what experience do you guys have w/ these motors?

if you prefer not to post the "bad or the ugly", you're welcome to text me your contact number and i'll gladly give you a call, or give me a ring. either way, i appreciate the feedback.....

pro max 300's.... model prior to the xs's.

main question is obviously reliability and fuel economy.


thanks,

joe
832.277.3661

Not the best on fuel economy,but should run 500 hrs. or more with basic maintenance. I have twin 260s and plan on replacing them with 300s'. I have been impressed. Do a leak down if considering purchasing one. You can also down load run data from the computer with a scanner. Hope this helps. Bob

What does Johnny @ TNT say about them??

It depends on the year. I have a 2001 300X promax and it runs great. Lots of power and tourque. Not the best on gas and you need premium fuel also. I think they have lots of problems with the 2005 model year. Some owners i have talked to have 800 hours on theirs already! To get the full scoop i would do a search on screamandfly.com a mostly outboard website. Lots of knowledge there.

The 300 Pro Maxes and 300X's are good motors. The plain 300 Promax was rated at 300 hp where the slightly newer (I think 01' +) 300X ProMax was 330. The only complaint I've ever really heard was with the gearcases wanting to leak and it's an easy fix with an upgraded shift shaft seal kit.

Eric Simon in CA has a ton of experience on these motors and can make probably as much HP as you could ever need outta em'.

If you're looking for fuel economy and a warranty go with the new 300XS Opti. The speed difference is minimal between the 300X and 300XS and on certain setups some have found more speed with the Opti.

i have a pair of 1998 300's. Good motors but love drinking fuel. the 300X was a little more friendly on fuel economy compared to the 300.

i had 2003 300x on my skater blew two up went throgh 6 gercases wth only 50 hrs on them

The motors work well.

The big issue is the water intrusion into the Sportmaster gear cases. By design, there is not much air space above the oil. The oil gets hot and blows the driveshaft seal on top of the gearcase under the water pump.. The gearcase fills with water and destroys it.

What most guys are doing is running the MAD multi-seal driveshaft seal and/or the Lakeland Vent Kit. Others have tried filling the gearcase to the vent hole, then draining a shot glass full to give more expansion space.

Checking for water in the gearcases is a must to avoid the recurring $4,000 - $5,000 gearcase bill.

One big diff I noticed is that the sportmaster on my 300 XS has 4 water supply holes that force water over the front and rear of the housing, on my 280 ROS sporty it didnt have these

thanks for the feedback, and the info from the phone calls, guys..... i have gotten what i'm looking for......

all the best,

joe