Yamaha OX66 outboard question

[RHoos22]

I am looking at a contender with twin Yamaha OX66 outboard engines. I heard they are gas guzzlers. Can anyone else comment on this??

[Big Fish Billy]

Here is some help, all outboards apparently are gas guzzlers...

http://www.docksidereports.com/YamahaOutboards.htm

[jawz12]

I am looking at a contender with twin Yamaha OX66 outboard engines. I heard they are gas guzzlers. Can anyone else comment on this??

every time i hear stuff like this i laugh...

it used to be,you could guage how much fuel an outboard used by using the 10% rule...meaning,10% of the hp equals how much fuel the motor will use at full throttle-this is when outboards were carb'd...now,with injection,came more fuel efficient engines,and once again,as the injection sytem was refined,came more efficient engines.
so...
are the 200 ox66's gas hogs ??? no friggin' way...do they use more fuel than a 200hpdi ?? yes...
when you hear a know it all telling you the engine is a fuel hog,remember what i typed...
usually,when someone tells you an outboard engine is a gas hog,the engine isn't propped correctly-this menas all the difference in the world...an outboard,as well as any marine engine,has a max reccomended rpm rating,that engine must be able to operate in the rpm band,with the boat fully loaded...if the engine(s) do not reach that number,it's overwheeled,end of story...and again,you want to see the top number with the boat fully loaded...word to the wise...if the boat has yamaha props,swap them out to merc wheels,big difference,both in speed,ride and fuel economy...
here's a little more about the ox66 engines,keep the o2 sensor clean-it's real important...if the o2 sensor fouls up,usually from using a cheap grade oil,the engine will lose rpm,it can and also detonate from this situation-remember this !!! it's reccomended to remove and clean the o2 sensor every year.using "ring free" will help.use yama lube,there's a big difference,trust me on this one...

if you're located in nj,don't get all excited about this whole ethanol thing,some of these guys are beating it to death...seems like if you're located in a really high humidity area,like south florida,you may have a problem.from my own experience,i have seen 3 fuel related problems,these were a few years ago,none since...do not use startron,sorry bill at starbrite...that stuff is crap,plain and simple,again,i service quite a few boats every year,zero problems related to fuel...and none of my customers use any fuel additives !!!,just ring free...

i hope all this information helps...

for the record,the 200ox66 as well as the 150,225 and the 250ox66 engines are among some of the most trouble free engines ever built,basically bulletproof !!!

[rocksandblues]

I have two ox66 250's on my contender. yes the hpdi and 4strks get about 20-30 per better gas mileage. I have thought about 2 new 4 strokes. But 30k can buy a lot of gas.

They have been relatively trouble free (o2 sensors and low press fuel pumps) and they are strong.

my boat weighs 15k wet and loaded and get 1mpg at a broad 27-35 knots. wide open those motors burn 63 gph

[Big Fish Billy]

I have two ox66 250's on my contender. yes the hpdi and 4strks get about 20-30 per better gas mileage. I have thought about 2 new 4 strokes. But 30k can buy a lot of gas.

They have been relatively trouble free (o2 sensors and low press fuel pumps) and they are strong.

my boat weighs 15k wet and loaded and get 1mpg at a broad 27-35 knots. wide open those motors burn 63 gph

Yes 1 gallon to 1.5 gallons to a mile is the best you can expect from outboards, and of course it's hard to lay off the stick. I have a 17 ton cabin cruiser with twin 454s. I can run at 6 knots on autopilot drinking rum and cokes at 5/8 gallon to a mile which I try to do. If I run it up, I can catch up to the GPM of the outboards. Buddys say rip those gas engines out and go diesel, but...I can buy a lot of gas for $85,000.

[John from Madison CT]

IMO, the Yamaha Ox66 is probably the most reliable V6 outboard ever made.

[hedjug]

IMO, the Yamaha Ox66 is probably the most reliable V6 outboard ever made.

I agree 100%. OX66 is the best of the best. Other than gas mileage, they sould have stopped at that design & called it a day. Just as Johnson should have done with the 70hp from the late 70's early 80's.

[mrfishy]

They're bulletproof. 27 grady with twin 225s we get about 1.6-1.8 3800rpms cruising at 35-38MPH. .9 mpg at 5400rpms and 53 mph

[Towerman]

IMO, the Yamaha Ox66 is probably the most reliable V6 outboard ever made.

I agree totally , I have many hundreds of hours on my 2000 model 200hp on a 21 Mako and no problems of any kind, I stay on top of it and keep under the cowl very clean and salt free .Great motor !