Engine life questions

"Just bought a boat with twin

"Just bought a boat with twin 1985 Crusader 270s that have maybe 600 hours on them. My question is - about how many hours can I expect overall, and how many before doing the heads? Boat weighs 20,000 pounds so I assume they have been working fairly hard so far. Impeller too?

I am going to install the MSD line of ignition upgrades to squeeze some more power and reliability out of them as well. Thanks"

"Don't "squeeze" t

"Don't "squeeze" too hard, or the rebuild will be even sooner. You can eyeball the impellers to see if they are worn or hard, and replace them if they are.

Life of an engine depends 99% on maintenance and usage--did the previous owner treat 'em nice, or brutally--so you really can't go by the hour meter. Some engines go 2,000 hrs. without needing a rebuild; others are shot before 600.

Merry Christmas!

Jeff"

"Like Jeff said, time and negl

"Like Jeff said, time and neglect are much harder on the engines than the hours. They could be just breaking in or ready to break down. Let's put in in perspective. I bought my wife a new Suburban in July. GMs new instrumentation allows you to access engine hours. The vehicle now has 14,000 miles on it and 585 hrs. IT'S 6 MONTHS OLD. I know that my wife doesn't run it at 4400 RPMs for hours on end (at least I hope not) or pump salt water through the cooling system, but this engine is just breaking in.

I have repowered many boats with 600 hours on them, but very few of them were worn out. Most were damaged from being severly overheated, run without oil, or merely neglected to the point where oil pans, timing covers and valve covers were rusted through.

Look the motors over good, talk to the previous owner, get a qualified professional opinion and, if possible, buy a warranty.

Good luck
Rick"

"I have T/Cru. 454s in my Carv

"I have T/Cru. 454s in my Carver 3607. 2001 I had a catostrophic engine failure on the strb eng. at 3000rpm. Investigation proved the motor had been disassembled by a previous owner and the valve retainer clips not correctly seated, hence the failure was due to a dropped valve. Had the engine replaced, and had both heads on port engine redone. Engines had 975 hrs and now left has 1326hrs and rt 435hrs. The rt engine is a Grooms reman. and is great.I believe these are very rugged and dependable motors, and by keeping up on oil/filter changes, will last a long time.I try not to exceed 70% of rated power for anything other than performance checks (twice yearly). Proper winterizing is very important. Raw water empellers are change at 300 opperating hrs for safety."

"I have twin 1984 Crusader 3.8

"I have twin 1984 Crusader 3.8 Liter V6 engines in my Bayliner Motoryacht. hours 920 +/- on each. Compression test shows 120 +/- 5 lbs per cylinder on each. Problem is two fold. 1) No electronic ignition for this engine from any source (would like to get rid of points) 2) Thinking about replacing with 4.3's. Looking for any input on compatibility between the engines (exhaust manifolds, closed cooling system, other items)"

"I have twin 1984 Crusader 3.8

"I have twin 1984 Crusader 3.8 Liter V6 engines in my Bayliner Motoryacht. hours 920 +/- on each. Compression test shows 120 +/- 5 lbs per cylinder on each. Problem is two fold. 1) No electronic ignition for this engine from any source (would like to get rid of points) 2) Thinking about replacing with 4.3's. Looking for any input on compatibility between the engines (exhaust manifolds, closed cooling system, other items)"

"I have 12,000 hours on my eng

"I have 12,000 hours on my engine. If it isn't broke dont't fix it. Just maintain it and it will last."