5 Most Common Problems With Mercury 115 Pro XS Four Stroke
Though Mercury 115 Pro XS has already gained popularity for being such a durable and reliable outboard motor that delivers greater torque and performance, there are still chances of encountering some minor problems while cruising or riding this outboard motor on the water.
In today’s article, let’s explore and learn more about the 5 most common issues that you might encounter with Mercury 115 Pro XS outboard motor-
1. Motor May Run Rough, Sputter, Or Stall:
According to a group of Mercury Pro XS outboard motor users, sometimes the motor gives a hard time by constantly sputtering or stalling on idle.
Some mercury 115 pro xs users have claimed that sometimes the engine starts operating erratically all of a sudden.
Even when they try to start the engine after turning it off to prevent that problem, the starter will not crank like usual to warm up.
Technically speaking, it is one of the most common troubleshooting issues of boat or outboard motor, and unavoidable as well. After several uses, almost all users encounter this type of problem no matter which brand or model of outboard motor they have.
Similarly, the Mercury Pro XS motor may encounter such troubles while you are cruising on the water.
This kind of problem can occur because of either fuel system error, key switch on ignition system failure, a damaged or loose connection of fuss, or battery. It may arise because of other electrical faults as well so, better to be alert and check all the possible areas.
2. Motor Abruptly Stops Or Stalls At High Speed & Visibly loose Power:
Another common problem that consumers have already encountered and mentioned is the stalling issue at high speed, which eventually leads to loss of power, and the engine shuts down abruptly.
According to the user’s practical experience on the water, the motor sometimes stalls at 5 MPH to even at 35MPH.
Some users claim that when the engine loses excess power because of sputtering and die, it will not restart again after several tries.
Some of the users have also claimed that they are experiencing power problems because of the Mercury 115 Command Thrust motor.
This problem can arise if the engine is sucking air from the kicker motor you have or because of the clogged water separator. Corrosion can easily cause those commotions.
Since this problem does not occur because of the manufacturer’s negligence or assembling faults, Mercury suggests contacting the nearest authorized dealer or service provider to fix the motor problem whenever consumers encounter similar issues.
3. Hard Shift Issue:
It is another issue that you may experience with the Mercury PRO xs 115 outboard engines.
According to a group user, the motor always hard shifts out of gear no matter whether it is coming from forwarding or reversing gear. Users have also mentioned that they had a hard time pulling into reverse gear.
Sometimes the situation gets so bad, the shifter or throttle handle may break down while trying to fix it. So, customers need to understand what causes this problem and how to handle it without making the situation worse.
If you encounter the same problem with your Mercury 115 Pro XS, check the friction adjustment located on the throttle or shifter’s bottom.
You may need to take off the control, replace or lubricate the cables and fix the throttle friction screw. Also, if that does not solve your problem, inspect the shift shaft’s condition whether it is bent or not.
4. Battery May Fail To Hold Charge:
Another commonly encounter outboard motor troubleshooting issue is when the engine battery fails to hold the charge like usual.
It may also occur with the Mercury 115 Pro XS model since few users have already mentioned their experience.
This type of problem may arise because of the loose connection between the battery and engine or a faulty rectifier/Voltage regulator.
The battery will not charge or lose charge quicker than usual if your battery and its terminals are covered with excess corrosion or have a low electrolyte level.
Therefore, you will have to do a thorough investigation on all possible faulty areas and repair or replace the parts which seem damaged.
Remember to avoid excess use of different electrical accessories at a time on your outboard while riding it because that also reduces battery charge faster than usual.
5. The Instruction Guide May Not Suitable For All:
Although most users may find this issue as no big deal, some customers are disappointed because of this minor problem as well.
Since Mercury 115 Pro XS outboard motor is an upgraded version of their previous 115 models, it has several advanced features such as the vessel view display.
Therefore, the instruction guide plays an essential role to educate the users on how to operate all those advanced features.
However, some Mercury users claimed that this particular model’s instruction guide is not understandable for all types of users, and especially the beginners or new users will have a hard time understanding the guidance properly.
Final Thoughts
Mercury 115 Pro XS Four Stroke outboard motor features an exclusive range of innovatively advanced features to overcome the previous shortcoming of their 115 four-stroke outboard motor models. Besides some common outboard motor issues and minor technical errors, Mercury 115 Pro XS outboard motor has no serious problem. Also, all the issues that may arise with this model can be easily fixable.