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What's with all the 2.3 problems?

o2batsea

o2batsea

Outstanding Contributor
Is it my imagination or are the majority of threads about 2.3 engines? Is it because they were the most produced as entry level boat propulsion? Are they problem prone or just the most thrashed/neglected/misused?
 
I bought mine cheap. But the P.O.'s misused and abused the boat and I/O. That's why it was cheap.

Plus my own ignorance of I/O's in general, this being the first.
 
Most produced engine period is the 4 cylinder chevy inline. They are almost bullet proof.

The 2.3 was put in mustangs and such and i remember my friend bought the 2.3 in a mustang II the first year it came out. He had nothing but problems. Got rid of it and when i last talked to him he never did buy a ford after that.

To your motor the 2.3 in a boat. If you are having problems get a 3.0 / 140. You can still use the outdrive as it sits.

However if you can get your hands on a good motor and drive setup merc, say 81-89 with a bad hull, use the donor boat and tranfer everything to your good hull.

Then sell the cobra and all off the boat you have now.
 
I owned (4) driveable Merkur XR4Ti's at the same time. They were not the type of car to take on a cross country trip. They all had the 2.3L turbocharged, either 140 HP or 175 Hp.

When everything was working, fun cars to drive. But it seemed like there was always something going wrong. Head gaskets were only good for 60K miles max. That may have been due to the turbo boost, 15-18 PSI, which is a lot. The 2.3L is a high revving engine, both in cars and boats.
 
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