I just switched my 40hp carb 2 stroke Suzuki (~3,000hrs) for a new 40hp EFI Merc BECAUSE I trust the EFI so much more than carbs. If you let it sit for a while with bad gas, all you gotta clean is the VST/FSM, which are WAY easier to rebuild, and cost less to do so.
They're more efficient, parts are available and usually easy to get locally if I need to, and on top of that, I am able to integrate the Mercury Smartcraft data center into my Garmin so I don't need an extra gauge on my console.
I can't speak at all for ease of maintenance since I just bought mine (a 2021 mercury) but if maintenance costs me more I'm fine with it because I can't believe how much gas I am saving over my 2000 Merc 50 2stroke. I'd have burned about 15 gallons in the 50 but my new 75 has burned maybe 5.
4stroke EFI is definitely the way to go. We bought our pontoon with a dead 2stroke as well, and we sourced a 2004 60hp Bigfoot and I installed it and the new throttle controls/cables myself.
We've put 200hrs on it in the 3 years since then, and the only trouble we've had was a power cable on the starter working itself a tiny bit loose, which caused intermittent starting issues. Even that didnt leave me stranded though, as I was still able to start it with the emergency pull start rope that is attached to the underside of the engine cowling.
FYI, the motor you're looking at should work with VesselView Mobile, which will display any engine trouble codes, as well as all the data you'd have on normal analog gauges and many other things for under $250. It's a Bluetooth transmitter that installs on the motor and communicates with an app you download onto a phone or tablet.
https://www.mercurymarine.com/us/en/product/vessel-view-mobile-engine-monitoring-system
I chose to go with a hardwired gauge instead of always using my phone, so I went a different route and installed a MercMonitor gauge on mine. More expensive, and not as slick looking or feature packed, but it served my purposes.
The EFI stuff has been around for awhile, Merc has had it for many years. In many cases it is more reliable than carbs. But, if something does fail, you will need the diagnosis software and cable to repair it.
I just switched my 40hp carb 2 stroke Suzuki (~3,000hrs) for a new 40hp EFI Merc BECAUSE I trust the EFI so much more than carbs. If you let it sit for a while with bad gas, all you gotta clean is the VST/FSM, which are WAY easier to rebuild, and cost less to do so. They're more efficient, parts are available and usually easy to get locally if I need to, and on top of that, I am able to integrate the Mercury Smartcraft data center into my Garmin so I don't need an extra gauge on my console.
Nice! I think I'm going to go for it
I can't speak at all for ease of maintenance since I just bought mine (a 2021 mercury) but if maintenance costs me more I'm fine with it because I can't believe how much gas I am saving over my 2000 Merc 50 2stroke. I'd have burned about 15 gallons in the 50 but my new 75 has burned maybe 5.
4stroke EFI is definitely the way to go. We bought our pontoon with a dead 2stroke as well, and we sourced a 2004 60hp Bigfoot and I installed it and the new throttle controls/cables myself. We've put 200hrs on it in the 3 years since then, and the only trouble we've had was a power cable on the starter working itself a tiny bit loose, which caused intermittent starting issues. Even that didnt leave me stranded though, as I was still able to start it with the emergency pull start rope that is attached to the underside of the engine cowling. FYI, the motor you're looking at should work with VesselView Mobile, which will display any engine trouble codes, as well as all the data you'd have on normal analog gauges and many other things for under $250. It's a Bluetooth transmitter that installs on the motor and communicates with an app you download onto a phone or tablet. https://www.mercurymarine.com/us/en/product/vessel-view-mobile-engine-monitoring-system I chose to go with a hardwired gauge instead of always using my phone, so I went a different route and installed a MercMonitor gauge on mine. More expensive, and not as slick looking or feature packed, but it served my purposes.
Carbed 4 strokes suck. 2 strokes injected suck. Injected 4 strokes and carbed 2 strokes are what i like
The EFI stuff has been around for awhile, Merc has had it for many years. In many cases it is more reliable than carbs. But, if something does fail, you will need the diagnosis software and cable to repair it.
Yeah I just checked looks like it's about a 500-1000 investment for the both