment and is easy to work on (in carb form at least).

BillP · Dec 15, 2004

Re: looking for a new 50hp 4 stroke

My mariner 50 has a belt for timing...It's probably quieter than chain but I'd rather have chain. Belts bother me for wear but are major easy to change. I prefer not to have shims for valves too. They are supposed to wear slower but were always an inconvinence when doing my mcy engines with them (Suzuki & Kawasaki). I had to head down to the mcy shop and buy the right shim before putting the motor back together. Shims were too expensive to keep a stock at home...something like $6.50 each 25 yrs ago. How much are ob shims now?

Triton II · Dec 15, 2004

Re: looking for a new 50hp 4 stroke

Yam 50 also has a belt driven camshaft. I should have mentioned that before. My 2003 FT60B Yam has done 205 hours and the belt has not needed to be adjusted yet, neither have the tappets needed adjustment. The only problem I've had has been a minute amount of water in the lower leg which was caused by a split gasket on the filler plug screw.

BillP · Dec 16, 2004

Re: looking for a new 50hp 4 stroke

Where's Forktail? He usually has a handle on the specs and maintenance of different engines.

Guest · Dec 16, 2004

Re: looking for a new 50hp 4 stroke

If you're looking for a tiller steer model, the new Yammis have an interesting new feature: you can dial down the rpm for slower trolling. I have a 50 e-tec and it's a fine motor. It also has the "dail down" feature. I can troll my Alaskan down to 0.9 mph. I agree the 4 strokes are all good though. Trout

ozarkjeep · Dec 17, 2004

Re: looking for a new 50hp 4 stroke

Not looking for tiller steer on this one, I did see that feture and it loks pretty neat, although thats beyond my -know how- to troll with suck precision. So I guess it between merc/suzuki/yamaha at this point, has to be EFI, and I dont want to adjust valves. Does a 4 cylinder run smoother than a 3 cylinder? it seems like it would. I stil have not been able to find sound levels for these engines, like at idle, at WOT to compare.

looking for a new 50hp 4 stroke

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