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1987 Mercury to BF 130 Honda 4 stroke

R Brenteson

New member
I have found a good used Honda BF 130 4 stroke and I am thinking of buying and changing out my Mercury 150 Hp 2 stoke. What all does this involve and is it worth it? Do the gauges for my Mercury interchange with the Honda? Does the throttle control and shift control need to be changed? Is the loss of 20 HP copared to the 4 stroke worth it? I use this boat in MT and it is an aluminum 20' Spectrum Pro Avenger.

Thanks for the input.
R
 
First of all the difference in Hp will be noticable expecially if you run normally at max speed. The 130 is heavier and less HP, so the performance is lower, but should not matter is you run mostly at cruising speed.

The fuel consumption on 130 will be two to three times better than the 150.

It also will be so much more quiet and you will be able to talk (and not scream) over the engine sound.

If you do it, you should change out the shifter, key switch assembly, and associated cables. Can the Mercury stuff be used?....yes...with several wiring changes and a change in control cables to Mariner cables, however, it will not shift as smooth and in the end, I do not think you will be happy.

As for the gauges...it depends which gauges you have. Depending on the vintage and brand, the gauges such as volt meter, fuel gauge, tachometer (in many cases - depending on the settings on the back), and water pressure gauge (if it has one). If you have a temp guage and a trim gauge...they are not compatible with the Honda.

If you go for the Honda, install the Honda key switch panel that has 4 warning lights (oil pressure, check engine, charge light, and overheat).

The other thing you do have to check is the steering. If you have hydraulic steering, the cylinder may or may not be usable without modification.

I think I covered most of the major items.

Hope this helps.

Mike
 
One addition to the good advice from Mike - if you do have the mechanical steering, consider switching over to hydraulic. You'll find that it will make trolling and low speed cruising much easlier and more pleasant, eliminating much of the constant corrections you are probably experiencing with the mechanical system.
 
Thanks to both of you for the good advice. I am glad that I waited to put hydro steering on the Mercury, it might of been a waste of money.

Randy
 
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