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Mercruiser 165 4cyl Parts Help

Jrjr

New member
Hello,

I just bought my first I/O boat and am looking for help on engine ID so that I can purchase the correct parts I need. The boat is a 1988 Sun Runner and has been stored indoors since new and appears to have been well taken care of. Upon taking it out on the water, it had some idling/stalling issues and a fuel smell, so I rebuilt the carburetor a few days ago. Now that it is running better I am noticing an intermittent misfire at idle so it’s time to replace the plugs/cap/rotor/wires, etc.

I have done a lot of digging and am still having a difficult time verifying exactly what my engine is since there appears to be different 165 models. The serial number is no longer legible but the valve cover says it’s a Mercruiser 165. I have been reading that there are several versions of this engine and I have seen the following numbers referencing the engine while trying to order parts “3.7L” “470” etc. For instance, One part I need is a distributor cap. This is the info I see while looking at a parts catalog:

PN: 64459 Ignition Distributor Cap
GM 2.5L 3.0L 3.7L 4cyl
w/Delco Distributor 1963-1989 Cross Ref #:
393-9459Q 1, 18-5385, 71540, 9-29401

When ordering parts could I assume that the GM 3.7 4cyl is referring to my engine? One other thing that may help, I replaced the valve cover gasket, and from forum posts I heard that the head is from a Ford 460. I ordered the part from Autozone and it was the correct fit.

Thanks!
 

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Mercruiser 3.7 2bl. Engine parts. That a high maintance engine.

Thanks. I don’t mind working on things if it’s a high maintenance power plant, I just want to make sure I’m ordering the correct parts. It has great torque and runs nice and cool with good compression. It ran 41mph with the family on board with coolers and fishing gear so it has plenty of get up and go. I figure I will freshen up the basics and maybe go to electronic ignition and hope for a few seasons of fun without any major issues.
 
The 3.7 165 inline 4 cylinder aluminum block was a bastard creation of Mercruiser
No parentage to GM
Cap is GM inline 4 cylinder
Head is Ford 460 truck, valve cover gasket also
flywheel is a Ford Maverick
rods and mains are 460 parts(Ithink)
Carb, Rochester 2 bbl or 4 bbl
With the proper build with some hi- parts the horsepower goes way up .
 

Very interesting thread..........

Also very expensive to get everything right to get real power.

At least one who posted a lot was an engine guy for sure and was able to and also understands a great deal about race engine bulding.

With all the cores out there someone with similar ability and time and money could make some fun engines as replacements for that model.

Imaging for everyone who has/had one fail and they could hit a web site and select a newly rebuilt with additional power per price.

get a 300 hp 4 banger for $6-7 thousand dollars..............I bet there would be many customers........Maybe not enough to get wealthy but many none the less.
 
Thanks for the info everyone. By looking at the attached pic, can anyone tell me which fuel pump I need to buy by part number? I can only find one that is positioned upside down.

edit: the site is not letting me add the picture. The pump on my engine bolts on the top and the rest of the unit is pointed downward
 
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